'East, West & Beyond' by Michael Simon & Asian Connection

The prolific nature of Michael Simon's approach to music-making is something to be heralded in of itself.  The trumpeter, composer and bandleader's deep appreciation for contemporary jazz and all its forms has proved to host an inspired perspective - while many contemporary acts seek to embrace the concept of fusion as a way to incorporate varying styles and genres of music from neo-soul, hip-hop, broken beat or even classical aesthetics, Simon's approach to fusion is rooted more within the concept of fusion from a more geographical perspective.

Across the litany of Michael Simon ensembles and collectives, the broad musical approach for each continues to serve as the distinguishing factor throughout each of his projects - from the self-explanatory sounds of the Dutch Caribbean Groove Orchestra, the African-meets-Caribbean-meets-South American make-up of the Atlantic Crossing Ensemble and The Congruent Five to the Latin jazz of Michael Simon & Roots United or the South-East Asian inspired MS-5.

Michael Simon & Asian Connection sees the Venezuelan-born and Rotterdam-based musician once again engage with a project steeped in a vast and ambitious scope.  Recorded in Taipei, Taiwan, 'East, West & Beyond' serves as the long overdue follow-up to the band's debut 'Destiny's Will' which dates back to 2010 and comprised of a live recording in Malaysia's No Black Tie jazz club.   

Comprised of musicians from The Netherlands, Taiwan, Japan, Malaysia and Indonesia, Asian Connection is made up of world class artists including saxophonist Terry Hsieh, pianist Sri Hanuraga, drummer Huang Tzu Yu, bassist Ikeda Kinya and Huayi Tsai performing on the pipa; the Chinese lute - or the pipa - proves to be a key inclusion amidst the band's line-up providing incredible depth and context to the over-arching Asian Connection sound.

'East, West & Beyond' dictates a wonderful narrative across the album's seven tracks.  From the vivacious opener in 'Cross Streams' to the subtle urgency of 'Sawunggaling' and the aptly-titled 'Soul Food', the ensemble perform with a captivating vigor that makes for a compelling listening experience.

There's something about Michael Simon's approach that seems to embrace the challenge.  The thing is, when immersing yourself amidst the wide array of Simon's music, none of it seems like a challenge at all.  His incomparable vision and willingness to regard jazz as a boundary-less artform - unhindered even by its geography or language - opens the door to thrilling projects like these that unite seemingly disparate people and cultures in ways not many would have the foresight to envision.