Those with long memories will remember the cornucopia of talent that emerged around the New York club Smalls in the mid-1990s. Drummer Freedman was one of the many musicians from that scene who has gone on to fulfill his potential, largely away from the spotlight and pressure of major label land. Significantly, he has in the interim supplemented his jazz training with comprehensive study of non-western music, particularly the seedbed of Mali, and the results of that cultivation are heard on this appealing set, which is a good onward journey from 2012's Bamoko By Bus. Although the combination of Freedman's agile drum kit and Gilmar Gomes' crisp percussion lends sterling momentum to the bulk of the album, there is a well-pitched sensitivity to the material which shows, very intelligently, how fine is the line between dance and balladry, or rather seductive slow dance, be it with a subverted splash of Cuban son, Eastern folk or roots reggae. Eclecticism aside the music benefits from the impressive cohesion of a band in which Lionel Loueke's unique entwining of guitar and vocal, so finely pizzicato and piercing, and Jason Linder's glowing keys splash vivid colours on the sound canvas. All of the writing is original, bar a subtle reprise of Radiohead's ‘Codex’, and the net result is a work which draws an attractive modernity from a range of rich traditions.