Great stuff from global funk phenoms Nomo – deftly blending Afro steeped funk with an astral reach – with more of a spiritual jazz influence and off kilter avant touches! Invisible Cities arrives just about a year since their breakthrough Ghost Rock opened so many doors, and although productivity and consistency have never been a problem with Elliot Bergman & co, we're still pretty awestruck – especially given that Ghost Rock set the bar pretty high! Blazing horns, dynamic rhythms and rapturous percussion galore, with the electric kalimba still defining the group's identity nicely, with lots of sweaty funk, more spacious spiritual jazz atmosphere, and a couple of choice covers – Moondog's "Bumba" gets a bit of Caribbean funk treatment with steel drums, plus a reverent take on Tom Ze's "Ma"! Other tracks include "Invisible Cities", "Waiting", "Crescent", "Patterns", "Elijah" and "Nocturne". CD

One of the most rootsy albums ever issued by the Tabansi label – a set that's quite different than their more familiar electric modes, and which features very raw, tribal sounds by a percussion group that is tied to the Niri Kingdom in Nigeria! As you'd guess from their name, the ensemble is heavy on drums, but also uses these very spare, simple wood flutes – in a mode that usually varies back and forth in a cycle of notes, which creates a very hypnotic sound along with the percussion – almost like some of the early albums by Moondog. There's also vocals, too – but these seem more intended to encourage the instrumentation, almost calls to action. Titles include "Eze Na Aga", "Nrijifor II", "Ochawaligwe", Ufie Nnam Eze I", and "Okanga Eze Niri II". CD

One of the most rootsy albums ever issued by the Tabansi label – a set that's quite different than their more familiar electric modes, and which features very raw, tribal sounds by a percussion group that is tied to the Niri Kingdom in Nigeria! As you'd guess from their name, the ensemble is heavy on drums, but also uses these very spare, simple wood flutes – in a mode that usually varies back and forth in a cycle of notes, which creates a very hypnotic sound along with the percussion – almost like some of the early albums by Moondog. There's also vocals, too – but these seem more intended to encourage the instrumentation, almost calls to action. Titles include "Eze Na Aga", "Nrijifor II", "Ochawaligwe", Ufie Nnam Eze I", and "Okanga Eze Niri II". LP, Vinyl record album