Italy’s Bebo Best & The Super Lounge Orchestra have been a force to reckon with in the nu-jazz scene since their debut LP Sitar and Bossa. Fast-forward almost a decade later and a number of albums under their belts, they have taken the sound of bossa and jazz further expanding it into sophisticated territory with their new LP JazzMamba.

The first thing that one would gather from listening to JazzMamba is how well it would translate to the live show element. Throughout the record tempos vary as mellow Bossa Nova is equally as important as upbeat boogie, but one can’t help but imagine being swept away in a venue as lush rhythms flow from each instrument. That is also a key to what works with this album…the instrumentation. Whilst there are moments of a more 4×4-friendly driven cuts, actual drum play steers the course rather than strictly relying on samples. Funk and soul brew heavily in the music along with festive Latin rhythms, with even a taste of blues firmly placed in cuts. Indeed there are traces of jazz’s golden period throughout the songs but is tightly bound with elements of today, all done without losing integrity. The band well understands the eb and flow of delivering funk, jazz and bossa to an audience of today without making it a “do you remember the good old days” type LP.

JazzMamba is an organically fun record and it’s evident that the musicians are passionate about the sound. This is a feel-good album that is also a fine education guide of the glorious sounds of music that are the original dance floor scorchers.

JazzMamba is out now via Chin Chin Records.