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NPME: Mareureu

The New Pacific Music Ensemble is the brainchild of sax player Andrew McMillan who, along with log drummer Taiau Nicholas and guitarist Paul Carroll, has created a unique sound that melds instrumental jazz with traditional Cook Island log drumming - two genres that do not seem to have a lot in common, but in fact combine rather well. The log drums provide a propulsive rhythm underneath a jazz-funk beat and this allows McMillan and others to improvise and solo over the top. There is some nice ensemble horn work from McMillan and trumpeter Kingsley Meluish and Carroll's angular guitar provides an interesting counterpoint to the polyrhythms of the log drums. Although in some ways quite structured, there is a looseness that allows for experimentation and exploration and while there are times when the music veers eerily towards '70s jazz rock there is enough tension between the log drums and the other instruments to make things interesting in this unique musical experiment

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