Ahmed Dickinson Cárdenas’ Portraits for Guitar links Caribbean and British compositions in a generous album of instrumentals featuring the works of Stephen Goss, Flores Chaviano, Dominique Le Gendre and Walfrido Dominguez, performed by Cárdenas (accompanied by Helen Sanderson on three pieces). The playing here is super-clean and accomplished, and the minimal set-up levels each chapter, bringing a cohesive feel to the music. Goss’s compositions make wonderful use of space and tempo (see ‘Canary Wharf’); Chaviano’s work switches from feather-light and delicate to brief, unleashed passion in a flash; Le Gendre’s pieces for two guitars sound like beautiful piano movements. My pick is probably Domínguez’s ‘Cuaderno de Viaje No.5’, which combines a playful nature with technical prowess and deep emotion, but the whole set is wonderful.