So you might be asking, “WTF? Jazz? With a World edge? What, are you getting a Masters in Social Work?” Fair enough. Not all my listening falls into the categories of four-on-the-floor or three out of tune chords and although it is not rock, house, or punk ArcoLuz manages to growl, sing, and sway as Renaud Garcia-Fons demonstrates impeccable technique and lyricism double-bass. His work, especially on this album with its minimal setting, is worth sitting up and taking notice of.

The album, on face value, is a fairly traditional jazz set whereby each song begins with a statement of melody and each member of the trio then expands upon it through the course of the song. On this set the group explores folk traditions through the lens of Western Middle Eastern, and North African traditions while maintaining an air of improvisation. Garcia-Fons’ playing is light and nimble with some soaring passages, made possible by the extra fifth string in the upper register, and he is buoyed by Kiko Ruiz’s flamenco stylings and the understated percussion of Negrito Trasante.

The centerpiece of the album is obviously Garcia-Fons’ playing and it is well worth the price of admission. From the sweeping melody of the title track where his bow swoops over the strings lightly to the nimble pizzicato of “Berimbass” that skips about underneath Ruiz’s guitar and the quiet melody of “40 Dias,” Garcia-Fons ranges far and wide in his playing. While there are some that are left feeling a little cold hearing his performances it is hard to argue his musicianship and dedication to pulling the most that he can from his instrument is lacking.

Highly recommended if you have a hankering for microtonalism dressed up in Western methods and instrumentation or are a fan of the bass. You can find ArcoLuz at either eMusic or Amazon.

The Nacional Records as of late has been dropping some stunners with Nortec Collective and Panoptica bringing some of the best albums of last year. While Musica Para Despues De Almuerzo is a fun listen tailor made for passing summer afternoons it is a little uneven at best and occasionally a tad derivative.

What makes the album such an uneven experience is that you have to sit through some tracks that make use of the tired and well worn “Clap your hands everybody! Everybody clap your hands!” style vocal samples that have been in play for the last twenty odd years. Unfortunately the opening number, “Tatia”, is one such track but is redeemed by a loping breaks backdrop. “Get On The Floor” follows the trend with the very much over used “This should be played at high volume” which has been heard on nearly every breaks album from the 90’s. The bouncy piano loop and skipping drum patterns make it a worthwhile listen for a couple of passes.

That said the tracks sung and rhymed in Spanish are what makes Musica Para Despues De Almuerzo a worthwhile purchase. “Animal” is a smooth, upbeat, R&B number that features a nice male-female duet and a warm electric piano line that ties everything together. “El Hechizo” is by far one of my favorite tracks on the album featuring a slinky and sinister guitar riff with a sparse beat that creeps and sways like a lowrider easing through a back alley. The call and response rhymes only add to the urban atmosphere and help round out the tracks production and easily redeem their earlier choices in track samples.

In the end I did enjoy Musica Para Despues De Almuerzo but I wish that like their labelmates Bitman and Roban eschewed the gringo-style music production and concentrated more on creating music that drew more on the rich and varied music tradition of their native Chile. Worth a listen if you are finding yourself drifting south of the border like I am for something new and different. You can grab the album over at eMusic as well as stream some of the tracks over at MySpace.