Mediterranean Crossroads

The wider an artist's range of influences, the more likely he/she is to come up with something distinctive and fresh. Drawing on an incredibly wide range of influences, the Israeli worldbeat/jazz-fusion quartet Esta takes more than its share of risks on the bold Mediterranean Crossroads. Indeed, it isn't every day that a band fuses Middle Eastern and Mediterranean modal styles (Jewish, Arabic, Greek and Turkish, among others) with elements of jazz, Scotish/Celtic music, rock and/or funk and makes it work. Among the surprises are "Deror Yik'ra," awhich finds Esta adding Celtic touches to a traditional Yemenite song, and "Go-Go," an appealing number combining Celtic music with the style of funk known as go-go. For Esta, instruments ranging from electric bass guitar to bagpipes to the bouzouki (often used in Greek music) can be used for improvisation. At times, Esta brings to mind Weather Report — not because the bands sound alike, but because of its ability to fit so many different pieces into a cohesive whole.