It's been a prolific and productive nine years for the F-ire collective and for Barak Schmool and his Méta Méta band last night at the Pizza Express Jazz Club in London. Part of the fifth annual F-ire Festival the group launched its latest eponymous album in great style to an almost full club.

This offshoot of Schmool's long-running Timeline group is typical of the fine creative lines F-ire operates along. On the one hand this is complex polyrhythmic music with deep roots in Africa's ancestral history, hard to fully explain to the uninitiated, although Barak did try, while simultaneously being highly danceable and accessible music.

Despite getting into some rousing rhythms, laid down with precision and power by bassist Tom Mason and drummer Leo Taylor and guest Irakere percussionist Hammadi Rencurrell, the setting of a seated venue felt slightly incongruous. That said, the chanting vocals, delivered in an uplifting call-and-response manner by Italian singer/percussionist Maurizio Ravalico, with sung responses from Amy Lu, Christane Santana and Schmool created hypnotising layers of warm melodies that provided a thoroughly satisfying listening experience. Solo duties were shared between Schmool and the ever versatile, underrated keyboardist Nick Ramm. Best know for his work with Fulborn Teversham and his recent tours with the Cinematic Orchestra, Ramm once again demonstrated his versatility and great technique on both piano and keys injecting some welcome additional colours.

If the overall effect fell slightly short of its potential the formal setting of a prestigious jazz club was perhaps in part to blame. The music's sunny disposition, infectious grooves and stirring vocals, not to mention Schmool's underlying spirit of a communal musical experience, would have worked wonders on a hot summer afternoon at a festival. But as evidence of F-ire's many achievements and continued artistic depth and success, this was proof-positive the collective is still very much alive and kicking today.