‘Abstractions’, recorded in 1988, after Carlo’s move to Germany, with Jürgen Seefelder on tenor and soprano saxophones, guitarist Peter O’Mara and drummer Billy Elgart, reprises some of the tunes from ‘On the Other Side’ – in fact all apart from Princess and Deep Impressions (with the latter reappearing on ‘Happy Sad’). Like the LP, it is testimony to Carlo’s infatuation with ECM-style/ sound chamber jazz. It’s Cold, I said begins with that weirdest of intervals, a flattened second (my ears make it Eb-D), before Carlo sets up the theme and pulse that has Seefelder soaring, with the initial theme neatly book-ending the piece. It’s For You belongs to the genre ‘new improvised music’, yet not quite ‘squarely’ so, as it is peppered with themes and hooks, a tune that wouldn’t have sounded out of place on an Eberhard Weber recording. One-minute jewel Abstractions shows Carlo’s unique and distinct bass voice – gliding, shimmering fretless –, before My Inspiration demonstrates his more conventional side. A relaxed bossa, it still contains enough weirdness, however, to make it slightly un-easy listening. A gem. On the Other Side has Seefelder assuming Duke Makasi’s not inconsiderable mantle from the original recording. Angular, a celebration of alterity, it contains a killer solo by Carlo. Journey of My Dreams is a completely left-of-centre march that gets to rock out in a big way, with Seefelder flying and O’Mara, too, turning in a blistering solo. Dancing Thoughts, well, dances and shimmies, and Wailing has Seefelder and O’Mara ‘keening’ in lament over Carlo’s hyper-elastic fretless and Elgart’s drum bombs.

1990’s ‘Happy Sad’ features the same band, with the sole exception of the saxophonist, Seefelder’s role having been assumed by Charlie Mariano on alto sax and flute. Deep Impressions introduces the wind tube, so popular during Abstractions’ SA performances, shadowed by Mariano’s flute, before Carlo sets the tone for the album, with that strange combination of rubbery-yet-reflective bass playing, on a gorgeous 12-minute journey. Happy Sad is a beautiful happy-sad ballad on which Mariano shines, as does O’Mara. I Drank My Coffee and Dreamt and My Friends and I were ‘popular favourites’ (if I can use this phrase here) of coffeeholic Carlo’s JHB gigs and are reprised to great effect here. Coffee is angular, jerky, and soon goes into breakneck swing, with Mariano squealing and wailing and O’Mara on piercing lead. The rhythm section’s propulsive energy is quite exhilarating here, on a track that reminds me of Ronald Shannon Jackson’s Decoding Society. By contrast, Friends is gentle, wistful, with O’Mara’s acoustic guitar anchoring the tune in Methenyland. Somewhere, Out There – well, isn’t quite as ‘out there’ as some of Carlo’s music, but it is still generously boundary-nudging. Zambezi is instantly, recognisably Mombelli, providing a hint of a longer river journey that would be embarked on by the bassist’s later outfits. Remember Lucia also makes its first appearance here, a meditative vehicle for Carlo’s unorthodox bass solo and Mariano and O’Mara’s sympathetic excursions over a (broadly) bossa rhythm.

