Baden Powell (1937-2000), the guitarist / composer extraordinaire who was named after the founder of the Boy Scouts movement, was a major figure in the propagation of Brazilian music during the 60’s and 70s.

Born in Rio de Janeiro (where he also died), Powell grew up in an extremely musical family- his father was noted violinist and his siblings were a talented lot. Powell himself started classical guitar lessons when he was only eight years old; by 13, he hard dropped out of school and was frequenting neighbourhood joints with his bunch of musicians friends, paying early dues as a performer. He progressed to become as adept a tunesmith as he was a guitarist, exploring a myriad.

Brazilian melodic and rhythmic styles and turning out his fair share of classic pieces, many of them in collaboration with his spiritual mentor,Vinicius de Moraes. This 10 – track CD (seems to be a repackaged album) is called from a live set in Hamburg, in the early 1990s, 40 odd minutes of subliminal guitar-playing that offers the listener a variety of musical styles-bossa, samba, jazz and classical - that occasionally border on the experimental.
No doubting his form or class here,across originals and covers (yes,he’s got a few Antonio Carlos Jobim tunes thrown in too) A Baixa Do Aviao and Alode see him meandering through variomoods, upbeat, ruminative and romantic in turns.

This is a prime example of a classy, if understated, performance-surely, the latin music genre has lost a great son.

Available at Nationwide, Distributed by Trident/Hema.

The German multi-instrumentalist, whose affair with Indian Culture and music turns a quarter century this year, presents another wondrous trek through the realms of eclectic classical fusion…….or should we call it raga fusion.
Across all the albums Prem Joshua has recorded through the 1990’s there runs a dominant theme- the essence of Indian music. He’s melded ragas with Western idioms, and although the concept isn’t new, Joshua has pretty much shaped his own musical voice through the past decade.

Dance of Shakti, which came out last year, sees the composer (he plays sitar,flute, dilruba, keyboards and tanpura here, and chants occasionally) offer what has become signature neo-East-West fusion fare. The opening track Bolo Hari, built on a traditional folk melody over a Western trance-y patern, has Joshua, by his admission, taking the Indian street atmosphere to a club in the West. Deep Forest and other exponents of 2 ethno-fusion come to mind from this point.

Subsequent offerings like Mangalam, Secret Place, Nanak (influenced by the great guru himself), and Dance of Kali work on similar equations- though the melodies are generally very traditional, the rhythmic patterns weave a heady path between East and West….listen to Mangalam,which is based on a mantra about the
elements, the driving beat represents one of this album's highlights.

Keeping Joshua company on this album are long-time musical associate Manish Vyas, who lays down most of the tabla you’ll hear on Dance Of Shakti, a mix of Indian and European musicians with a yearn for the sort of esoteric fusion Joshua propagates.

Listen with an open mind, and enjoy this one… the first two tracks will get you in the proper state of mind. - Sujesh

Available Nationwide, Courtesy of Trident Entertainment.

Here’s another electric offering from the label, a fusion of Carnatic ( South Indian, classical), Western Folk and Latin Tex-Mex idioms that’s as musically engrossing as it is radical in approach.

The musical pastiche on Kambara comprises ingredients from versatile folk-rock guitarist Martin Sim pson, Tex –Mex champion and Los Lobos’s driving force David Hidalgo, violinist Viji Krishnan, and mridangam maestro Puvalur Srinivasan- the first three also lend their vocals to the album’s quaint textures.

It’s a usually sedate, stately walk through the portals of ancient and modern traditions, East gently nudging West into higher plains even as it breaks from the shackles of stagnation.This is the best manifested on the second track, the Hidalgo-penned The Slow Pageant - over 10 minutes length, it snakes its way through a variety of moods and idioms, often sounding distinctly Carnatic, with Hidalgo and Simpson droning away as backdrop to the interplay between Krishnan and Srinivasan.

There’s even an unlikely cover in guise of an old pop gem, He’ll Have To Go ( now,one wonders why! ), with a very soothing arrangement, one that subtly disguises the sheer in congruity for the formula! Other tunes like Waltzing’s For Dreamers, A Dancer’s Gait and El Jarabe Loco are extensions of these moods and colours, the simplicity of the arrangements mesmerizing the listener as much as the rich musical content.
One to moll over on a quiet evening. - Sujesh

*Brought to you in Malaysia by Trident Entertainment/Hema Enterprises.

