Streams

The Paris-based guitarist Nguyên Lê is known for his distinctive style of world jazz. His previous albums combine jazz improvisation with different global influences, from Vietnamese melodies to Algerian rhythms. With Streams, the musical eclecticism is more implicit than explicit. Although the album is inspired by cross-cultural interaction, the sound-world is solidly rooted in a jazz aesthetic, with tight, twisting melodies set over driving grooves. Some riffs played on the Vietnamese t'rung (bamboo xylophone) are blended into two tracks, ‘Bamiyan’ and ‘Sawira’, but this is the only addition to the quartet's standard instrumentation of electric guitar, electronics, vibraphone, acoustic bass and drums and percussion. Instead of throwing ‘world sounds’ directly into the mix, the quartet's aim is to integrate different influences into the structure of the music.

In the sleeve notes Nguyên Lê says ‘ the album is about revealing where my journey has brought me today and how each cultural idiosyncrasy has melted into my voice.’ This idiosyncrasy is evident in his guitar solos, which shift between fast, angular jazz licks and long, bending phrases reminiscent of the Vietnamese monochord, dan bau. As a whole, the album showcases the quartet's virtuosic talents, though it will mainly appeal to a niche audience interested in jazz fusion.