4

The product of a decade of musical research and cross-continental collaboration, 4 is the fruit of Leni Stern's forays into West African groove and pentatonic melody, Latin American rhythms and lyricism, and Indian melodic ornamentation. Her band consists of Leo Genovese on keys, Mamadou Ba on bass, Alioune Faye on percussion, with a guest appearance from Mike Stern on guitar in ‘Habib’.

Opener ‘Lambar’ is a great representation of her West African influence. The percussion remains highly syncopated throughout, and Stern isn't afraid of embracing some cheesy synths and gospel-style harmony. On ‘Amadeus’ she sings with a ghostly, thin tone reminiscent of bossa nova or Brazilian psychedelia. She sings with the same energy on ‘Chartwell’ an mbira-led lullaby. Ultimately, ‘Japalema’ stole the show for me. It's the song with the most rhythmic tension and the fullest exploration of the band's jazz chops. Mamadou Ba pushes and pulls the time beautifully, his bass line sounds like something you might hear from a Buika or Esperanza Spalding tune, and Leo Genovese's piano solo is stellar, audibly more enjoyable than his synth performances elsewhere on the album. A solid album displaying expert musicianship and sensitive combinations of disparate styles.