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Singer Pascal ‘Lokua’ Kanza, whose origins lie in both the Congo and Rwanda, has been recording for over fifteen years, but it is some five years since his last album. This new project is something of a departure from the past and has a pared down feel in the use of instrumentation, though the glorious harmony vocals that are so typical elsewhere of Congolese rumba especially permeate this album and take centre stage. Vocals are mainly in Lingala with the occasional French lyric and the opener ‘Elanga a ya moinda’ starts things off on a wonderful footing. With the subtle deployment of keyboards throughout, the album at times feels like a quasi a capella outing and this is illustrated by the lovely ‘Mapendo’. The gentle ambience goes up a notch on the uplifting ‘Na Kozanga’ that features some lovely female vocals. On ‘Nkolo’ Kanza has returned to a rootsier sound, and in so doing has regained the identity that seemed to be in danger of being lost on previous albums. Although a tad short at just over forty minutes, it has been well worth the wait.  Tim Stenhouse

Algerian singer Hasna El Becharia belongs to a tradition of gnawa musicians practised by the Berbers (non-Arabs) that cuts across the political borders with Morocco. It is indeed rare to find a woman singer or instrumentalist among them and in order to survive one needs to be a strong character. El Becharia possesses a deep, almost masculine voice that produces a hoarse-like sound. There is a hypnotic quality to this rustic-sounding album with the musical accompaniment of the gimbi, a gnawa lute and the latter is used to good effect on ‘Galbi’. The riffs are extremely basic and one might add sometimes lacking in variety. However, the addition of the atmospheric ney does spice up proceedings a good deal as on ‘Khawa’ which is possibly the most interesting piece on the album while ‘Rabi-lila’ is a beautiful, melodic number. The music is best sampled in small doses since it does tend to be monotonous to the untrained ear, but that is simply because this kind of music makes no concessions whatsoever to the commercial world and provides the music in its true unadulterated form. For this Lusafrica are to be applauded.  Tim Stenhouse

Among the stars of the rasta renaissance of the 1990s such as Bushman and Cocoa Tea there emerged another artist, Junior Kelly, a disciple of the singjay technique, who gradually established a reputation for quality releases. Kelly scored a big hit in early 2000 with’ If love is so nice’ and returns with a new album that features guest singers Ras Shiloh and Queen Ifrica. The classic roots riddim to ‘How better ah go gone’ is none other than Java and this is unquestionably an album highlight. Equally nu-roots of the highest quality is found on ‘Nutin’ wrong with the world’. However, Junior Kelly has been anxious to branch out into other spheres of reggae as illustrated by the quasi ska-feel to ‘Slackness’ which finds him in melodic singing voice vein. This is very different from the rest of the album and sounding all the better for it. Definitely a route for Kelly to explore further on subsequent albums. Elsewhere the lovely lilting mid-tempo number ‘Too late’ (not the classic song that Dennis Brown championed) features a duet with Queen Ifrica and female harmony vocals that are honed to perfection. The other duet on ‘Papa’s song’ with Ras Shiloh actually has a vocal delivery that sounds as though Kelly has been influenced by early 1960s US soul and even doo-wap. A varied album with plenty of scope for new musical approaches in the future.  Tim Stenhouse

With the advent of ragga, Jamaican music entered a new phase and one that increasingly took on board multiple influences of American music from rock to hip hop and beyond. Greensleeves has long prided itself on its accesible and bang up to date compilation series that collects 45s recently released and this latest instalment of new sounds from Ja provides the listener with a useful overview of ragga singers. Themes vary between the chilling social reality, edgy male-female relations and the economic inequities of life on the island. The hit single by Gyptian, ‘Hold you’, is by far the most melodic song on offer with catchy keyboards and minimalist programming. Gappy Ranks uses vocoder vocals with a relentless riddim on the social commentary of ‘Stinking rich’ and financial worries crop up again with the Mental Family featuring Vybz Kartel on ‘Mi money (ha ha)’. Rock guitar riffs abound on ‘How we ride’ by Erup while the sinister message of ‘War is in the air’ is all too evident when delivered by Mavado. Elsewhere more conscious lyrics are to be found on ‘Social responsibility’ by Bounty Killer. It has to be said that ragga is not for the faint hearted and this compilation will above all appeal to hard core ragga fans rather than the casual listener and as such may be a little too much to take in one go. Nonetheless it is an accurate reflection of the current music scene and for fans of the genre this a relatively easy way to acquire the latest sounds. Tim Stenhouse

