The tried and tested axiom of ‘new players, new life’ or rather ‘younger players, greater energy’ acquires much credence here. Israeli bassist-composer Cohen has risen to A-list bandleader status by way of a prodigious and consistently high quality output for the best part of two decades but the arrival of the explosive junior drummer Daniel Dor has given his ensemble sound a substantial shot in the arm. The strength of the backbeat and the fluency in the polyrhythms lay a solid foundation for the intricate meshing of middle eastern, latin, classical and rock sensibilities that are Cohen's trademark, which has in turn exerted a substantial influence on the likes of British groups such as Phronesis and Kairos 4tet. Stylistically, this is by no means a radical departure from previous work but there is a sharpness in the execution and richness in the group dynamics that make the session notable. As he has proved on many an occasion the leader is a very expressive improviser who can easily hold the attention over extended solo passages, but the focus here is largely on relatively short pieces where a concentration of ideas is the order of the day and the harmonic movement is not necessarily reduced. In any case Cohen's writing creates a grand, overarching narrative in which a series of shifting, vivid moods serve the provocative nature of the title – from darkness comes light, and to a certain extent life. So, somewhat appropriately, the album finishes with a wry but emotionally charged reading of a ballad for troubled times – Charlie Chaplin's ‘Smile’.