All compositions by Andrew McAnsh except the Utopia Suite which was a collaboration between Andrew McAnsh and P.J Andersson.

Its liner notes, song titles, and cover art liberally peppered with references to Japanese culture and Zen Buddhism, Andrew McAnsh's debut recording, Illustrations was inspired by the young trumpeter / composer's journeys through the Land of the Rising Sun. However, McAnsh's original compositions—far from displaying any direct influences of Japanese ethnic music—are relentlessly hard-hitting modern jazz inventions along the lines of recent offerings by fellow trumpeters John Blevins and Ron Miles and Dave Douglas. Like Blevins, McAnsh works with a large-ish ensemble sporting a beefy front line of trumpet, trombone, tenor saxophone and—on several pieces— wordless vocals. Resolutely acoustic and infused with challenging cutting-edge modern jazz moves, Illustrations eschews the big band jazz-funk sound of similarly-outfitted youthful collectives such as Snarky Puppy and Lettuce. While there's not much in the way of funky fusion on Illustrations, there's absolutely no shortage of energy or invention and only an occasional coup de chapeau to more traditional Blue Note-affiliated sorts of sounds.  - Dave Wayne