ormerly lead singer and guitarsit with Spanish group Amparanoia, Amparo Sánchez has decided to go solo and for her first alum has bravely decided to explore Americana, albeit with a uniquely Hispanic twist from the border country between Mexico and the United States. Enlisting the support of band members of Calexico, Sánchez has come up with an absolute winner of an album full of brooding instrumentation and catchy hooks. Partly recorded in Tusco, Arizona, and Havana, Cuba, hence the title, this may seem an intriguing and even bizarre mix of musical genres to some, yet it is one that is not nearly as alien at it may first appear. Spanish language music is by no means confined to salsa and Tex-Mex styles in the United States and Sánchez possesses a deep, impassioned voice that lends itself perfectly to proceedings. Arguably the finest song is, ‘Sé que no sé’, which should garner much airplay and may even be a possible single release. However, the quirky alt-country of ‘Hoja en blanco’ is an ideal vehicle for Amparo’s beautiful voice and the simmering heat of ‘Corazón de la realidad’ (with subtle use of mariachi-style trumpets) is only marginally less enticing. There is even a potential slice of classic film soundtrack on ‘Turista accidental’ while the more uplifting side to Sánchez’s music can be found in the excellent duet with Omara Portuondo on the Havana recorded, ‘La parrandita de la santas’, which is, perhaps, more familiar territory for fans of the Spanish singer’s previous recordings. All in all a cohesive album with no clichés and plenty of common musical ground. This is an ambitious album and one that may well appeal beyond the normal confines of world music fans with the potential to become a surprise hit across the Atlantic with Hispanics and non-Hispanics alike.  Tim Stenhouse

The uncompromising music of Fela Ransome Kuti has continued to find a new audience over the years and this latest compilation, the second in the Wrasse series, will appeal to neophytes and long-time fans alike. For those just discovering Kuti’s musical legacy, the compilation covers many of his key songs in their full-length versions from the mid-1970s period onwards. The first CD features many of the classics such as ‘He miss Road’ and ‘Expensive shit’, but also some of the lesser known gems like ‘Ikoyi blindness’ with its biting social commentary and ‘Na Poi (1975 version)’ with its delicate upping of tempo and gorgeous saxophone solo from Fela. The second CD finds Kuti’s music with increasingly political content on numbers such as ‘Colonial mentality’ and ‘Coffin for the head of state’ as well as the excellent collaboration with Roy Ayers on ‘Africa centre of the world’, and the equally long seventeen minutes of ‘Unknown soldier’. For Fela aficionados, the major bonus is the wonderful Berlin concert from 1978, nicely re-mastered onto DVD and illustrating at once the unadulterated and totally untainted by commerical considerations aspect to his music. All are extended pieces of which pride of place probably goes to ‘V.I.P.’ With condensed digi-packaging and inner sleeve notes by Fela’s daughter, Yeni Kuti, this is quite simply essential listening and viewing.  Tim Stenhouse

Cuban-American singer Cucu Diamantes clearly has one eye on the Latin pop market with this release and it is very much aimed at a youth audience that likes a fusion of dancefloor styles, from disco and funk through to tropical Latin hybrids. The result is a mish-mash of genres that sometimes work and on other occasions fall somewhat short. Most convincing is the Spanish-language disco of ‘Show me the way papi’ and with a catchy bolero-influenced breakdown, this could well be a hit on the dancefloors and is the kind of musical territory Diamantes should be aiming for. Equally the sampled beats and melodic flute of ‘Amor cronico’ features catchy vocals that will appeal to many and not the few. Less successful is the cumbia meets electronica of ‘Sentimiento’, or the rap duet with Orishas vocalist Yotuel on ‘Alguien’. There is an attempt at reproducing the Miami Sound Machine formula on ‘Mentiras’ that works reasonably well even if the lyrics are trite and Gloria Estefan is an obvious influence on Diamantes, though her voice is not nearly as powerful as the former. With a sulty Latin diva cover and burlseque dancer overtones, Cucu Diamantes semingly wishes to provoke a reaction. On this outing, she only partially raises a few eyebrows, but there is the potential for innovative musical fusions in the future that can also be accessible and may secure chart success in the process. Tim Stenhouse

Accordionist extraordinaire Richard Galliano has devoted several recordings to his abiding love of tango, but for this latest one has fused it with Brazilian roots music and the result is a joyful, uplifting album that transforms modern tango into a whole new experience and explores common territory with Brazilian samba. Recorded in Sao Paulo in 2006 with Hamilton de Holanda on mandolin and featuring Brazilian percussionists as well as double bassist and violinist, this is one of Galliano’s most ambitious and impressive projects to date. The title track refers to the fusion of tango with classical arias in the style of J.S. Bach and it is on this opening track that the more uplifting side to tango is highlighted with violin and accordion complementing one another to perfection. Equally impressive is the mid-tempo waltz that is ‘Guarda che luna’, which is taken at a quicker tempo than per usual, and once again features a dialogue between violin and accordion with the percussion beefed up for good measure. The Brazilian side to the album is illustrated by an interpretation of the classic samba ‘Luz negra’ which receives a bright and breezy jazz-inflected treatment from Galliano while on ‘Escualo’ the various rapid shifts in tempo are reminiscent of a Gotan Project album track. French chanson is not forgotten either on ‘Fou rire’ and is given a deliciously frothy rendition while there is a wonderful surprise in store with a reworking of Erik Satie’s ‘Gnossienne no. 3’ that works extremely well and an eery ambience is created on this piece with the use of double bass. Astor Piazzolla would surely have appreciated the risks taken on this recording and Richard Galliano is to be commended for successfully fusing two seemingly disparate musical genres into a cohesive whole. Tim Stenhouse

