How It Was Then... Never Again is an album by British jazz trio Azimuth, consisting pianist John Taylor, vocalist Norma Winstone and trumpeter Kenny Wheeler, recorded in April 1994 and released on ECM the following year.

[1][2] Writing for Jazz Times, Jim Ferguson stated that the group's music, "earthy yet ethereal, minimalist yet often complex—is as inventive as their instrumentation is unique."

"[5] In a review for AllMusic, Scott Yanow wrote: "Taylor sometimes recalls Keith Jarrett, while Wheeler comes across as the most conventional of the three participants, and Winstone's voice keeps the music from getting too comfortable or predictable.

"[2] The authors of the Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings commented: "the music... is as progressive and empirical as anything the group has done in 20 years... Winstone's voice is as pure and reed-like as ever.

"[3] Between Sound and Space's Tyran Grillo stated: "How it was then... is a genealogy of emotions and places, a tale of winter blooms that hook their stamen onto errant sunrays and uproot themselves into weightless life.