"If you're tired of the piecemeal use of "ethnic" musics...but you want to hear
author: Wilson and Alroy's Records Reviews
It's hard to find a new genre-meets-genre combo no one's already done that isn't hopelessly contrived (e.g. klezmerengue). But ragazz ("raga" + "jazz") isn't a bad idea: both raga and post-bop are based on extended improvisations over a limited number of modes and/or chords. (And of course, jazz music has been influenced by Indian modes at least as far back as John Coltrane.) What makes the record really work is that neither jazz nor raga is used as seasoning - the musicians are well versed in both idioms, and on each track they reach for a novel way to combine them. The 14-minute suite "She Said, What?" is a particularly intriguing example: vocalist Arati Shah-Yukich hauntingly delineates the raga's melody, the horns blow a related melody while the piano vamps, then solos modally, and eventually the full jazz combo comes in, culminating in a trumpet solo, then fades back to the raga. The only track I have trouble staying with is "Wanrawan," where jazz harmonies and a soprano sax solo are backgrounded to a traditional vocal melody. There's also one straight-ahead bop tune, "Wake Up And Smell The Curry." Leader Kalyan Pathak plays trap drums and tabla, and wrote and arranged all the tunes except for "Wanrawan." The rest of the band is Matt Kanelos (piano), Matt Thompson (bass), Hitesh Master (vocals, harmonium), Elizabeth Basta (vocals), Ryan Shultz (bass trumpet), Puranlal Vyas and Shivanad Bagar (Indian percussion); Ron Dewar - Trane-sounding on "Lost In The Hills Blues" - and Scott Burns alternate on sax. If you're tired of the piecemeal use of "ethnic" musics by people like Bill Laswell and Peter Gabriel, but you want to hear something beyond the same old jazz, head over to www.kalyanpathak.com. (DBW)
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Different / Complex / Interesting
author: David Oberbeck
Hugely interesting combination of two very different styles; well executed, a delightful listening experience. If you're tired of the 'same old stuff' check this out - you won't be disappointed!
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