If you’re looking for something besides 8 to the bar rhythms or a collection of the Great American Songbook, here is a trio of releases from a couple different continents
Guitarist Johannes Linstead has got some incredible gypsy chops, and yet he doesn’t overdo it here on this collection of originals. The feel is Mediterranean, and he lets loose on a couple of solos, but the overall feel is romantic and velvety grooves along with a team of Anastasios Bigas/perc, Jalidan Ruiz/perc, Geoff Hlibka/oud, Vasyl Popadiouk/violin and Jordan Abraham/acc (among cameo guests). Some bohemian material like “Bela! Bela!” and “Tales of a Gypsy” are both exciting and accessible, while a Peruvian lilt comes across on “Jungle Love.” More vibrant than smooth, but more polished than Reinhardt.
The group Saffron consists of Katayoun Goudarzi/v, Kevin Hays/p, Shujaat Husain Khan/sitar/v, Abhiman Kaushal/table and Tim Ries/woodwinds. They meld sounds from the Mid East and Central Asia here, with long and undulating pieces like “Dawning,” “The Inquisitor” and “Tease” coming across like mood pieces for a caravan ride. The aura stays at a level of sameness after awhile, which will either draw you into the atmosphere, or get you anxious for something a bit more invigorating. Goudarzi’s voice is a plus,with a passionate nasally quality that draws you into the winding side streets of the musical souk.
Music for Yoga? The ironic thing about this 15 song disc is that only one of them, “A Prayer to Dispel Sickness and Harms,” was recorded anywhere near local Hindus (in Tibet). Otherwise, what you get is a European and American distillation through “Reflections,” “Floating Sweetness,” and “Tiny Island” of what Eastern religions SHOULD sound and act like. After spending two trips as a medical missionary in India, I can honestly attest that this music is NOT representative of the implications of worshipping 12 million gods, unless the cd includes a perfume of human and animal filth, mixed with toxic air pollution. The worldview that brought us Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos would be a better remedy for the Third World, as well as our own.
Earthscape Media
Palmetto Records
Putumayo World Music