This is a beautiful album of sophisticated jazz. It's not jazz you will put on as a party backdrop, but if you are in the mood for listening to relaxing, lovely compositions, this is it.
I fell in love with the second track on the CD -- African Market -- while watching Claire Dennis' film Chocolat, for which this album is the soundtrack. This track enhances the final scene of the movie and conveys the unadulterated joy of a country's (Cameroon's) new independence.
The music combines the composer's African background with Western jazz, and the tunes are so imbued with nature, listening to them is like crossing the Gobi on a camel in the dusk with a cool breeze picking up, shifting clouds above and desert life moving all around you.
The melody Star Dance is slow, luscious romance. Think Bogie at an elegant party, laying eyes on Bacall for the first time, martini in hand, cigarette drooping from his lips.
The downside is that the CD is only about 39 minutes long - and one 4 1/2 minute track, Protée, is basically a man chanting what sounds like a Muslim prayer, with the same riff repeating over and over in the background.