Rabih Abou-Khalil: Morton's Foot

Abou-Khalil wrote all eleven compositions on the record (the last is a mere eleven seconds long, so it doesn't really count). Their serpentine melodies often call for unison playing from melody instruments, though counterpoint and harmony also play important roles. A minor key and melismatic delivery marks most of the tracks, but they feel much more like calls to dance than melancholy laments or prayer music. At times they recall the Balkan-jazz fusion of Dave Douglas's Tiny Bell Trio and Pachora, both in melodic emphasis and blocky rhythms, but your mileage on this front may vary.

Abou-Khalil prefers to share the driver's seat with clarinetist Gabriele Mirabassi and accordionist Luciano Biondini most of the time. His oud playing tends to be explicit and straightforward, carefully phrased and often somewhat hypnotic. Godard usually parks his tuba inconspicuously in the low end, bumping along very rhythmically and providing a propulsive kick that matches the drums. When Murgia sings (on three tracks), his surreal rumbling immediately draws attention because of its unnaturally low pitch and emphatically rhythmic delivery. For me, his amazingly accuracy and creative phrasing really steal the show.

You can pick a labeled box to drop Morton's Foot into, but that would be a mistake. Take it at face value, draw inspiration from the varied strengths of each player, and you'll find yourself moved. This is a top pick of 2004, without a doubt.