Flutist and former trombonist Mark Weinstein’s 1967 game-changer Cuban Roots marked a turning point in Latin jazz in the way it used Cuban folk rhythms. Four-and-a-half decades later, Weinstein sets his sights on 1940s-era Cuban charanga. Here, he sculpts the traditional form to accommodate his own interests and strengths as a player and serious student of Cuban music’s history.

Weinstein eschews the wooden, five- or six-holed flute that supports the high-register notes traditionally associated with charanga. Instead, he sticks with his usual assortment of instruments with magical results. Case in point: Weinstein’s extended solo on the title track. Fast and dramatic, the conga number turns on a tension between the breakneck-speed percussion rhythms and the classically minded string section.

Weinstein’s post-bop-rooted solo burns away the chasm between the two, deftly balancing the agility of one with the theatricality of the other. The arrangements come courtesy of Aruan Ortiz, who was responsible for the difficult harmonies that make much of this album so compelling. Weinstein and his band also shine within slower tempos, such as on “Dona Olga,” which brims with romantic emotion and a swaying melody.