African roots, global sound

The tightest groove here, and the one that moves least. Bass and drums lock to a single level and hold it for the better part of four minutes while the horn works over the top — built for the hour when the room has stopped sitting down.

Named for the Nairobi ridge. The widest dynamic range of the set: it opens low and unhurried, gathers through the middle, and leaves the band more room to build and recede than anything else on the record.

The fullest sound of the four — the whole ensemble present at once, weighted low and warm, with the saxophone carrying the melody outright rather than decorating what the rhythm section is doing.

The brightest balance of the four: lighter underneath, with the saxophone sitting well forward. The nearest thing here to a standard, and the easiest way into what this band does.