On their new self-released CD “Crossing Painted Islands,” 35th Parallel skillfully mines the Middle East’s rich musical culture. The 15-song disc is a mix of traditional Turkish and Armenian instrumentals, along with plenty of original compositions that are mostly in that region’s style, too.

Multi-instrumentalists Mac Ritchey of North Hampton and Gabe Halberg of Plainfield, Vt., the two primary members of the band, aren’t afraid to throw non-traditional instruments into the  mix. They use kou xiang (Jew’s harp), the Australian aboriginal didgeridoo, and the impressive horn playing talents of Michael Chorney, Brain Boyes and Zach Tonnissen, who play baritone sax, trumpet and soprano/tenor sax, respectively.

“Hepsi Yalandir,” one of the Turkish songs, starts off with a slow and lonely back and forth between a bouzouki and saxophone before lurching into a fast and hypnotic tempo, with the distictive slapping and tapping and low resonance of the tabla, darbouka and tar drums. “Uzaz” also has a hypnotic rhythm (it’s hard not to with those warm drums) whose “B” section has an almost poppy melody. “Nu Y’et” is another highlight, a head bopping mid-tempo number with a tricky time signature and the lovely, thuddy plucking of the oud. Boyes’ nimble trumpeting shadows the oud on a repeating phrase before breaking out into a jazz infused solo as the rest of the musicians lay back. When the ensemble kicks back in, the result sounds almost South American to these ears.

This would be a great road trip or headphone disc. It’s the best of the “melting pot” mentality, using complementary instruments and styles to stretch the boundaries of traditional and world music. “Crossing Painted Islands” is sure to please purists and forward thinking music lovers alike.