Carlos Nino & Friends - Flutes, Echoes, It's All Happening! (2016)

Prolific, well-connected Los Angeles-based producer/arranger/composer Carlos Nino has been exploring the common ground between spiritual jazz, new age, hip-hop, global rhythms, and psychedelic folk since he began doing radio on listener-supported KPFK during the mid-'90s. As with his previous three albums credited to Carlos Nino & Friends, Flutes, Echoes, It's All Happening! plays like one of his eclectic radio shows, merging relaxing synthesizers and nature sounds with swelling strings, exotic woodwinds, and the occasional far-out-man voice-over. New age godfather Iasos adds cascading, bubbly synths to opener "Jupiter Sings," and appears later on in the album, being interviewed about waterfalls and how humans radiate energy. Madlib contributes a typically woozy beat to "It's All Happening!," and while his surreal productions can often seem choppy and fractured, they blend magically with Miguel Atwood-Ferguson's string arrangements and the billowing percussion and ambience provided by guests Jamire Williams and Dexter Story. Story also appears alongside Yaakov Levy on the live recording "Alice's Chord," a majestic, flowing piece dedicated to Alice Coltrane, a frequent source of inspiration for Nino and many of his L.A. music scene peers. Kamasi Washington's triumphant saxophone playing is heard on "Joyous Gratitude," a minute-long concert snippet that sounds like the blissful high point of a powerful performance. "4 Directions Collage" finds Nino & Friends at their most earthy, combining rolling thunder with drums approximating the same, and rapturous strings cutting through wind and rain. The great thing about Nino's work is that he understands that spiritually minded music doesn't have to be full of cliched greeting-card sentiments. It's calming and peaceful, sure, but it still deals with intense emotions and moments of divine inspiration. Nino pulls together all of his myriad influences into powerful music that is earnest, believable, and truly beautiful.