"The Thousandth Scholar," the fifth album by the Houston-born, Los Angeles-based drummer-composer Reggie Quinerly, finds the leader continuing to challenge himself with new musical directions and collaborators. Here he immerses himself in Afro-Cuban music with an Ahmad Jamal-style quartet boasting drums and percussion: the Havana-born pianist Manuel Valera; Matt Brewer on bass; and Bogota native Samuel Torres on percussion.