UK saxophonist and bandleader Nubya Garcia’s second album consolidates her warm-hearted Afro-Carribean vision of jazz outlined on her debut while moving into new musical territories, adeptly incorporating dub reggae and Latin cumbia into her musical world. SOURCE is based around the lengthy dub jazz excursion title track, and the moves from tranquil, spacey dub to fiery, frenetic jazz and back again through the track are just superbly done, producing a seamless synthesis. Pace is a yearning, exploratory piece with Garcia’s assured, subtle solo a trip around her impressive chops. Again stepping outside the jazz comfort zone, the affecting La Cumbia Me Está Llamando, recorded in Bogotá, is nothing more than a layer of intricate Latin percussion, Garcia’s smooth tone and Columbian vocal trio La Perla. 

The album moves from languidly swinging to graceful reflection or intense emotion with ease, the worldwide influences Garcia draws into her work perfectly assimilated.

She works on a smaller scale (no strings or choirs), but London-based saxophonist Nubya Garcia’s work has a lot in common with Kamasi Washington’s. She’s deep in the groove, blowing atop molasses-thick, dubby basslines, and her solos have the melodic discipline of someone who’s listened to a lot of Dexter Gordon. SOURCE offers a dancefloor-friendly version of soul jazz, with Caribbean and Latin overtones that always feel arrived at honestly.