Some eight years in the making, the highly innovative human voice box and master of vocalese that is Bobby McFerrin returns with a fascinating album that cuts across musical frontiers at will and is one of his best albums for a good decade and arguably among his finest ever. It is a project in which McFerrin has freed his music from the conventional chorus format, creating a far more improvised feel with the use of percussion to reflect world roots flavours. Lyrics are sung in a multitude of languages by no less than fifty vocalists, though English predominates, with Latin, French, Spanish and even the far less commonplace (in Western song at least if not in daily practice) Japanese, Manadarin and Zulu getting a look in. The ambience changes throughout from African, gopsel, jazz and various world influences. The gorgeous melodies on the wordless vocals to ‘Wailers’ reminds one in parts of the Pat Metheny group sound with harmonies to the fore. McFerrin takes over lead vocals half way through and lends a Middle Eastern feel to proceedings. Equally impressive is the beautifully textured choir sound of ‘Baby’ which enables the protagonists to explore the art of vocalese at different levels. On the South African gospel-tinged hues of ‘The garden’, McFerrin excels on lead while the most conventional number in structure, ‘Say ladeo’, is a classic call and response song which has been edited for extensive airplay coverage and deserves to be a hit on a par with ‘Don’t worry. Be happy’. The who’s who of vocalist guest at various points with Manhattan Transfer’s Janis Siegel a logical participant. There is minimal instrumentation with the subtle and tasteful use of synthesizer programmer, bongos from percussionist Alex Acuña and the occasional saxophone wail from the excellent Donny McCalsin. Bobby McFerrin is truly in his element with the improvisations of the the twelve voice ensemble Voicestra and the resulting sound makes for a refreshingly soothing experience for the listener. With only seven songs that are extended pieces weighing in at six minutes on average the casual listener night have been alienated, yet one never feels there is the slightest touch of a jam session or self-indulgence to the compositions. This deserves to be that rare combination of a critical and commercial success and personally, this writer cannot wait to hear the vocalist performing the pieces in concert.

There’s a little over thirty years experience of playing saxophone and many more years of inspiration woven into this, Nat’s third album Guiding Spirit.  The exquisite tone and timbre has you pondering on some of jazz music’s most momentous releases wondering if indeed, this new release is from the age when spiritual jazz was considered at its height.  The reality is that all those wonderful albums and musicians before now were just lighting the way for Nat to tread.  Nat Birchall’s more recent collaboration with Gondwana Records and the marvellous musicians involved have provided this release with a stable platform to express his distinctive style and beauty - a truly exciting piece of jazz in a time when all around us are walking a darker path.
There are six pieces of music on the album.  Six individual works of art, fit for jazz music’s most die-hard advocate, played perfectly by Manchester’s master artisan.  Steve Williams

Singer Lila Downs follows up her triumphant as part of the all-star San Patricios line-up that featured Ry Cooder, the Chieftains and a whole host of Mexican traditional musicians with a surprise live recording of her own group from spring 2009 in Paris before a receptive audience in the studios of French national radio. The CD covers a decade’s worth of material up to and including the all-encompassing ‘Shake away’ album from 2008 and features her long-time band including the multi-instrumentalist Celos Duarte who doubles up on harp, violin and the exotic sounding charrango. Downs is equally at home in traditional Mexican roots songs as she is on American folk-blues with a decidely social stance, and at times combines elements of both genres to good effect. Some of her most recent well received songs are included with a faithful reprise of ‘El relámapago’ taken at a slightly quicker tempo than on record and the gorgeous melodies of the harp driven ‘La Iguana’ immediately impressing. New discoveries for this listener were the melancholic side to Downs’ singing on ‘Naila’ which is a truly beautiful interpretation and the laid back roots of ‘La martiniana’, based on a Zaptec Mexican Indian song. Here the maturtity in Lila’s Downs voice can be appreciated to the full. Elsewhere there is a fabulous dance tune that could well prove to be the singer’s signature tune, ‘La cumbia del mole’, that wonderfully fuses a Mexican take on cumbia (originally a Columbian musical style) with funk-infused bass and the reggae-tinged hues meets traditional Mexican sounds of both ‘La cucuracha’ and ‘La linea’, where for the latter Mexican harp and Jamaican dub drumming come together harmoniously. This fine live performance delivers on all fronts and provides an excellent overview of her career thus far and testifies to the sheer eclecticism of her repertoire.  Tim Stenhouse

