The title of pianist David Virelle's debut as leader for the ECM label is a reference to "the Divine Voice" that speaks through the drums in the magic-religious rituals of the Abaku secret society in his native Cuba. Subtitled Sacred Music for Piano, Two Basses, Drum Set and Biankomko Abaku, this suite of original compositions, prominently featuring the traditional four drum "biankomko" kit of percussionist Romn Diaz, is about as sui generis as music gets. The basses of Thomas Morgan and Robert Hurst operate like drones, while the leader's piano converses freely with Diaz and drummer Marcus Gilmore. Profound, mysterious, and darkly numinous, this is the sound of an enquiring musical mind exploring the subterranean rivers that connect Thelonious Monk and Andrew Hill to the timeless rhythms of his homeland. propermusic.com