Orchestre Toubab is a Brussels based Afro-tropical jazz quartet around guitarist Robert Falk. The band's name is a nod to Senegal's legendary Orchestra Baobab, where the term "toubab" is used to describe Caucasian foreigners. With album title 'Teeru Deggoo', Wolof for "harmonious haven", the band wanted to point out that port cities are traditionally places where different cultures meet and mingle, exactly what Orchestre Toubab' music is all about. 'Teeru Deggoo' is in every sense the logical successor to 'Tukki Janeer' ("imaginary voyage"), the band's 2015 debut effort. Orchestre Toubab's sound is a mix between jazz and world music, and with opener 'Fo Yelamé Ti Boin', a Burkinabe expression for "good morning" the band bids us welcome on this new album. For this song Orchestre Toubab invited Burkinabe singer Aida Dao, and elsewhere on 'Teeru Deggoo' a number of other guests pop up as well: in 'Umugore W'Ibanga' ("the hidden woman", a reference to the influence of muses in art), a song based on the Rwandan intore-rhythm, the aforementioned Aida Dao forms a Pygmy-choir with Ben Ngabo, 'Article 16', soukous and a humorous nod to the infamous Article 15, an made up article from the Congolese Constitution stating everyone should figure things out for themselves, features Yannick Koy and Coco Malabar, and in the excellent closing track 'Sanaa', a reinterpretation of the Malian traditional 'Sanou', Manssata Sora takes care of the vocal parts and Bao Sissoko's kora can also be heard. The tango-inspired 'El Sombrero Del Gato' is an ode to Argentine jazz saxophonist Leandro 'Gato' Barbieri, who passed away in 2016, and his inseparable hat. The entirely instrumental 'Brontolão' is clearly inspired by Brazilian bossa nova. The title is a corruption of the Italian brontolone which translates as "grumpy" and perfectly defines the character of Orchestre Toubab-bass player Alessio Campanozzi. One of our personal favorites on 'Teeru Deggoo' is 'Soumbedioune', Senegalese mbalax, but with Benoit Leseure's violin and Robert Falk's guitar in leading roles. For the real jazz-heads among you there's 'Baktutop', a composition Falk already wrote back in 1982, and for 'Peace Street', featuring Benny Lezzar, violinist Benoit Leseure's raggamuffin alter ego, the band goes jazzy reggae. With this varied world-jazz album Orcherstre Toubab once again proves that music is the only universal language.