Veteran legendary alto saxophonist Lee Konitz almost single handedly personified the cool school sound of the mid-late 1950s and his collaborations with Billy Bauer, Warne Marsh and Lennie Tristano helped to reshape jazz history during the period. In recent decades octogenarian Konitz has been keen not to dwell too much on the past, looking forward to new challenges and has traded jazz licks with some of the best of the younger generations below him, with the trio recording featuring Brad Mehldau and Charlie Haden from almost a decade ago being particularly memorable. On this latest live recording from the hallowed sanctuary of the Village Vanguard in New York, Konitz has enlisted an exciting quartet of German pianist Florian Weber, bassist Jeff Dean and drummer Ziv Ravitz, collectively known as Minsrah, and the saxophonist sounds refreshingly reinvigorated as a result. This is as near to a regular quartet as Konitz has ever had and it shows in the cohesiveness of the ensemble and individual playing. The set comprises three Konitz originals, three standards and an original by pianist Weber. For the classic bop of ‘Cherokee’, a long-time Konitz fave, the band alternates between quartet on the chorus and trio for the rest of the piece. Meanwhile the old chestnut ‘Subconscious-Lee’ is revisited, but on this occasion played in somewhat freer form than for its original interpretation. Among the highlights is the ballad ‘I remember you’ which receives a masterful treatment with Weber outstanding on piano and the mid-tempo blues of ‘ Kay’s trance’. Mention should be made of the excellent performance of Florian Weber who is tremendously talented and excels during the extended solo on ‘Color’ and vamps to great effect elsewhere. As ever with Village Vanguard recordings the sound is at once immaculate and intimate. This is helped in no small measure by the fact that Konitz has on this this outing recorded on a saxophone he previously used several decades ago with Lennie Tristano and has not played on since. Highly recommended for fans of the altoist and saxophone in general.  Tim Stenhouse

Ostensibly the soundtrack to an obscure Argentine film, this is a fascinating side project by two of the leading members of Gotan Project, programmer/arranger Christophe Müller and guitarist Eduardo Makaroff. Several of the regular Gotan Project musicians feature throughout, though unlike the main group this is a pared down rootsier version highlighting various Argentine folk music genres minus the programming beats, but with the occasional sound effect. The music, comprising full length instrumentals, the odd vocal and several intervening vignettes, is melancholic, reflective and soothing on the ear and can be enjoyed quite separately from the film. By far the longest piece is the folkloric instrumental rhythm of the zamba on ‘Rio Negro’ which has an instantly catchy melody with lovely use of traditional percussion and Nina Flores soloing on bandoneon. One can well imagine a full Gotan Project version of this number in concert. Equally appealing is the milonga compara of ‘Jesús Maria’ in two parts, the first a gorgeous instrumental driven by acoustic bass, with refined accompaniment from Makaroff in particular. The second part places greater emphasis on the piano and bandoneon that take the lead. A vocal duet on ‘Andrés Retamal’ features the pairing of the rasping male vocals of Daniel Melingo with the softer hues of Mavi Diaz. In between some of the longer numbers are assorted instrumental vignettes such as the Satie-esque piano-led ‘Jinete’ and the flamenco guitar ambience of ‘El piche’. As ever with any release associated with Gotan Project, visual attention to detail is primordial and here the digipak cover opens up to reveal a pop out cardboard cutout of the gaucho’s countryside environment. Within the inner sleeve notes, there is an excellent tri-linugal glossary of specialist terminology. Highly entertaining and instantly recognisable as part of the Gotan Project sound albeit in miniature, this comes strongly recommended. Gotan Project are currently undertaking a UK tour with limited dates during May. Tim Stenhouse

A participant on many a classic post-bop Blue Note session from the 1960s and of spiritual jazz from the 1970s, drummer Joe Chambers has seldom recorded as a leader over a lengthy career and so it was with great anticipation when this CD arrived. The album, devoted in general to the master musicians of the 1960s such as Horace Silver and Max Roach, does not disappoint and features a fine line-up of New York’s cream of the crop musicians. The selection of material is simply excellent and a who’s who of great composers for lovers of post-bop and even dancefloor jazz grooves. One of the finest instrumentals Max Roach ever recorded, ‘Man from South Africa’ was on the seminal ‘Bitter Percussion Sweet’ album and here the driving piano vamps of pianist Dwayne Burno propel the track along with vibes (played by Chambers) and tenor saxophone in unison. Kenny Dorham’s ‘Asiatic Raes’ is played at a shuffling tempo that shifts between bop and cu-bop with a passionate solo from Alexander and fine percussion work from Steve Berrios on congas. One of the surprises is the inspired inclusion of a Marcus Miller tune, ‘Portia’, which featured on Miles Davis’ 1985 album ‘Tutu’, but here is covered in acoustic format and becomes a haunting piece. Even more surprising as a cover is Wayne Shorter’s ‘Water Babies’ which the tenorist composed while with Miles’ classic mid-1960s quintet. A couple of vocal numbers feature Nicole Guiland and she impresses particularly on ‘Mendacity’, a song that Abbey Lincoln composed and made all her own. This is one of the best new jazz albums of the year with a good deal of depth and Chambers himself alteranting between drumming and vibraphone/marimba duties. Tim Stenhouse

