Babel

Classically trained and formerly the flautist with France's Orchestre National de Jazz, Mienniel's work as a chameleon bandleader has encompassed cinematic soundscapes in the style of Morricone, the minimalist compositional school of Steve Reich and the free jazz experimentation of Roland Kirk, often delivered with a dynamism that owes much to the prog spirit of art-rock. He has also long incorporated global influences into his sound universe. Here he is backed by an ensemble that includes bendir (frame drum), oud, sitar and qanun and playing both metal and wooden flutes; Babel represents his most committed adventures in world music to date as he explores the rich musical traditions of the Middle East, North Africa and the Indian sub-continent.

The opener ‘Hymn des 4 Vents’ sounds like it is rooted in a classical Arabic maqam. The livelier ‘Zerberb’ is a North African dance tune, while ‘Ethiopic’ is a lovely pentatonic meditation. ‘Zulfiquar’ features a sitar and bansuri (flute) duet that inevitably calls to mind the work of Hariprasad Chaurasia, while ‘Stéréométrie’ seeks to channel them all into a single, universal musical Esperanto. The closest analogy is perhaps the landmark fusions of the late American jazz flautist Paul Horn, whose albums recorded in India and Egypt in the 1970s will be well known to at least some Songlines readers of a certain age.