Good People in Times of Evil
There are strong links between this group andJohn McLaughlin's recently reconstituted Shakti. Bassist Jonas Hellborg was once a member of the Mahavishnu Orchestra, and percussionist-vocalist V. Selvaganesh is a member of the current Shakti. Like that group, this trio--with Hellborg's regular partnerShawn Laneon guitar--plays an accelerated fusion of Indian and western elements with a mix of amplified and acoustic strings and subcontinent drumming. Given those similarities, though, the trio finds terrain of its own, from the country drawl of Lane's guitar on the opening "Aga of the Ladies" to the spy film insinuations in "Who Would You Like to Be?" Technique and rhythmic interplay here are consistently at an extraordinary level. Lane, sometimes suggesting McLaughlin, has done a remarkable job of mastering the pitch-bending intricacies of raga. On "Savitri," he even combines it with his own Southern rock flavor. "Little Souvenir" includes a duet between Hellborg and Selvaganesh in which the bassist manages to extend funk-slap electric bass playing to the complex, high-speed metrics of Indian music. An impressive technical feat, it's also a creative one. "Bhakti Ras" provides a striking change of pace. Recorded in concert in India, it hasUstad Sultan Khanjoining the group on sarangi, an Indian bowed string instrument. He uses its keening metallic resonance to create a mood of striking depth. The playing here is always impressive, as is the way these musicians speak their hybrid tongue, but it's the spirited interplay and occasionally welling calm that endure.--Stuart Broomer