A long time member of the Count Basie orchestra, drummer Jo Jones (not to be confused with fellow drummer Philly Jo Jones), recorded a few albums as a leader and two of them, dating from 1955 and 1960, are featured here on this collection of standards from the Gershwin’s through to Rodgers and Hart, and on to Ellington. This is very much in the mid-1950s jazz mainstream, but lovers of the jazz drums will find this a revelation since Jones is very much given free rein to solo at will. Herein lies both the compilation’s main strength and weakness; a tendency to focus on Jones’ drumming mastery at the expense of the overall sound.  The first album, ‘Septet’ is most influenced by the Basie tenure, especially with the Count himself present on piano on numbers such as ‘Shoe shine boy’. There is a taste of exoticism on the Ellington chestnut, ‘Caravan’ with clarinet conveying a Middle Eastern feel and Jones playing Latinesque drum riffs. On ‘Jo Jones Special’, the presence of tenorist Lucky Thompson is a welcome addition and again swing and bop jazz dominates. As a bonus the sextet album, ‘Vamp ‘til ready’ is included with Tommy Flanagan on piano and Jimmy Forest on tenor. Not absolutely essential listening, but students of the jazz drum will be rewarded with the master class from Jo Jones. Tim Stenhouse

On these two mid-1950s sessions, tromboinst Bob Brookmeyer impresses with his ability to effortlessly blend in with the ensemble sound and never sound in the least bit intrusive. As such tenorist Zoot Sims is able to lead the rhythm section as on a normal quartet recording. His is a meatier tone than either Stan Getz, or Hank Mobley from the same period, though, as with the former, heavily indebted in influence to the sound of Lester Young. The plaintive tenor tones on ‘Lullaby of the leaves’ and the mid-tempo groove of ‘Morning fun’ both impress as do the lyrical tones of Sims and Brookmeyer collectively on ‘The chant’. One of the joys of this recording is to hear the piano accompaniment of Hank Jones (just a couple of years before he would be present of Cannonball Adderley’s ‘Something Else’) and he provides an exquisite sideman contribution on Sims’ ballad, ‘Blues my naughtie sweetie gives to me’, with Zoot hinself prvoding his own sweet vocals which are surprisingly melodic. For the second album, again an original Storyville album from 1956, Zoot is on top form from the very beginning and truly inspired on ‘Blue skies’. Both ‘Tonite’s music today’ and ‘Whooeeee’ are fine examples of the advanced swing meets bop format and are recommended for both their timeless feel and for Zoot Sims’ tenorman craft. Tim Stenhouse

Baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan collaborated with some of the jazz all-time greats during the 1950 of the calibre of Chet Baker and Thelonius Monk, but here we find him on a supremely relaxed session with altoist Johnny Hodges on an original Verve album from 1959 and a fine pairing with trumpeter Art Farmer on a pianoless quartet session from 1958. For the former, which departs from the usual blowing competition ethos, three compositions apiece were selected by the reed players and the opener ‘Sunny’ is a fine example of how Mulligan and Hodges leave plenty of space for the other man to solo, very ably accompanied by the subtle vamps of pianist Claude Williamson. Johnny Hodges excels on ballads such as ‘What’s the rush’ and wails at will on the bop inflections of ‘Eighteen carrots for rabbit’. For the ‘What is there to say’ album, originally on Columbia, Mulligan is in terrific from with Art Farmer and standards such as ‘Just in time’ rate among his finest recordings of the era. In particular Farmer and Mulligan strike up an excellent rapport and stretch out on ‘Blueport’ and this recalls in part the Mulligan-Baker duos. Art Farmer provides the ideal counterfoil to Mulligan’s harsher, more brittle sound on baritone and they reach a zenith on ‘My funny valentine’.  Sadly, this would prove to be the sole studio recording of the duo, though a live recording has become available.  Tim Stenhouse

Here is a very promising debut from British alto saxophonist and band leader James Morton and his Porkchop quartet. Fans of the classic Blue Note hammond organ combo sound will feel at ease here, but there is substance to the recording which places it a cut above the usual soul-jazz album format.
The opener ‘Goin’ home’ (not the Dvorak classical piece) gets things off to a busy start with nice hammond licks, fatback drums and saxophone honkin’ from Morton very much in the cutting edge tradition of the 1950s players. Though mainly originals, there is an excellent take on the Eddie Harris classic, ‘Cold duck time’ and even a gentle soulful interpretation of ‘God bless the child’. Elsewhere mid-tempo grooves abound and are best exemplified by cuts such as ‘Alright’. In terms of influences, James Morton would appear to be a disciple of Lou Donaldson from his mid-late 1960s period, possibly early Grover Washington and going back further to Cannonball Adderley while the hammond organist has clearly listened to Reuben Wilson and Charles Earland among others. Having regularly featured as part of Pee Wee Ellis’ band, James Brown funky licks are present, but only as part of a more cohesive whole. Perhaps only on the introduction to ‘Forgiven’ (which is an obvious homage to Brown’s ‘It’s a man’s world) does Morton reveal his tenure with Ellis. This is quite distinct from a good deal of the current British jazz scene and frankly sounds all the better for it. Tim Stenhouse

