He started out playing a cardboard piano, but became a key figure in the improv scene. Now at 64, the musician is having a moment with his danceable quartet [Ahmed]

‘I see myself as a traditional player who’s just open to things,” says Pat Thomas. Respectful of heritage yet unwilling to be bound by genre, race or class, Thomas is one of Britain’s most distinctive pianists, as well as an electronics wizard and visionary composer. And at the age of 64, he is finally gaining the recognition he deserves: his acclaimed quartet [Ahmed] are playing a headline gig at EFG London jazz festival this month and younger musicians like Moor Mother and Xhosa Cole are lining up to work with him.

It’s not hard to see why: Thomas is an inspiring presence, transforming jazz, reggae, jungle, funk and modern composition into music of mind-boggling invention and beauty. “To me, the most important thing is, am I making music that can touch people’s hearts?”, he says. “I try to play in as many different contexts as possible, but there’s always going to be an element of improvisation in it for me. My intention is always to try to make good music – whether they see it as ‘new’, I leave that to other people to judge.”