The Reason Why Vol 2

If Vol 1 showed how diverse Swedish trumpeter Goran Kajfeš’ influences are, then this second instalment of covers shows you how he is beginning to refine those interests. Kajfeš’ family has roots in the former Yugoslavia and this album offers his most unmistakably Eastern European offering yet. His heavily horn-laden nine-piece band equal the bombast and brawl of any Balkan brass band, with a musicianship and imagination to make any song sizzle. Kajfeš proved on Vol 1 that he has a wide knowledge of world music, though here he reins himself in a touch, with three of the six tracks having Turkish origins, and the other three hailing from the US, Cameroon and Brazil. The soulful, triumphant version of indie band Grizzly Bear's ‘Yet Again’ takes the original's simple melodic motif and contorts and cajoles it into unexpected and breathtaking passages, while the full psych-out and killer bass groove of ‘Dokuz Seki/Esmerim’ is another highlight. Truth be told, there isn’t a bad track here. Kajfeš’ re-imaginings of world music are creative, dynamic and, pleasingly, becoming personal.