Ska Cubano are a band that have gained a reputation as being capable of mixing Jamaican ska with not just Cuban, but more generally pan-Caribbean rhythms. This, their third album, is by far the most rounded thus far and incorporates new sounds from the Afro-Columbian tradition . In more familiar territory is the title track, with lyrics in English, where the instrumentalists solo on flute and clarinet to good effect and this is a fine dancefloor song. There is old-style 1950s Cuban-influence ska on ‘Piel canela’ and a fun big band version of ‘Tequila’ which is an album highlight. Afro-Columbian grooves surface on ‘Lupita’ which is at once catchy, jazzy and irrestible while ‘La gaita sabrosa’ is a distinctive Columbian rhythm that the band exploit to the full here. This is a perfect fusion of Jamaican jazz and Cuban mambo with plenty more besides thrown into the intoxicating mix. In the current climate of new political coaltions, this is one fusion that is guaranteed to last for the long term and indeed prosper.  Tim Stenhouse

Pianist Tom Cawley returns for a second album and this is again in trio format. Producing is fellow pianist Dave Stapleton whose own recently released album was such a refreshing addition to the British jazz scene. All compositions emanate from the pen of the trio leader and the melodicism of ‘Plea’ could easily be mistaken for an example of the great American songbook. Restrained, minimalist playing is the order of the day on ‘Pure’ with lovely collective interplay and the odd sound effect. In contract the brisk, bustling aptly titled, ‘Pursuit’ sounds like a modern day Bud Powell. The strength of the compositions is underlined by a piece of the calibre of ‘Articles’, which has a lyrical quality that is a very positive sign for the future work of the pianist. This is in fact a varied set with plenty of ballads illustrating the romantic approach of the trio’s repertoire. As for Tom Cawley’s own influences, these seem to be wide-ranging, but take in Brad Mehldau, Michel Petrucciani and Bud Powell along the way. Curios will first undertake a UK and European tour headlining before performing as a support act for Peter Gabriel on the latter’s American tour.  Tim Stenhouse

The link between the classic interpreters of tango and a new generation of practitioners (and listeners alike) was never really lost in Argentina despite the deaths of many of its greats during the 1980s, and most notably Astor Piazzolla in 1992. A large-scale revival of the musical genre began during the mid 1990s and intensified throughout the noughties following the economic crisis in the country. Far from being a fossilized, retro art form, tango now thrives and has evolved to take on board new influences such as electronica. Currently underway via the Argentine national tango archives is a major re-issue programme of the classic 1950s and 1960s vinyl albums with the technology to remaster the sounds to their former glory. In the meantime a whole new generation has sprung up and started playing the music. This compilation succeeds in the ambitious aim of capturing both the old and the new and does so by presenting at once an audio and visual treat for the listener/viewer with live studio and concert performances, musical and dance accompaniment and interviews with key players all condensed into one intoxicating mix. Of the older generation that remain, the likes of musicians/singers Leopoldo Federico, Rubén Juárez and guitarist Aribal Arias are highlighted while the classic orquestas that have been difficult to maintain from a financial viewpoint such as Vale Tango and Color Tango have been included to illustrate the more traditional side of tango. On the other hand, new elements from a group like la Chicana that fuse tango with influences as diverse as Tom Waits and Brazilian songer-songwriter Tom Zé and electronica group Narcotango (influenced especially by the likes of Gotan Project in Paris) have not been excluded and enrichen our understanding of how tango can develop over time. In particular the DVD provides the viewer with a wonderful insight into the legendary tango clubs off the beaten track and that tourists would never normally venture into. The deluxe digipak booklet contains beautiful illustrations of the classic singers with extensive bi-lingual sleeve notes and concise lyrics in English, French and Spanish. As a survey of the present day tango scene in Buenos Aires, this compilation could hardly be bettered.  Tim Stenhouse

