Anba Tonèl

The Montréal percussionist Daniel Bellegarde is devoted to old-time Caribbean ballroom music, in which Africa met Europe in the Creole style. The production style of this debut might be modern, complete with electric bass, but the delivery is antique rural, concentrating on banjos, fiddle and the leader/arranger's own broad percussion collection. This includes the manouba, a ‘rumba box,’ or massive low-note kalimba.

The album's styles run through quadrille, contra-dance and Congo-minuet, and tunes arrive from Haiti, Guadeloupe and the Dominican Republic. Bellegarde uses ticking metal, resonant frame drum and rattling shakers, with banjos, fiddle and even hurdy-gurdy frequently stepping to the fore. He also has enjoyably raspy lead singer Marco Jeanty and The Kreol Supremes Choir on board, calling and responding on many of the usually short numbers of this breezily concise album. Bellegarde's arrangements are very ensemble-orientated, with the spotlight varying throughout, the emphasis subtly shifting.