Hailed for the vibrant eclecticism and socially conscious engagement of its eponymous 2015 debut, the spellbinding jazz- world ensemble AJOYO returns with War Chant. The four-track EP offers an enticing preview of the group’s full length sophomore release WAR CHANT, due out in early 2020.

Alongside saxophonist/bandleader Yacine Boularès, War Chant features a deeply attuned working lineup with vocalist Sarah Elizabeth Charles, keyboardist/producer Jesse Fischer, bassist Kyle Miles, guitarist Michael Valeanu and drummer Philippe Lemm. Trumpeter Takuya Kuroda appears on “Assyko,” and Keita Ogawa and Foluso Mimy guest on percussion as well.

Celebrity Café has praised AJOYO’s melding of “old-world Cameroonian beats with traditional jazz themes,” while All About Jazz has described how “the music exudes sophistication yet responds to a primordial pulse.” Those energies, and a continuous creative evolution, are evident again on War Chant, which opens with the cathartic title track aimed squarely at Trump’s misrule.

“Assyko,” according to Boularès, is named for a Cameroonian rhythm and intended to evoke “pure joy and celebration of Roy Hargrove. The bridge and the effect on Takuya’s trumpet are a reference to Roy’s tune ‘Strasbourg/St. Denis.’”

“Somber Joy,” based on a Moroccan Chaabi rhythm, is “a reflection on mental illness, love and addiction.” And “Same” is an attempt “to understand the psychological process that leads to xenophobia.” The band’s deep and unrelenting groove, virtuosic improvising and effortless command of compositional detail makes War Chant a thrill from start to finish.

Boularès and Charles began working together in 2009 soon after Boularès arrived in New York, though the founding of AJOYO came later. “We happen to have very similar immigration stories,” says the saxophonist. “Sarah is American and Haitian, and it’s through music that she has maintained a relationship with Haiti. I’m French Tunisian, and although I grew up between Tunis and Paris, it’s through music that I’ve put back together the pieces of my fragmented identity. I also have strong ties with the Haitian community as the saxophonist in Tabou Combo for the past six years. I’m also founding the first contemporary Arabic culture festival at Joe’s Pub in New York, fall 2020. It’s become a necessity for me to fight back through art and culture, with the underlying idea that ignorance leads to hatred. Exposing people to our worlds and our stories develops empathy, regardless of their political views.”