Alto saxophonist Lee Konitz provided a welcome alternative to the innovative sounds of Charlie Parker on the instrument udring the 1950s and this superb double CD containing three key albums from the mid-1950s that the former recorded for Atlantic is a testimony to the true genius of Konitz. Indeed they serve as a fine retrospective of Konitz at a key period during his long career. The first of these, ‘Worthwhile Konitz’ recorded in Los Angeles, contains a fabulous line up of musicians including Jimmy Rowles on piano, Leroy Vinegar on bass and Shelly Manne on drums and was formerly only available on CD on an expensive Japanese import. This type of album personified the classic cool school jazz sound and still sounds fresh today. Ballardry is measured to perfection on songbook chestnuts such as ‘Don’t explain’ and ‘Don’t blame me’ while elsewhere a swinging, relaxed tone is adopted on numbers such as ‘Like someone in love’ and ‘You’re driving me crazy’.
Sadly this was the only recorded example of the quartet in the studio and it is all the greater pity since they were ideally suited to one another. The second album, ‘Lee Konitz inside Hi-fi’ is split between four tracks with guitarist Billy Bauer recalling the later duets of Jim Hall and Paul Desmond, and the rest a conventional piano-led quartet. Konitz clearly thrived off Bauer’s guitar licks and this gave the former greater freedom to explore. Numbers such as ‘Sweet and lovely’ are at once challening and accessible in equal measure while the piano quartet piece’ Star eyes’ impresses with Peter Ind (owner of the now defunct Bass Clef club in London) on bass. Finally there is a live recording of Bauer, Konitz and company from 1957 in Pittsburgh that provides real intimacy to the quartet sound. The recording was edited by Konitz hinself, but no additional tapes exist of this performance. Essential Konitz and a treat from start to finish.  Tim Stenhouse

Hailing from the Santo Antao island of Cape Verde in north-western Africa off the coast of Senegal, Cordas del Sol (literally ‘Strings of the Sun’) are an eight piece band who sing collective harmonies in Portugese creole. They make a refreshing change from the traditional sounds of morna that are best known internationally and their vocals, acoustic instrumentation and percussion are inspired by the rhythms known as Son Jon. This is in fact the third album for the band that was founded in 1994 and most of their compositions are written by band leader Arlindo Evora (no relation to Cesaria Evora as far as this writer is aware) with female vocalist Ceuzany Pires invariably taking lead duties. Cordas del Sol seem to specialise in the lilting mid-tempo repertoire with the cavaquinho (a kind of high pitched small guitar that has become synonymous with Afro-Brazilian samba) and excel on numbers such as the samba-influenced ‘Kréde n’Mstér’ and the highly melodic ‘Séte’. A single from the album, ‘Rebas’, has already been released for download and CD. Perhaps the tempi could be a little less homogeneous, but things do shift up a gear on ‘Zéka brónke’. Fans of Cape Verdean music will find much to admire in this uniquely north-west African take on gospel harmonies.  Tim Stenhouse

Indian classical maestro Vishwan Mohan Bhatt has personally customised his own slide guitar to give it a distinctively Indian classical music flavour and for many years has made a virtue out of fusing diverse musical influences with his own tradition. This most notably came to fruition on the 1994 collaboration with Ry Cooder, ‘A meeting by the river’, which became a critically acclaimed album at the time and viewed retrospectively a pioneering album in the world fusion field. For this latest recording Bhatt has joined up with bassist and keyboardist Matt Malley, formerly leader of Californian rock outfit Counting Crows, whom he founded in 1990 and left in 2004 to go solo. Malley is a devotee of the north Indian classical style while Bhatt is a disciple of the great Pandit Ravi Shankar. Immediately evident is the empathy and respect between musicians. The album shifts focus from hybrid pieces to predominantly Indian classical numbers with just a hint of western influence audible. The listener is gently introduced to Indian slide guitar on the opener, ‘Rainbow in my heart’, that features a conventional western drum kit. On the next number, ‘Sleepless nights’, tabla and slide guitar work in unison on this laid back and lengthy piece with Malley content to play Jaco Pastorius inspired licks on bass to blend into the overall sound. Halfway into this lengthy track (one of three ten minute plus numbers on the album with even the shortest being five and a half minutes long), the musicianship gains in intensity to reach a fine crescendo. More reflective in nature and something of a musical pause to proceedings is ‘The eternal wait’ with Malley on keyboards subtly providing a counterfoil to Bhatt’s expressive work. The Indian folk-blues ballad,’Languid with longing’, could almost be part of a film soundtrack while ‘Silent footsteps’ is virtually an Indian take on flamenco with even a ‘Sketches of Spain’ ambience, albeit one for the twenty-first century. This album is a humble, yet endearing attempt to create bridges between eastern and western music traditions and on this objective alone is a resounding success.  Tim Stenhouse

The immaculate mid-1950s Miles Davis rhythm section accompanies Rollins on the fine set (with John Coltrane featuring on one number only) which was recorded at Rudy Van Gelder’s first home studio in Hackensack, New Jersey, in 1954. The album captures the tenorist during his most creative period of his career when he rightly earned his nickname of ‘saxophone colossus’ and the tenor battle between Rollins and ‘Trane on the lengthy twelve minute title track will be worth the admission alone for fans of hard bop reed magic. Elsewhere there are three standards including the curious choice of ‘The most beautiful girl in the world’ from Rodgers and Hart which receives an excellent interpretation and one self-penned composition. Sonny always has been capable of identifying a lovely tune to fit into his portfolio. As a separate bonus, there is an alternate version of ‘Count your blessings’. Tim Stenhouse

