If one wanted to make a case for the idea that the segregation of music into genres limits our ability to appreciate new sounds, then the Jessica Lurie Ensemble’s Shop of Wild Dreams could be Exhibit 1A. The first sound heard on the first track is a baritone ukulele that can sound like a banjo, and within the next 20 seconds you will hear instruments usually associated with rock, Latin, and jazz styles. Six of the 10 tracks are instrumentals, and four are vocals. It would be fairly easy to deal with the six instrumental tracks as a jazz album, or at least as something coming out of a jazz lineage, just as the four vocal tracks could readily be viewed in modern folk terms. However, they are deliberated not presented in such a segregated fashion. The tracks are alternately instrumental then vocal, with the only consecutive instrumentals coming at the close of the CD. That description might lead to the idea that Shop of Wild Dreams is a schizophrenic offering, but in spite of its seeming contradictions, it is quite coherent when dealt with on the terms it establishes. It is a broad presentation of the musical spirit of Lurie, and that spirit has roots in places ranging from baroque instrumental music to avant jazz to indie rock to jam bands. Approaching this disc from any one of those specific generic places will cause you to make possibly harsh judgments, but letting this music come to you unencumbered by the orthodoxies of genre will let you experience a deep and personal musical statement from a complex musical personality.

Some of it is just plain fun, like the jaunty “Grinch,” with its buoyant groove and vibrant flute solo that builds intensity as the layers of electronics and rhythm section ease in, all leading to a sharp break into a percussion solo and the eventual return of the original groove. Other highlights include the Parisian-gypsy-cabaret vibe of “Circus Rain,” which was inspired by a Seattle storm that got Lurie thinking about the New Orleans flood. Mention must be made of co-producer Todd Sickafoose, as the attention to detail in the layering of the sounds, and introduction of electro-acoustic elements are a large part of what helps this music reach its potential.