Cubangla

Acclaimed groovesters Lokkhi Terra continue their creative roll, returning to their Bangla-Afro-Latin jazz roots after a wildly successful collaboration with Afrobeat keyboardist Dele Sosimi. Featuring a who's who of London-based players from, variously, Bangladesh, Brazil, Cuba, Spain and Nepal, Cubangla offers more sparkling genre crossing. Its eight tracks veer from fresh takes on traditional Bengali folk tunes to unlikely but sophisticated pairings including Baul blues, Sufi samba and Cubangla funk. Keys player and main man Kishon Khan – here on piano, Fender Rhodes, microKORG and (on roots-reggae remake ‘Bhandari Revisited’) wah-wah harmonium – has written and/or arranged a clutch of tunes that respect tradition while forging new pathways. ‘Badaam’ jumps off the Cuban standard ‘El Manisero’ into a sung conversation between Cuban sonero Javier Camilo and Bangladeshi songbirds Sohini Alam and Aanon Siddiqua.

The album's title-track is a glorious descarga jam riffing on themes Cuban and Bengali, stoked by piano, percussion, trumpet and Jalal Ahmed's snaking bansuri (flute). An upbeat variation on a legendary Sufi song, ‘Lal Mere’ finds Alam and Siddiqua in powerful form and Khan deploying a fiery Rhodes solo. Originally performed at a Songlines Encounters Festival, ‘Kon Kole Revisited’ features the rough-hewn voice of the late Baul musician Rob Fakir, his lyrics celebrating Bengali philosopher Lalon and his attitude of religious tolerance. Deep, laced with joy and a masterly lightness of touch, Cubangla rewards repeated listening.