A stalwart of the ECM record label, composer and multi-instrumentalist John Surman is a key figure in a generation of European jazz musicians who crucially expanded the international horizons of jazz. In his long career, Surman has won many accolades, most recently, the prestigious Ivor Novello Jazz Award, which recognised his prowess on the baritone saxophone and his body of original works that have extended far beyond the perceived boundaries of the jazz repertoire and are fired by the contrasts of exquisite lyricism, richly textured sound, and intense, full-bodied improvisation.