Drummer Eric Harland mixes Eastern religious practice with Western jazz on this album that literally translates into “Insight Meditation.” He’s brought along some of the best jazzers around in Walter Smith/ts, Julian Lage/g, Taylor Eigsti/p Nir Felder/g, Harish Raghavan/b and Chris Turner/voc into this collection of sounds that could be as comfortable in a Buddhist temple as a jazz club. The multiple voices melding together on pieces such as “Relax” or “VI” almost sound like Tibetan chants, while others have Smith’s thick tenor lyrically laying out pleas over cascading rhythms on “Capacity” and the restless and propulsive “Singularis,” which melds various worlds superbly. Some folksy acoustic guitar on “Greene” has a 70s feel to it while some hip-hopping closes the music for meditation album on “Dhyana.” Some tunes such as “Capacity” are strict post modern instrumentals, while most of the session works hard at capturing the drummer’s spiritual pilgrimage.
GSI Studios