Exotic yet swinging sound from the Middle East and West Africa are produced by Kane Mathis, who plays both oud and kora in a evocative trio setting with percussionist John Hadfield and bassist Sam Minaie. On the kora, there are pretty post bop pulsations on “Rout Des Jardins” and harp-like canters supported by the flexible Hadfield on “ Kaira” while some snappy hand work by Hadfield gives a rapid flow to “Gemini” and the team goes on a rich caravan on “Nikriz Sirto”.
On oud, Mathis gives an exotic trip to a starry night in the desert on “Kurdi Oud Taksim” while you feel like you’re on an excursion in the Sahara on “Muhayyer Kurdi Semai”. A three part “Etude” is an opus that takes you from reflective meditations to a festive fire of a dance, as well as on “August” with the heat burning like a hot summer in Cairo. Rich journeys worth travelling.