Jonny Phillips' Oriole is one of the only surviving line-ups from the bands that made up the first flowerings of the infl uential F-IRE Collective. The stability of its personnel contrasts with the nomadic wandering of the Lake Districtborn acoustic guitarist and composer. His desire to experience first-hand the landscapes of the latin world in particular – that's physically, culturally and philosophically – accounts for his sabbatical of five years since Oriole's previous album release Migrations. Phillips continues his journey with Every New Day and his writing and arrangements carry both the sensuous yearning and gently intoxicating dance qualities of its predecessors. Infused with roots music originating from hot climates, the new album draws from North African and flamenco music via Cadiz in Andalucia (which has been his home since the Migrations CD) and folkloric rhythms from African Brazil (baião, maracatu, afoxê, samba) and Venezuela (bolero), as well as hints of south American classical music and gypsy jazz. Not forgetting that Phillips' background in classical and church music is also relevant to his world-chamber super potion, which can at times also evoke the heady cinematic music of Nino Rota. Drummer Seb Rochford is at his understated best – Oriole occasionally sounds like Polar Bear at Carnival time – and now New Yorkbased Ingrid Laubrock's darkly-hued tenor sax tone raises the temperature at the right moments. Just close your eyes and imagine you're there.

Jazzwise talks to Johnny Phillips about the album

Why a gap of over five years between this and the previous album Migration?

I was living in Spain having a great time. I learned a new language and a whole load of things about music. I lived in Cadiz, Andalusia which is a magical place, very absorbing with brilliant people and by a nice beach. I found it quite hard to think about London and the British jazz scene to be honest, great as it is. The other reason perhaps is that Cadiz is the city in Europe with the highest unemployment per capita, so as you can imagine it's not a great place to save up money for recording and promoting an album. When I finally needed to come back to the UK the Spanish police had stopped many of the concerts in southern Spain meaning I had to busk for a few months every day in order to save enough money to send all my stuff back.

You are back living in London now?

Yes I am. My father got very III and died recently. I came back to say goodbye to him and help my family, especially my mother who has always 100 per cent supported me as a musician. In fact my mother is a musician and composer also so I was always surrounded by classical music, early music and church music as a child, which is a real gift.

Do you still consider yourself a musical migrant?

Yes I still have wanderlust. In the summer I hope to go back to Spain to see my friends there, check out some fl amenco and then go across to Tangiers in Morocco. After that I might go down to Essaouira to listen to some Gnaoua Music and see the castle from Jimi Hendrix' ‘Castles Made of Sand’. Then maybe compose a few tunes for the next Oriole album on the beach.

Where have your explorations of folkloric music taken you recently?

While I was in Spain I listened to a lots of flamenco-like guitarists: Niño Josele, Paco De Lucía, Tito Alcedo and Nono Garcia, who I also played with, pianist Chano Domínguez and flamenco singer Camerón De La Isla, all Andalucian musicians. I also got a better understanding through my Cuban flat mate in Cadiz of bolero, which I love for its melodrama. I really love early 20th century Brazilian guitar composer Garoto. I've also been getting into Randy Weston (not folk music but he's really folkloric infl uenced as a player using lots of African infl uences), the Argentinian film composer Gustavo Santaolalla and Calexico who use lots of mariachi influences crossed with Spaghetti Western soundtrack music. Later I strive to integrate them into a coherent style of my own. Landscape, surroundings and other art forms can infl uence me as much as music tradition. The imagery of Spanish cinema and South American literature for example have been a big influence on the music of Oriole as inevitably has the Lake District of my upbringing.