As with any record label of a certain reputation, ECM became adept at putting together unusual combinations of its star names to see what might transpire. Guamba is an excellent example of the tactic and typically for many ECM works, either by design or through subsequent editing, it contains considerable variety of texture. A few stretches of Peacock's bass, either solo or minimally accompanied, are balanced by his frequent absence whereas, apart from the briefest of ensembles, Garbarek isn't heard until six minutes in, and then in duet with Erskine's tom-toms. The less hallowed Mikkelborg (by then known through his composition for Miles Davis, Aura) is featured muted on the slow ‘Celina’ and then on the much more open (in all senses) quartet track ‘Thyme Time’, co-credited to Erskine because of his exotic rhythms on an early drum computer. The 13-minute ‘Lila is a quartet that goes from lyrical to animated free-improv and back, and forms the centrepiece of a mostly understated but absorbing album.