It seems like a recipe for cheese flambe. Get a jazz trio, add an African instrument and African influence, and voila! Cheese!Luckily, that is not the result. I bought this album on a whim, the vinyl was shrinkwrapped and I could not check it out beforehand. I brought it home not really knowing what to expect. Ahmed Abdul Malik plays bass and oud, and the compositions are very catchy melodies without a hint of the schlock you might think of when you hear the phrase "world music." Instead it's pretty much hard bop all the way, but with a thicker percussion sound. The grooves are very deep, and there are extended percussion and oud solos on the second side. The early sixties must have been a great time to be a jazz fan. I HIGHLY recommend this album to anyone who is into jazz or percussion in any way, shape or form. It is available as part of the reissue "Jazz Sounds of Africa" which also contains the album "The Music of Ahmed Abdul Malik," which is not as amazingly good but still worth having.
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