Indiamore

The first track on pianist and composer Christophe Chassol's new album exists almost to un-prepare you for the creative explosion that lies ahead. ‘Two Lines’ witholds even the smallest hint of the album's promised ‘ragharmonizations’ – the guiding concept being to fill in the gap between bass and melody (the two lines of classical Indian music). Then, across four movements, field recordings from Varanasi and Kolkata are rearranged and overlaid with percussion and chords as Chassol enhances rather than re-creates. However, this ambitious harmonisation has its dangers: ‘XIX Century’ is a jarring collection of traffic sounds and other tracks are similarly perplexing.

Ultimately, all is quickly forgiven: when Chassol gets it right, it's nearly flawless. Indiamore suggests something truly original, in which East refreshingly never quite meets West: it simply smiles as Chassol expertly guides it off the beaten track.