Canadian bassist, composer and producer Roberto Occhipinti has assembled some band for this tightly-honed set, or rather pair of sets, since the last three tracks were recorded with a different core quartet (Quinsin Nachoff, Hilario Duran, Mark Kelso) than the one that features on the opening six cuts (Tim Ries, Manuel Valera, Dafnis Prieto). Both bands are supplemented at various points with extra valves and reeds, not to mention string quartets. So it's a sumptuous, layered production, with most of the tunes provided by the leader, but with extra material courtesy of Stevie Wonder (‘Another Star’), Wayne Shorter (‘Penelope’) and Ludwig van Beethoven (‘Opus 132’). The list of writers suggests an impressive musical range, and Occhipinti doesn't disappoint. Opener ‘Tuareg’ draws on the traditional North African music of the, you guessed it, Tuareg; the title track is, in Occhipinti's own description, “a New Orleans reggae shuffle”, while ‘Que Bolla’ is a Cuban timba. The assorted blowers and fiddlers do fine, but it's hard to match the Grammy-nominated pianist Manuel Valera and MacArthur Fellowship drummer Dafnis Prieto when they hit their stride. Muscular, smooth, ambitious: a great trio of qualities.