Paul Murphy - The Trip

Mixing jazz with electronic music elements is something happening since at least 20 years ago. The downside is that by now we've probably heard it all, so it's very difficult to avoid a sense of repetition and monotony. The upside is that in 20 years, there was enough time for maturation and for reaching an ideal of fusion that has perfected itself until very large scales. "The Trip" by Paul Murphy is a reminder of the later. Even if not bringing anything new, its savoir-faire has managed to provide us with a collection of sounds that, more than being another page in the jazz-electronics history book, is a catalogue of the world and its ambiences (and the title "The Trip" is really to be taken seriously). From Africa to India, from Latin America to Eastern Europe, from the Middle East to New Orleans, there are subliminal influences from everywhere, in this slightly cinematographic and hugely elegant album. (7/10)