With its unlikely combination of global influences and big-band jazz, the Grand Union Orchestra has always occupied a category of its own. Critical faculties take a dive as reggae meets raga and bhangra gets along with the blues, but there’s no mistaking the skill and dedication behind the exuberance. This is a greatest hits album of 16 dance-inspiring tracks, chosen by leader and founder Tony Haynes, to celebrate Grand Union’s 40 years of cross-cultural music-making.
The band revel in their demanding roles: accompaniment, interludes, driving riffs and occasional solos. In opening number Love That Day, the brass give vent to an absolute storm of an intro, getting the two singers, Gail Ann Dorsey and Alison Limerick, well and truly airborne. There’s also a gorgeous, silvery steel pan solo by Ken Johnson. In contrast, the high point of a piece called Eleggua Kó, Eleggua Rá is a competitive duet for tabla (Yousuf Ali Khan) and conga drums (Claude Deppa). The variety is endless, and I could go on picking bits out, but you get the idea. This has been the most surprising album I have heard so far this year.
