Kavorka: Culture Shock

Slovakian saxophonist Peter Dobai came to Dublin to study at Newpark Music Centre and decided to stick around, making a name for himself around town with his big sound and voluble playing. Dobai's Kavorka group is an apt reflection of the student body in Newpark's internationally renowned jazz department, with Hungarian bassist Péter Erdei, Venezuelan pianist Leopoldo Osio and Irish drummer Shane O'Donavan adding their own flavour to Dobai's likeable compositions. Culture Shock is an apt name for the resulting sounds, which embrace Latin-American and Balkan traditions as well as funk, hip-hop and contemporary classical elements. At heart, however, this is an old-school jazz album, with good grooves, plenty of group interplay and, in Dobai and Osio, two soloists capable of taking the music to interesting places. peterdobai.com/kavorka