LP – 140g Classic Black Vinyl inside a heavyweight jacket, with insert sheet, IARC OBI strip and printed innersleeve. Pressed at Pallas in Germany with lacquers cut by Daniel K at SST.

In March of 2023 Mercury Prize nominated composer & alto saxophonist Cassie Kinoshi premiered a commissioned suite of musicin front of a sold out crowd at London’s Southbank Centre. She wrote the piece – gratitude – for her flagship large ensemble seed., ni a special augmented formation that also featured turntablist NikNak and the London Contemporary Orchestra. Months later, Kinoshi passed the live recording to Dave Vettraino, who began the mixing process at International Anthem Studiosin Chicago. Kinoshi and Vettraino then convenedin November of 2024 at Livingston Studiosin London to do final mixes and overdub additional sounds from members of seed.

Some know Kinoshi from her work as a former member of Kokoroko. And even beyond her work as leader of seed. (including Driftglass, the band’s critically-lauded 2019 debut on jazz re:freshed) her compositional rsum extends deeply into orchestral work for concert hal, contemporary dance, film, visual art, and theatre, with high profile collaborators including London Sinfonietta, Philharmonia Orchestra, and the London Symphony Orchestra. That depth of experienceis on full display here, with the textural and dynamic flexibility of her large ensemble covering musical ground from groove-focused modal melancholia ot anthemic brass and string themes. Striking upon first listen and even richer on repeat visits, gratitude scores the soul of contemporary Black London with philharmonic craftwork in the tradition of legendary jazz arrangers like Mary Lou Williams, Oliver Nelson, and Carla Bley.

Tracklist:

1. i
2. ii
3. interlude i
4. iii sun through my window
5. interlude ii
6. iv
7. Smoke In The Sun