One of the most exciting things about contemporary ensembles and their choice of composers are the more powerfully open-minded explorations of sound drawn from a breadth of traditions, where the attitude conveyed is one of celebratory curiosity.

Third Coast Percussion is a group which had their celebration on their mind in this — their 20th-anniversary year — and on this album work with some of their favourite collaborators.

The lengthy and close connection with these composers meant some of the more specialist techniques for a percussion ensemble were enthusiastically explored — such as pitch bending crotales through dipping in water, variation in timbre through multiple stick and brush changes, innovative, resourceful thinking and tremendous mastery of dynamics.

Techniques from this group emanate the kind of synchronicity that only long term musical friendships can produce. They are able therefore to tackle Tigran Hamasyan’s ’23 for TCP’ from his Sonata for Percussion — with its outrageous time signature of 23/8. They sound controlled, together and totally comfortable with the jazz tonalities and rhythms explored.

Jazz and funk grooves are tapped into throughout, and the cultural marriage with Zakir Hussain and his Murmurs in Time, combine South Asian sounds with the group’s more familiar palette. Percussive vocals (‘bols’) and tabla here emphasised this immersive, deeply co-operative journey, resulting in music that was simultaneously spiritual, yet full of human energy. This energy continues throughout the album, demonstrating cultural respect and integrity — in short — the best in musical co-operation.

★★★★

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