Georgia Anne Muldrow as "Jyoti"

The ever prolific, multi-talented and often brilliant Georgia Anne Muldrow's latest incarnation is as "Jyoti" (meaning "light," in Sanskrit), a name bestowed upon her by family friend Alice Coltrane, which she's utilizing for a projected series of "jazz" releases. The inaugural, all-instrumental Ocotea is a deep, ethereal and, at times, haunting journey that encompasses strains of early Weather Report, '70s golden era Stevie Wonder, plus nods to Jimi Hendrix's Band of Gypsys and Sun Ra. In lesser hands, such a mix tempts sonic chaos, yet with her assured sense of musicianship and eclecticism, Muldrow makes it work. Admittedly, the stark, haunting synthesizer fills and trap drums on "Thread's First Stitches" may be a little too esoteric for the heads that dig Muldrow's soul and hip-hop offerings, but they'll definitely be bumping to "The Language Of The Flame," with its slamming downtempo beat and Junie Morrison-inspired synthesizer squiggles. Ocotea continues Georgia Anne Muldrow's uncompromising winning steak.