Ancient Infinity Orchestra // It’s Always About Liberation

It’s Always About Liberation is the kind of record that makes Ancient Infinity Orchestra’s ambitions sound completely natural. Across six patient, richly arranged pieces, the 16-member Leeds ensemble turns spiritual jazz, modal improvisation, and orchestral composition into music that feels generous rather than grandiose, giving bandleader and bassist Ozzy Moysey enough room to pursue big ideas without losing sight of melody, groove, or ensemble chemistry. Conceived as a companion to 2025’s It’s Always About Love, the album carries a heavier emotional charge, replacing some of its predecessor’s warmth with tension, persistence, and a restless desire to move forward. “Nafas” and “Akshay” establish that balance immediately, unfolding with an almost ceremonial patience, while “Triton” and “Illuminations” allow the ensemble to stretch into denser, more exploratory territory. The expansive “Celebrating the Beautiful Lineage of Sound & Hypnotic States” gets closest to stating the group’s purpose outright, treating repetition and collective improvisation as both musical language and spiritual practice, before the concise “Mountain” closes the album with a welcome sense of clarity. Moysey took the title from words spoken by Moor Mother at the 2024 We Out Here festival, framing love and liberation as interconnected ideas, and the distinction gives the record its shape: where It’s Always About Love considered repair, this one is concerned with movement. Released by Gondwana Records, it fits comfortably within the label’s modern British jazz lineage while sounding unmistakably tied to Leeds’ unusually communal scene. More importantly, it is one of the strongest jazz records of 2026, expansive in scale, deeply felt, and remarkably sure of what it wants to say.