Cultural archetypes dictate that African is almost exclusively hitched to rhythm. While the conjunction makes much sense given the importance of creativity around pulse and meter rather than harmony in the motherland, the term has possibly distracted attention from a very real characteristic in the continent’s music: melody. Indeed, for a player such as Temowo, long distinguished for the hard swing of his work with Soweto Kinch, one might expect a barrage of galloping riffs to underscore an attempt to bring his Nigerian roots to the fore within a putative “Afro-jazz” context. That’s something of a convention. But one of the defining elements of this set is the fluttering lyricism of the themes, their clarity and occasional anthem-like quality due to the use of legato-led chorales or richly layered vocal-guitar harmonies. On any number of tracks the rhythmic content is understated rather than obtrusive, freeing up a lot of space for the topline statements that are often underscored by subtle bursts of talking drum or a seamless slide from 4/4 to 6/8. As Temowo has shown on many an occasion in the company of Kinch or Troy Miller, he is a very capable improviser and his absorption of anybody from Montgomery to Martino and Benson is signalled by strong soloing throughout. He has managed to blend the bop-stamped vocabulary of the aforementioned with latin and folk sensibilities that acknowledge the work of both Pat Metheny and Lionel Loueke. The result is a record that, despite a lot of elaborate arranging and advanced playing, retains a pop sensibility that is anything but facile or compromising. To a certain extent, it could be said that Temowo’s peer, New York-based bassist Michael Olatuja, has trodden a similar path over the last couple of years, and their work, along with Loueke’s, is important because it forces a reappraisal of our understanding of, or rather our perceptions and expectations of musicians from Africa and any parts of its far-reaching diaspora.