A group re-forming and recording a new album after a 20-year hiatus: That's a worrying premise. Fans must shed their expectations, since obviously will not pick things up where they left them shortly after the release of . And indeed they don't, even though the music is immediately identifiable. But times have changed and the group's take on adventurous instrumental has since yielded a number of followers, especially in 1990s America with groups like , , and . presents 12 new pieces, all instrumental. In addition to the four original members ( ), some feature trombonist adds a string trio that includes ex- . The music takes a more relaxed stance and moves away from the quirky time signatures and melodies of to include instead a feel. even goes into a bluesy "cop series theme" vamp. The compositions are simpler, although at times an effort (too big an effort?) has been made to cram a lot of themes into a single song, as in The group has lost a lot of its edge -- or is it that the "edge" has moved further left? The musicianship remains strong and all in all is a good album, but this ground was broken two decades ago. ~ Francois Couture