The divide between the civilizations of the East and West may never be fully obliterated but their contrasting musical idioms and styles have certainly formed tempestuous marriages.

The beatles, Ravi Shankar, the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Shakti, Paul Horn,
L. Subramaniam, even Kulashaker….these are just handful of artistes that have opened our minds to endless musical possibilities offered when the “twain have met”.

Prem Joshua is a German Musician who, for the past two decades, has been mastering the art of Indian Classical and Middle eastern styles. His roots lies lie in the saxophone, rock and jazz, but his spiritual yearnings took him eastward where, in India, he was tutored in the Sitar by Ustad Usman Khan.

These days, Joshua is a versatile multi instrumentalist, having added the santoor,flute
(the Indian bansuri and Arabian Ney), dilruba,tanpura,and harp to his arsenal of music skills,His aim has been to fuse elements of various realms, and he has taken his message across the globe, releasing a couple of truly electric CDs in the process.

His regular entourage includes renowned Indian tabla maestro Manish Vyas, dancer Hena Sarojini (who also provides the voices for his music) and Dutch keyboardist Maneesh De Moor.Joshua, in concert, offers two concepts-in trio format (Eastwind) with Vyas and Sarojini, and in full band mode (hamsafar), as a quintet.

Mudra (1998) and Sky Kisses Earth (’99) reveal markedly different approaches in Joshua’s esoteric fusion.It might be also be useful for you to know that he appears to be in ardent appreciation of trance and hip –hop music- trip-hop, you might say.

And undercurrent of South Indian ragas forms and basis of Mudra (In Sanskrit, this means the handsigns used in traditional Indian dances), laid to the beat of programmed, house- type beats, although in more subdued mode.

Over these acoustic instruments are laid, exotic percussions and purist Indian classical idioms- Lahore Connection ( two versions, one a radio mix!), Shiva Moon, Wild Ghunghu, Saffron Dreams and Banyan Tales conjure peaceful images and a comfortable proximity to nature and the cosmos - Joshua’s arrangements and melodic constructions are a balm for the troubled soul.

Sky Kisses Earth is closer to trance - with while the melodic journey remains rooted in the Indian tradition, the rhythmic slant is more hypnotic, with a promise to transport the listener to any dreamscape he or she cares to imagine. Pieces like Remember This! Dakini, Night Rain and the Seven Eclipse meander caressingly through the unexplored channels of the senses…..as in Mudra, the arrangements and instrumentation are elegantly soulful.

Both albums reveal a variety and depth in texture, timbre and tone you’ll seldom hear on more commercial fusion outings these days…..despite the electronic underlayer, it is the acoustic, folksy colours that stand out in this rich pastiche of styles. Food for the musical spirit?One would think so... – Sujesh

Summit
George Brooks / Eclhardt / Hussain / Haque and Smith.
(Earth Brother Music)

It’s certainly not a new formula, this East-West marriage of traditional jazz and Indian classical, going back to the 1950’s and 1960’s, and reaching a creative zenith during the 1970’s.Thankfully, innovative jazz musicians like George Brooks will ensure that the marriage continues to thrive well into this decade.

The saxophonist from New York grew up on a diet of traditional jazz fare, inspired enough to study music academically before developing a keen interest in the Indian classical genre and fusion.Brooks’s journey took him to India more than once, where he studied under and collaborated with a number of classical Indian proponents, before he set out on his own.

Two albums followed in the 1990s, on which he skillfully blended modern and traditional jazz idioms with Eastern themes,ably assisted by a handful of fusion luminaries. Summit, Brook’s third solo outing, once again showcases the skills of a brilliant collective of musicians, well versed in the art of cooking up cross- cultural musical storms.

Here, Brooks is accompanied by the likes of the legendary tabla maestro Zakir Hussain, bass ace Kai Eckhardt, guitar wonder kid Fareed Haque and drummer Steve Smith (he uses what he calls a jungle drum kit), all of whom never once are over shadowed on this excellent track through some well- explored but still luxuriant musical terrain.

Right from the opening strains of The Outer Sea, you know Summit is going to be an enjoyable experience.While Brooks knows his place in the forefront -all eight compositions here are his - and dexterously crafts melodies founded on a meeting of East-West idioms, he also leaves ample room for his band of stars to explore.
Hussain, who stamps his mark right from the opening moments, always keeps you aware of his bubbling presence, mixing and matching percussive attacks and tattoos with Smith,and over this,Eckhardt lays down lines that are in turn dominant gently persuasive. You have to listen to them, right through Brook’s melodic turns and Haque’s exotic guitar textures.

