Sunshine Seas

The prolific conservatory-trained musical polymath from Queens, New York is back with another new project. Quite apart from countless sessions with that doyen of East Coast avant-garde jazz, John Zorn, pianist Jamie Saft has produced others, written film scores, interpreted the music of Bob Dylan in a jazz trio format, and dabbled in just about everything from metal to opera.

One of his more consistent themes is dub. Here his New Zion trio has teamed up with long-time cohort, percussionist Cyro Baptista, for an album of Brazil-infused dub for London's RareNoise label. Apart from the somewhat trite title-track, there's plenty to savour in Sunshine Seas: be it the Jah Wobble-y ‘Growing Grow’, the dreamy cocktail-hour cool of ‘Brazil Jah’, the chattering ‘Chalice Pipe’, or the ominous storm-laden dub of ‘Onda’. Playing keyboards, electric bass and guitar throughout, Jamie Saft is ably anchored by a sturdy rhythm section. But it is Cyro Baptista's percussion and wordless vocals that steer this album clear of over-familiar waters.