There's world music, and there's world music. There's etno, and there's etno. The better one is able pick up the gems from the vast supply, the more interesting these genres become.

Here's an album, both as a vinyl and a cd, that in my mind in a clever and quite sophisticated way combines elements from Western jazz to that of traditional Turkish and Cypriot music. whatsnext? is a jazz album; it's where Turkish-Born Jazz Pianist and Composer Mehmet Ali Sanlikol returns to his jazz origins, but that's after years of engaging himself with music of the Near East and former Ottoman territories eg. through his Dünya, a Boston-based performance collective of ethnic music. Consequently, a track features a ney solo, another a Cypriot melody, and do on.

On the album Sanlikol is told to realize his youthhood dream: to record his early big band pieces. The music isn't exactly big band jazz but it certainly has the power and the swing and dark grooving. I don't know who wrote the following but I fully agree:

"Sanlikol urges his band to speak compellingly in his pieces, bringing crack players together and giving them plenty of challenge and room. Motifs float through the horns, moving nimbly from section to section. Drummer Bertram Lehmann knows how to complement without overpowering, be it with thoughtful fills ("What's Next?") or sensitive brush work ("On the Edge Of the Extreme Possible"). Bassist Fernando Huergo can drive the groove or subtly support solos (like trombonist Chris Gagne's work on "Better Stay Home")."

The album's thoughtful artwork (Sanlikol and fellow Turkish expat, designer Cem Eskinazi) must be mentioned, as well as the fact that the LP comes in a soft buttoned envelope. Personally I enjoyed the sound of the vinyl more than that of the CD, but it was the music that drew my attention first. Recommended.