Looking for some inspiring and creative jazz vocals? Here’s the disc you’ve been dreaming of!
A native of New York, of Indian descent and fluent in Spanish, Portuguese and French (don’t you want to meet her parents?!?), Kavita Shah uses her earthy yet kaleidoscopically crystalline voice to mix with American, European , African and Indian instruments to create a rich curry of sounds that is spicy, attractive and above all, tasty.
A string quartet mixes with percussion, tabla, kora and jazz rhythm on pieces such as the Iberian “Sodade,” and the Central Asian “Rag Desh” trilogy, while a swinging take of Stevie Wonder’s “Visions” is light and airy. A reading of Joni Mitchell’s “Little Green” is spacious and panoramic, and some wondrous tablas create a deep groove for her penetrating vocals on “Paper Planes.” Her voice glistens like Waterford Crystal on “Moray” and is creative and playful on Wayne Shorter’s “Deluge.” Even bossa nova is on the menu, with “Triste” sounding prismatic, reflecting different colors at every turn. Lionel Loueke produced this gem, and his guitar, voice, percussion and vision is palpable all the way through. The jazz rhythm team of Linda Oh/b, Huilhem Flouzat/dr and Steve Newcomb/key is flexible and formidable, while Yaouba Sissoko’s kora , Stephen Cellucci’s tabla and Steve Wilson’s woodwinds create atmospheres that make perfect jazz and cultural sense. You’re gonna love this one!
Inner Circle Music