Mambas

Keyboardist Jean Baptiste FerrÉ was born in Paris, with a mixed French and Guadeloupian heritage. His studies spanned classical and jazz, then he toured with Alpha Blondy and Orchestre National de Barbès. On this debut solo album, FerrÉ favours a strong lounge vibe, although this doesn't prevent him picking up the pace on several tunes. A likely antecedent is Maurice el MÉdioni, the French-Algerian pianist whose sprightly, accessible blending of Jewish and Arabic musics must surely have influenced FerrÉ.

The opening ‘Samba Bancale’ has trilling vocals from Sophie Charbit, traipsing along closely with FerrÉ's piano caperings. The following ‘Liken’ includes flamenco elements, brisk palmas (handclaps) beside guest musician Smadj's runs on the oud, with FerrÉ soloing down at the bass end of his Fender Rhodes electric piano. Nidhal Jaoua provides qanun (zither) on two cuts, and singer- cum-rapper Naab contributes to three, although his frequently bland vocalising is no real asset. It's better when his lines pause, and FerrÉ takes off on another piano solo.

There's a pert rippling to the leader's progressions that suggest a liking for Bach amid all of the Afro-Latin and Arabic gestures. On ‘La Mamba’, the oud, parading bass and rattling metal percussion all knit together perfectly.