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Apart from being an American living in London, his family roots give him a bit of a head start on this “world” project. His mother is half Lebanese and a quarter Native American Indian. His wife is Indian born in London from parents who are from Tanzania, East Africa.

And as an added bonus, he’s a multi-talented writer and arranger with the ability to play almost any instrument and at the same time he’s an avid collector of instruments from all around the world with sitar, ektar, Balaphone, Tanpura, kalimba, Steel drum, Guitarron, Moroccan castanets, Cithare, vibraphone, Xylophone, Bulbul tarang, Charango, Bouzouki, talking drum, and Udu being just a short selection he’s got here.

The album kicks off with the same track that Gilles played when he interviewed Shawn on his Worldwide late last year but you really get the feel for the with ‘Ghost In The Rain’ that features his alter-ego Clutchy Hopkins (who we first saw on the Shawn Lee & Clutchy Hopkins release Clutch Of The Tiger Don Drummond meets Mulatu on ‘Ethio’ that features Michael Leonhart (last seen here with The Avramina 7 on the album Seahorse And The Storyteller on Truth & Soul).

And whilst name dropping, the next track ‘Cairo Cairo’ features world music star Natacha Atlas (last seen here with The Mazeeka Ensemble on the album Ana Hina which is a funky dub out and then ‘Nao Vacila’ and ‘La Eterna Felicidad’ (fantastic title) delve into 60s funk-soul rock out via Brazil

Not content with mixing all that lot up ‘Nanny Jee’ goes underwater Bombay funk out and MPB meets John Barry on ‘Mi Ilusion’

Whether this formula works everytime is debatable, ‘Iceland’ is like Thai steel band working out on synth set to phart phase but the album ends strong on ‘Tablacadabra’ that’s a bit Get Carter funky and Hairy Krishner is just what you’d expect?

Whilst the above might sound like the album is a bit messy, it actually does play well all the way through and there’s two great tracks in particularly ‘Booya’ and the legitimately climatic funky ‘Accelerate’.

Fans of the last Ping Pong Orchestra album Miles Of Styles won’t be disappointed and whilst Mr. Lee has crammed an awful lot into this collection, the chances are that there’s going to be some dancin’ in the streets all over your World Of Funk went you get this one.

And the guy is so prolific as he’s got another project on the go at the moment with L.A.. based singer-songwriter AM with the debut track ‘Dark Into Light’ (post-eighties synth-pop!) from the upcoming Record Store Day limited edition 12” series on Ubiquity Records available April 16th digitally and on limited edition colored vinyl; Shawn Lee is - a “Music Master”.

Reviewed: Shawn Lee & The Ping Pong Orchestra - World Of Funk (Ubiquity Records) Cat. No. URCD282 Release date: 15th February 2011
Tracklisting:
1. Bina (3:30)
2. Ghost In The Rain featuring Clutchy Hopkins & Chhom Nimol (4:01)
3. Ethio featuring Michael Leonhart (3:42)
4. Cairo Cairo featuring Natacha Atlas (4:01)
5. Nao Vacila featuring Curumin (3:58)
6. La Eterna Felicidad featuring Bardo Martinez (3:19)
7. Nanny Jee featuring Nanny G (4:16)
8. Iceberg featuring Elliot Bergman (4:33)
9. Booya featuring Michael Leonhart (3:49)
10. The Mighty Atlas featuring Natacha Atlas (2:33)
11. Mi Ilusion featuring Cava (4:00)
12. Accelerate (5:55)
13. Tablacadabra (2:41)
14. Hairy Krishner (1:52)

Links:
www.shawnlee.net
www.myspace.com/shawnleemusic
www.ubiquityrecords.com
Gilles Peterson, Wed, 1 Dec 2010, 02:00 on BBC Radio 1 www.bbc.co.uk
Music master Shawn Lee played live tracks from his new project
Shawn Lee’s Ping Pong Orchestra — Bina (Ubiquity)
Shawn Lee — Hanging By A Thread (Talkin’ Loud)
Shawn Lee — Booya (Ubiquity)
Shawn Lee — Happiness (Talkin’ Loud)
www.recordstoreday.com