Album: Thierry Pécou, Tremendum (Harmonia Mundi)

As in his Symphonie Du Jaguar, French-Caribbean composer Thierry Pécou draws on both the musical stylings and the myths of South American culture in these works, his percussion interplay driving along pieces like "Paseo de la Reforma" and "L'Arbre aux Fleurs" with an insistence that recalls not just Reich and Glass, but also the batucada percussion ensembles of Brazilian carnivals.

Originally a concerto for piano and orchestra, "Tremendum" was even re-scored for five percussionists alongside piano, flute, sax and cello, re-casting it as a dark dance piece. By comparison, "Manoa" explores the deep register territory shared by bass flute, cello and bass clarinet, the cello pulsing beneath murmurous drones of the winds. Absorbing.

Download: Manoa; Tremendum; Paseo de la Reforma; L'Arbre aux Fleurs