Wu Man and Friends

Chinese pipa player Wu Man loves mix'n'match styles, and obviously isn't afraid of a challenge. This time around she takes her tradition and melds it with instruments, singers, and music from the U.S., Ukraine, and Uganda. Unlikely as that sounds, it works well. Yet it's not a deliberate fusion as such; instead everything seems quite relaxed and perfectly natural, as if these instruments had conversed together for centuries. The music is largely traditional, and that works perfectly, especially on the Chinese pieces, where the pipa really gets to sing. She's a virtuoso, but never hogs the spotlight, either as a player or singer (all the cast sings), and seems most comfortable on material from her own tradition. Yet the others are more than just support, every bit as adept and malleable, with Lee Knight a standout. Purists will probably hate this, since it's all over the musical map. But anyone with a taste for brilliant, adventurous playing should lap it up.