The group Avataar is lead by Sundar Viswanathan, who plays sax, flute and bansuri, and teams together Felicity Williams/voc, Michael Occhipinit/g, Justin Gray/b-mand, Ravi Naimpally/perc and Giampaolo Scatozza/dr. Together, a rich mixture of Eastern rhythms and western harmonies.
Naimpally’s tables and Scatozza’s drums create percolating undercurrents while Williams wordless vocals meld with soprano sax on “Banda Aceh” and alto sax on the dreamy and easy grooving “Agra.” The team can also canter at a double pace as electric guitars and synthesizers team up on “Infinite Open” whle rapid unison bop lines with voice and horn gallop together on “Ishwar.”
The sounds get cantoral as alto sax and sitar create Central Asian landscapes on”Annapoorna” just before the album closes with some Eastern teachings on the spacy and mystical title track. You don’t have to buy into the teachings from the Bodhi tree to appreciate the roots that reach deeply here to form some lovely and fragrant flowers.
www.avataarbandcamp.com