As an occasional departure from promoting all styles of Brazilian music, Far Out have released for the first time in the UK a gem of an Afro-Cuban jazz album by legendary group Irakere that has hitherto only been available as a limited and highly expensive Japanese import. Retaining the original facsimile sleeve, this is a trip back into 1970s Latin fusion jazz even though the album was actually recorded in Tokyo in 1980. The ten piece band included at this point the great Artuto Sandoval on trumpet, leader and keyboard extraordinaire Chucho Valdes and a whole host of Cuba’s finest musicians. Noticeable by his absence was saxophonist Paquito D’Rivera who had left Cuba altogether and joined the Mariel boat emigration to seek refuge in the United States. The title track typifies the eclectic approach of the band who straddled jazz, Cuban son and even western classical influences with effortless ease. An acoustic piano solo from Valdes leads into a mid-tempo Afro-Cuban groove with the keyboardist now switching to electric piano and horns emphasizing the theme. 
The track builds in intensity and thrown into the mix is a catchy human whistling sound. Never formulaic, ‘Cuba Libre’ is a marvellous way to open proceedings. In an altogether different vein is the fast paced ‘Encuentro’ with Valdes once again excelling on what sounds like fender rhodes. Arturo Sandoval takes centre stage with a romantic flavoured solo on the ballad, ‘Que pasa?’ while the curiously titled, ‘Gospelanza’ is extremely soulful in structure with Valdes playing Latin vamps on piano and trumpeters engaging in a cutting edge session. With virtually no vocals, this is just plain fine musicianship with the emphasis firmly on the jazzier side of the Latin tinge. Highly recommended. Tim Stenhouse

Congolese rap group Bisso Na Bisso came to prominence just over a decade ago with an internationally acclaimed debut, ‘Racines’, that successfully fused Congolese rumba harmonies with the influences of American rap, but sung in French and Lingala. Their lastest recording aims at expanding their repertoire with a whole host of guest artists from Africa and beyond. They include Angélique Kidjo, Khaled and Manu Dibango among others. A potential contender for a single to promote the album is the soulful groove of ‘Pas de différence’ featuring Christophe Maé on lead vocals which briefly samples Queen’s ‘We are the champions’.The song pleads for greater tolerance in an increasingly diverse multi-ethnic society. Several singers contribute to ‘We are Africa’, the first single off the album, which, as it’s title might suggest, is very much an attempt at repeating the success of the ‘We are the world’ formula. Among the singers involved are Cape Verdean star Mayra Andrade, Papa Wemba, Algerian rai singer Cheba Fadela, Les Nubians and Angélique Kidjo. Perhaps where conscious lyrics work best with musical melodies is on ‘Même combat’ which displays a wider awareness of the larger struggle for the African diaspora outside the African continent. This is reinforced by the guest appearance of Jamaican reggae singer Sizzla on the song.  Overall it has to be said that elsewhere on the album’s songs the lyrics verge on the overly sentimental with a heavy influence on American rap and ideally the group would have benefited from some Congolese instrumentation. Nonetheless the album is aimed at a relatively young crossover audience rather than a world roots one and will probably find favour with the former who will be enticed by the French lyrics and Cobgolese approach to the rap genre.  Tim Stenhouse

Chinese music has not featured heavily in the world music charts of this country at least (save for the odd instrumentalist) so it was with some anticipation when Sa Dingding catapulted herself onto the world stage with her international debut in 2008. A follow up is now released and is a deliberate attempt at fusing traditional Chinese instrumentation such as the pipa (Chinese lute) and gezhung (equivalent of the zither albeit with a vaster range of sounds). The result is a mixed success with some gorgeous melodies and shades of sound, but also the odd pitfall to avoid. Thankfully the former outweighs the latter. Accompanied by wa flute, ‘Pomegranate woman’ impresses with its subtle use of keyboards and this enables Sa’s higher range and surprisingly flexible vocals to take centre stage. Mid-paced numbers seem to suit the singer best of all and in ‘Hua’, possibly the album’s strongest cut, Sa’s delicate voice is given full reign. One innovative aspect of Dingding’s songwriting is the construction of a self-invented language and this is illustrated to full effect on the excellent ‘Yun yun nan nan’ where her voice soars above. Less convincing is the English language song, ‘Lucky day’ with lyrics that sound a tad trite. Perhaps the main critcism is that there is a tendency in parts to overproduction as on the opener ‘Ha ha li li’, or in the rock and pop elements being simply too overbearing. Sa’s voice would benefit overall from a softer accompaniment even where the approach is unavowedly pop. The song ‘Girl in a green dress’ is a successful blending of East and West. Nonetheless a promising career beckons for Sa Dingding and the recent UK tour has allowed a European audience to better appreciate her undoubted talents. Tim Stenhouse