Nick Naffin Music From The Sacred Grounds

You must understand. I have just come out of listening to The Time Of Your Life (Bananamoon Daevid Allen) at the loudest volume that my poor ears could tolerate by headphones for the last two hours on repeat setting. My body is boogie-weary and I'm looking for some aural liniment. I change my taste from single malt to a Chardonnay and prepare for the thousand tongues of Aardvarks in Aspic to caress my every sinew. I load the Nick Naffin Group album Music From The Sacred Ground and lean back, anticipating the soothing drone of lounge jazz.

But, damn you Naffin, what is this flamencoid funk revitalising my muscular fatigue? A Hispanic Intro has lulled me into a false sense of elevator muse, and now a few bars later I'm all-a-jiggery, involuntarily moving to your rhythmic exoticism. Yes, your Intro is a simple statement, but it pulsates with an energy that is tugging at the very fabric of my lassitude. OK. I'm up and moving. Now the offering of your second track, Fundance, a similarly structured piece consisting of a hypnotic picado replete with palmeros and that's enough. You win. This audience is a slave to your every nylon nuance. Tienes duende amigo!

The album continues in a similar groove, with minor excursions into more passive waters. Placid lakes shimmering in a soundscape of rich global textures. Comparisons that spring to mind are Paco de Lucia's Almoraima mixed with a bit of Marilyn Mazur's minimalist percussion on Garbarek's Rites. However, the prize must be Edith In The Rain, an intoxicating acoustic funk replete with talking drum like that of Massamba Diop [Afro-Celt Sound System].

Clearly, the music here takes it's inspiration from many sources, but unmistakable is the guiding hand of John McLaughlin. Much is on a parr with Belo Horizonte, and the title track contains a big doff of the cap to JM's Que Alegria and Trilok Gurtu's water percussion.

Great stuff, conspicuous from the norm by virtue of the compositions, passionate playing and warmness and clarity of the recording.