Alexis Ffrench is an acclaimed British composer and pianist. “Through this playlist,” he tells Apple Music, “I have traced my life’s journey through music, sharing a very personal soundtrack featuring some of the amazing singer-songwriters, composers and performers whom I grew up with, learnt from, played along to and emulated throughout my childhood—right up to contemporary figures who are blazing a trail today and, collectively, represent the diverse and multifarious contexts of black culture, artistry and musicianship. This playlist illustrates the profound influence that the richness of my musical listening had on my musical outlook and how I came to imagine a sound that I called ‘Classical Soul’: a sound world that drew upon the sonic alchemy that I experienced every time I played masters like Stevie Wonder, Bob Marley and Chopin. This is music that I perfected, first of all, on the kitchen table playing along with my favourite tracks and practising without piano keys but in a way absorbed sound worlds which, on the face it seemed disparate but, to me, were eternally connected through time, intent, language, musicality and soul. ‘Classical Soul’ seemed to encapsulate everything I wanted to listen to, learn from and embodies the musician I wanted to be. So, in Black History Month, it’s an absolute pleasure to be able to share this playlist with you in what I hope is a perfectly proportioned 50-track package of sonic goodness in celebration of outstanding artistic contribution. Enjoy!”