The dynamics and colour get better across the album,which throws up a variety of musical influences, from groove and funk to jungle and blues……tunes like McCoy, FrameMaster, Lonely Too,Stitching Time and Jaki displays various emotional facets of Brooks creative muse, and underscore the greatness of his team of musicians.
It’s difficuilt not to like this album, if you’re attuned with the fusion movement-it grooves, and how can one resist that! - Sujesh Pavithran.

Distributed by Trident Entertainment.

How about a musical trek across geographical and cultural boundaries, to exciting and exotic places, without ever leaving your home?

World music offerings such as these certainly take your mind to places you’ve only seen on the Discovery or National Geographic channels…just slip the CD into player, dim the lights and shut your eyes….you’re on your way!

Passions meanders through exotic Europe, amazing Africa and the mythical Mid-east…it’s music from poets,gypsies and priest, aged to a fine art and presented in all its rustic elegance… from the bubbling soukous of Africa to the Sultry rhythms of Latin America, Passion offers music from the heart. Plus, Gregorian chants.

Fourteen evocative acts in all, from artistes as diverse as Portugal’s Cristina Branco, Argentina’s Adriana Varela, Cuba’s! Cubanismo! England’s Najma Akhtar( with an Indian twist) New York’s The Klezmatics, Ireland’s Aoife Ni Fhearraigh, Zaire’s Pepe Kalle (with a tribute to Cameroonian football legend Roger Milla)…Well, doesn’t sound spicy enough.
Music for the soul, certainly….good, entertaining stuff, this.

Distribution by Trident Entertainment.

This 1994 recording (released in 1996) of renowned Indian mohan vina (a slide guitar-based instrument) exponent Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, banjo maestro Bela Fleck,and famed Chinese erh-hu player Jie-Bing Chen is a rare treat.

Recorded acoustically in a church in Santa Barbara, California, Tabula Rasa, is a meeting of two ancient musical traditions a newer, Western one- classical Indian and Chinese marry American country and bluegrass, the sort of cultural cross-pollination that demands the highest degree of academic and creative brilliance from its propagators.
All three are highly revered performers in their respective fields and here, accompanied by mridangam player Poovalur Srinivasan, violinist Sangeeta Shankar and bansuri artiste Ronu Majumdar, they prove why.Never dated, Tabula Rasa sounds as texturally rich and musically profound in concept and execution now as it must have done in the mid-1990s.

Many of the 11 original tunes presented here are improvisary or impromptu compositions, each musician drawing from his or her musical roots and attempting- quite successfully at that - to condense a plethora of idioms into one cohesive, communicative presentation.

There are moments both somber and spirited, across tracks like Carukesi, Emperor’s Mare, John Hardy, Geocentricity, The Way Of Love, Water Gardens and The Jade Princess, as Bhatt and Fleck complement and counterpoint each other. Chen adds an unlikely colour, both compositionally and in timbre, as Srinivasan underlines the rather subtle rhythmic structures of the album.

There are artistic zeniths and light- hearted moments( as in the sudden chromatic climax of John Hardy),and by the time the musicians arrive at the closer, The Dancing Girl,it’s obvious the adrenalin is in full flow. The musical phrases and patterns make smooth transitions across borders, so that Fleck’s underlaying chordwork on an erh-hu based piece never once seems odd, even when Srinivasan signals his entrance.

Now, this is the real, World fusion, a music that’s as grand and diverse as Nature…an intriguing and evocative piece of work, if occasionally understated.

Note: Water Lily Acoustics, a pioneering world music label, was founded in the early 80’s by analogue sage Kavichandra Alexander, who absolutely eschews the use of digital technology in the recording chain.

He has recorded a range of artistes, as diverse as Ustad Ali Akbar Khan,Taj Mahal, Dr.L.Subramaniam, Bela Fleck, Larry Coryel,Jerry Douglas, V.M Bhatt and Ry Cooder, in various acoustically-vibrant environments (like churches) using analogue equipment, in an attempt to capture in totality, every nuance and essence of the performances.

Water Lily CD’s are distributed locally by Hema Enterprises