Israeli bassist Omer Avital is generally regarded as one of the finest jazz musicians to come along since the ‘90s, particularly due to his accessible but smart post-bop compositions. Here he gets fine support from saxophonist Joel Frahm, trumpeter Avishai Cohen, pianist Yonathan Avishai, and drummer Daniel Freedman as he works through gems like the bouncing “Hafla,” the klezmer-inspired “New Middle East," and “New Song,” which has an urgent groove punctuated by an expressive solo from Avishai. Yet it's the slow, simmering “Sabah El-Kheir” that truly highlights Avital’s ear for melody.