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***1/2 Sabah Habas Mustapha & the Jugala All Stars

SO LA LI

(Kartini)

This silky-voiced veteran of Great Britain's legendary world-music/comedy band 3 Mustaphas 3 makes the tangy flavors of Indonesian jaipong music as accessible as any release to date, mostly by giving traditional songs with odd melodies and tonalities smooth, easy-to-love grooves. "Di Nagara Deungeun" bubbles like Congolese soukous, only with slide guitar, a jangly Indonesian lute, and warbly wooden flute eased into the mix. "Bubi Chen" tilts toward Latin music, once again using an intoxicating soundscape of rising and falling pitched percussion and that mysterious wooden flute. Two songs dig into jaipong's dark side, a chaos of colliding melodies and rhythms and seemingly random shouting voices set to a slow, ominous club beat. Mustapha has moved beyond the zaniness of the old band and immersed himself in the strange beauties of Indonesian music. Recorded with excellent local musicians in West Java, this, his third Indonesian foray, is his best, not least because of the participation of female vocalist Tati Ani Mogiono, who complements his soft tenor with her own edgier but also nuanced performances.

-- Banning Eyre