Avery Sharpe, the bassist best known for his work with McCoy Tyner with whom he played for more than 20 years, is 70 this summer - a milestone that this new album of the American's coincides with. A player and writer of distinction whose composition 'January in Brazil' figured on McCoy's Grammy-winning 1993 issued big band album Journey, the Georgia born player is touring Europe this summer leading the McCoy Legends Band. He also runs his long running label JKNM who issue the vibrant I Am My Neighbors Keeper.

Personnel on this ''double quartet'' recording include pianist Zaccai Curtis plus strings. Interestingly there's space written for balafon and African percussion glimpsed on 'I See You'. Sharpe uses conventional double bass, a 6-string double bass and 6-string bass guitar. Album closer 'Six on Six' hints at playfulness in both metre and the extended reach of his chosen instruments.

The strings come into their own on the lush 'Compassion'. Certainly 'The Good Samaritan' contains a McCoy Tyner-like complexion to it as does 'Parental Love'. The great pianist's influence certainly lives on in Sharpe's own work. Not everything grabs us. But there's more than enough to satisfy. Go-to first destinations include the bass soloing on 'Trust' and the African accents and developing flow of the strings found to effect on 'I See You.' Listening to Sharpe we also thought of the sound of Buster Williams a few times and went off to listen to the Mwandishi legend's 2023 Smoke Sessions album Unalome after finishing this inspiring album looking for something approaching an apt continuation and journeyed even more fittingly back to Williams' own days with McCoy before Sharpe's heard particularly on 1974's Afrocentric classic, Asante. That all makes sense.

Tour dates leading the McCoy Legends band of Steve Turre, Chico Freeman, Ronnie Burrage and Antonio Faraò include the A to Jazz festival in Sofia on 5 July continuing on to a festival in the Gironde in France at les 24 heures de swing on 7 July plus further dates during European summer festival season including German festival Jazz Open in Stuttgart on 26 July.