Although ‘Bats in the Belfry’ is credited to The Prisoners of Strange, it is not yet Carlo’s cohesive South African unit of the same name. The last of his ‘German’ albums, it is a 1996 live recording, courtesy of Bayerischer Rundfunk, that also features Roberto Di Gioia on piano, trombonist Adrian Mears and drummer Wolfgang Haffner. My Friends and I is performed here as a gentle, piano-led ballad. Carlo’s bass sounds more upright than growly, as it did for example on the earlier recordings. Wailing is no less intense than the original, with Di Gioia and Mears now carrying the lament over the rhythm section’s sparse-yet-elastic backing. Requiem is a brilliant composition, a moving dirge, before Carlo interrupts proceedings with a very acoustic-sounding fretless break and then introduces a second, minimalist lament that allows Mears to get down and tearful on the ‘bone and ends with Di Gioia’s piano in quiet reflection and acceptance. A superb piece. The less-than-concisely monikered The Hurricane of Silence was the Author of My Tears follows almost logically, certainly in terms of mood. The tune is a little more angular, ending in voice/ body percussion – perhaps a little implausibly so. The tongue-in-cheek vignette Battery Powered Life is followed by The Marathon Runner, a band version of Carlo’s tribute to Jaco (on the bass anthology ‘Basstorius’). Untitled Prayer has a gorgeous melody, and while Carlo’s singing is an acquired taste his moody whisper is wholly appropriate here. The second part of the piece is more exuberant, with full-blown Cape Jazz elements. I Drank My Coffee reprises the Abstractions favourite, a celebration of the inspirational properties of caffeine, that gives Mears a chance to shine, utilising trombone delays. Interestingly, Carlo decides to dispense with the caffeine-fuelled swing of the studio original. Comma … is a solo bass miniature that ends the album on a gently melancholic note.

‘When Serious Babies Dance’ features The Prisoners of Strange as we’ve come to know them. Recorded in 2002, it indicates a broadening of Carlo’s vision. Perhaps equal parts ‘world’ and chamber jazz, it contains a series of gems in the bassist’s compositional catalogue. Basil, Roses, Lemons, Love is an instantly engaging tune that features Nontuthuzelo Puoane and Siya Makuzeni on vocals and segues seamlessly into Unlock the Wisdom Door. Bass Spirits has bass improvisation over bass harmonic loops and effects. The band, Marcus Wyatt on trumpet and flugelhorn, Sydney Mnisi on tenor and soprano saxes and drummer Lloyd Martin, is in cracking form here, as elsewhere. Remember Lucia is reprised with an intriguing quote from Duke Ellington’s Mood Indigo. Sunlove, dedicated to Carlo’s wife Sandra, has an engaging melody and is sung by Siya. Observations from the Hideout is an excerpt from a longer piece Carlo was commissioned to write for ‘new music’ stalwarts Stockholm Saxophone Quartet. An evocation of dusk in the African bush, with its many surprises and indelible images, it also features valve trombonist John Davies and Allan Thomson on bass clarinet. Maria, Are You Dreaming Again? introduces Carlo’s daughter Maria on birthday wish voice and John Fourie on scintillating guitar, over Carlo’s bass-chordal accompaniment. 87/99 is a piece the bassist began in 1987 and finished in 1999 – and spans the time he spent in Germany, presumably. Siya’s voice and Marcus’s muted trumpet are used to great effect here. Zambezi is all snaky bass, suggesting Southern African harmonic content, with Mnisi and Wyatt in tight ensemble playing. Fourie features on guitar and Siya turns in another memorable vocal on Me the Mango Picker, Carlo’s ‘homecoming’ tune. Surdo is a bass miniature, bass imitating percussion instrument, that leads directly into Gismonti, a tribute to the Brazilian guitarist/ pianist that features Carlo on chordal bass, showcasing his impressive harmonic knowledge, over and above flawless technique. Both the bossa ensemble playing and the jerky middle section indicate just how tight the band is (which is a joy to experience live!). The title track has Carlo experimenting with e-bow and loops, and the groove is – well, the sound of serious babies dancing: full marks for an appropriate title here. Fourie is again on sprightly guitar, and the tune’s stuttering funk is another showcase for the well-oiled brass and rhythm section. Carlo intros the last number, Mombellibutton Sketches, on electric piano. It is, indeed, a series of sketches, in stark contrast to the more accessible piece that opens the CD: a further indication that Carlo won’t be content with resting on his laurels or doing what everyone expects: he is likely to continue defying listeners’ expectations.

At least that is something we’ll be able to expect. Now will someone please reissue ‘On the Other Side’ on CD!? Damon Forbes? Benjy Mudie? Anyone?