American drummer/composer Joe Chambers’ third Blue Note set investigates the connections between the music of West Africa and that of the Americas North and South. Two bands are featured, one based in New York, the other in Montreal, and the leader's precise rhythmic drive is compelling. Chambers multi-tracked vibraphone solos are equally gripping, and are scattered throughout this excellent release.

The album starts with a solos-for-all piano-trio cover of Kurt Weil's ‘This is New’ moving from fresh-minted riff to solid walking bass swing. Richard Germanson's fluency and harmonic nous stand out, bassist Mark Lewandowski is rock- solid and drummer Chambers delivers a lean, fine-tuned pulse. He overdubs vibes later in the set, first for the existential ballad ‘Ruth’, with Marvin Carter on alto sax, and then the up-tempo 'Caravanserai'; later, Carter's peppery tenor sax romps through Joe Henderson's 'Power to the People'.

Three compositions feature musicians based in Montreal, and they too expertly negotiate contemporary modal harmony and the fractured swing of Blue Note's mid-1960s legacy, a legacy that Chambers helped found.

Vibist Michael Davison captures the late Bobby Hutcherson's adventurous spirit, dovetailing neatly with Caoilainn Powers pithy, Kenny Garrett-influenced sax. And Congolese percussionist Elli Miller Maboungou adds a deep-toned rhythmic twist. Thus, pianist Andrés Vial's danceable title track supports a catchy tune with melodic riffing bass, ‘City of Saints’ ebbs and flows collectively in a single key and the many moods of ‘Gazelle Suite’ confirm the album's overall subtlety and class.