Unifying the psychedelic from WestAfrican rock with slinky Ethiopian jazz, emboldened with an improvisationalvibration, Sandman Project are set to unleash their debut 5 track EP.Consisting of just four band members on guitar, trumpet, bass and drums, thevinyl and digital EP package arrives on October 26th through Londonbased Batov Records. Tal Sandmanis the guitarist and leader of the group based in the Arabic district of TelAviv, Jaffa.  With a name drawn from herdeep connection to the earth's elements, the group's sound is purelyinstrumental and at times evokes the early pioneering spirits of Ethiopian jazzwith swirling trumpets climbing up and down the moody Arabic scales. TheAfrican continent is a constant reference within Sandman's repertoire and Talcites legendary greats such as Hamza El Din, Ebo Taylor and Babatunde Otalunjias key influencers. But it's the presence and admiration of artists closer tohome that surely tells the bigger picture, namely the saxophonist AbatteBarihun, an Ethiopian Jew who emigrated to Israel in 1999. Sometimesreferred to as the Ethiopian John Coltrane, Abatte is one of 150,000 EthiopianJews living in Israel. Tal's connection with Abatte was a game-changer. Playingin his ensembles and enjoying a stewardship and intimacy of relationship developedthrough creating and working together, Tal's dedication to unearthing the rootsof Ethiopian music with Abatte also opened up her to new styles of playingguitar from across Africa. Furtherevidence of the spanning creative influence of Ethiopians living in Israelinclude the international popularity of Gili Yalo & Ester Rada, the former currently on tour in theStates. However, since the organised migration from Ethiopia to Israel began inthe '70s, there have been hostitlies in Israel and Gili Yalo recently spoken upabout the distrust and violence he encountered growing up there. Against thisand the backdrop of the Arab/Israeli conflict, Tal is all too aware of the needfor unity in the communities she lives and works in. "My choice to live in Jaffa (Arabic district of Tel Aviv) isbecause I feel safer and connected to a place where Arabs, both Muslims andChristians, and Jews, live in peace leaving space for everyone to live theirlives freely". Tal sees the influence of Arabic culture and musicdrawn from her many Palestinian conections in Jaffa and elsewhere as integralto her identity as a musician. Evidentlythe traditional Ethiopiques famed series is a fundamental source and drive forthe Sandman Project incarnation, none more so than in the track 'Hamsa' withit's lilting guitar and organ propped up against a dubby rhythm section.  Often the music veers to the rockier end ofthe spectrum and lead single 'Circles' growls with its punk-like, rawness and abass guitar and kick drum piling the track through. ‘Savannah Trip’ recalls SunRa in the Malian desert and will surely appeal to the more jazz inclined as itreaches for mountainous atmospherics only the top end of a guitar fretboard canuncover. To a tunedear, there will surely be a playfulness to the entire proceedings, a soundtrackfor a film yet to be made. With the majority of songs played with only fourinstruments, the drums and the bass as one layer, the guitar and trumpet as theother, there’s an insistent sense of purpose that could easily be lost with alarger group or production.