This is a new project from Ahmedabad’s Raag Sethi, who’s always doing interesting things with both his Compass Box studio and his varied and various musical undertakings. This one has its own charm; him and fellow guitarist Dwit Hathi are making instrumental latin jazz-fusion with two acoustic guitars and… well, that’s it. There are obviously challenges to writing music for just two instruments, and even more so (probably) when the two instruments have the same sonic range and texture. But out of most limitations comes much creativity, and that’s very much the case here.

Cherry And Cream say they borrow from modern jazz, which is reflected in their chosen voicings and the song’s sort of meandering structure. But put the technicals on the backburner and what you have here is a guitar instrumental that’s simple at heart; one guitar plays rhythm, the other one plays lead. This song was recorded live in one take, so of course the performances are strong too, and they have to be here more than ever; there’s not much to hide behind. It’s also seven minutes long, so it does take its time. The lead sections are a treat to listen to and very nicely paced. The duo touch a bunch of styles while working their way through the tune; there’s maybe some bossa (?) in the rhythm that backs most of it, which of course will lead many a listener to lounge and smooth jazz (where the song might not be out of place at all, actually). There’s some fusion-y stuff in certain passages, there’s some traditional jazz in certain chord ideas, and one can be sure there’s a lot more to chew on for the genre-chaser. But ‘Watermelon’ is in essence about being relaxing and pleasant to listen to. That’s at its core is what makes this a great debut single.