English guitarist Rob Luft has already had an impressive career, even though he’s just shy of his 31st birthday. While he was still in grammar school, he attended the National Youth Jazz Orchestra of Great Britain, an arts institution focused on providing young musicians the opportunity to play in major venues as well as on radio and TV. Luft demonstrated a remarkable artistry even at a young age, and the jazz world was eager to follow his progress.

Having already earned accolades like the Kenny Wheeler prize with Edition Records and later 2nd place in the Montreux Jazz Festival guitar competition, he released his debut album, Riser, in 2017. Riser received widespread acclaim, with All About Jazz praising the “album of remarkable originality [and] strong compositions” while The Guardian proclaimed the record as an, “enticingly vivacious debut.”

Drawing upon influences beyond jazz, like African and Celtic folk, and layered electronics, his lyrical and melodic approach is mesmerizing. He’s been compared to the likes of John McLaughlin, Paco De Lucia, and Al Di Meola. Luft has released several albums as a leader or co-leader and served as a sideman for projects by Joy Ellis, Enzo Zirilli, Ellen Andrea Wang, and many others. This year, he played on John Surman’s Words Unpsoken, and he also teamed up with Norwegian bassist Arild Andersen and Danish drummer Daniel Sommer to create the enchanting, As Time Passes. Keep this one on your radar.