Nuevo Chamber

Born out of classical ‘jam sessions’ at a café in metropolitan San Francisco, The Musical Art Quintet developed their stylish brand of string ensemble music live onstage. And that spirit of spontaneity shines through on this classy debut album from the double bass and string quartet combo.

Tango is the dominant flavour in The Musical Art Quintet’s wide range of Latin influences with classical instruments and attitude. Bassist and bandleader Sascha Jacobsen is the band’s composer and arranger and his sophisticated tunes and the quintet’s natural groove sit together comfortably. Added spice comes with the subtly sprinkled percussion, some well-placed vocals and pieces that move from the quintet’s acoustic core towards a Gotan Project-style electronica.

The album begins strongly with tracks such as the sleek ‘Milonga de San Francisco’ and a sparkling version of a tune from a Ray Barretto album, ‘Algo Nuevo’. Jacobsen’s strutting, round-toned bass playing sets the pulse throughout, on top of which his colleagues turn in some fine performances, especially first violinist Anthony Blea, a silky player who handles much of Jacobsen’s writing with flair. However with an hour’s music and 13 substantial tracks, most of which are original compositions, Nuevo Chamber feels stretched for inspiration at times: it would have benefitted from a more careful track selection.