Next month Massical, the upcoming album from Trilok Gurtu comes out, and ahead of its release the Bombay-born percussionist performed at the Jazz Café in Camden last night at the Songlines magazine 10th anniversary show. It is a subtle change of direction for Gurtu, who is best known for his work with Oregon and John McLaughlin and for his masterly explorations of the tabla over many years. Recently he has been performing with a string quartet but with a new group last night, which included the pivotal figure of Carlo Cantini on electric violin, melodica and keys, the initial feel to what this was resembled intriguingly an Indo-Celtic amalgam that morphed into other styles as the evening went on. There were the atmospheric sounds of ‘The Glimpse’, for instance, which harks back to the 1990s, brief bursts of funk, complex Indo-jazz fusion and mesmerising solo routines.

The new tunes include the 7/4 ‘Seven Notes to Heaven’ and the shimmering ‘Bridges’. Gurtu’s approach is more complex than the sum of its parts and he took the trouble to demystify it for the audience. “You like cricket,” he told us, “then think you’re in the slips”. Sure enough, the beats batted off the tabla as if it were a well seasoned, nicely weighted Duncan Fearnley blade. At times, admittedly, there was the odd lunge as Gurtu grimaced at the dud PA tabla sound despite the fact that he had spent an hour and a half at the sound check getting the sound right. Aside from his regular drum kit and, of course, the tablas, Gurtu also used a bucket of water to effect, once his bells had been dipped in it, producing, the sensation of rain. The jam at the end came together well, even encouraging a woman in the audience to dance on the stage. But Trilok and the band scarcely noticed the intrusion – they were too intent on listening and improvising. Gurtu has his roots in Bollywood but his musical approach is a world away; its global beat, and this international band, is meant to tear down boundaries. In this he more than succeeds without blanding out all the elements of the mix.

- Stephen Graham