Mukta
Indian Sitar and World Jazz
By Prasad Bidaye

This France-based, Indo-jazz trio take their name from the Sanskrit word for "freedom" - the ideal of which has served the aspirations of Alice Coltrane, Ananda Shankar, Shakti and other great fusion-players of the early '70s. The musical interactions on Indian Sitar and World Jazz follow similar aesthetics of cross-cultural harmony through musical dialogue, and the results are not only tight but are also amazingly devoid of the kind of sappy liberalism that tends to accompany music from these genres. Sitar lead Brigitte Menon plays lines that are at times lyrical and funky, and rich and ornamental at others, while Fellow band members Jean Chevalier (drums) and Simon Mary (bass) keep the rhythm section solid. "Frission" and "Nocturne" take on jazz structures that pre-date the '70s sitar-rock sound while "Voices" and "Bindi" (featuring the vocals of Olivier Congar) bring out a spirit that is optimistic and ethereal. The groovy swing on "NGC 224" is probably the least original of the bunch, bearing some resemblance to tracks by State of Bengal and Dave Pike, but the Sporto Kantes re-mix gives it a dance floor edge that's different from the rest. (Universal)
Akwaaba - Do It Tomorrow
AL Tuck - The New High Road of Song
Big Youth - Natty Universal Dread 1973-79
Boubacar Traore - Macire
Burn Witch Burn - Burn Witch Burn
Coleman Hawkins - The Body and Soul of the Saxophone
DJ Garth - San Francisco Sessions Vol. 3
Dry And Heavy - Full Contact
Grupo Batuque - Africa Brazil
Half Pint - Recollection
Laura Love - Fourteen Days
Laurel Aitken - The Godfather of Ska
Los Amigos Invisibles - Arepa 3000: A Venezuelan Journey Into Space
Luis Conte - Cuban Dreams
Mackenzie-Parker Gang - Ride For Glory
Mark Murphy - The Latin Porter
Masters At Work - The Tenth Anniversary Collection Part Two 1996-2000
M'Lumbo vs Kobalt 6 - Spinning Tourists in a City of Ghosts
Mus - Mus
Nortec Collective - The Tijuana Sessions, Volume 1
Nyckelharpa Orchestra - Byss-Calle
Oysterband - Granite Years: Best of 1986-'97
Roy Davis Jr. - Traxx From The Nile
Sviraj - Ciganine
Tito Puente and His Concert Orchestra - Tito Puente and His Concert Orchestra
Twilight Circus Dub Sound System - Dub Plates Volume 2
Various Artists - James Brown's Funky People Volume 3
Various Artists - This is Your Music
Various Artists - Club Africa 2
Various Artists - Frikyiwa, Collection 2
Various Artists - Docking Sequence
Wendo Kolosy - Marie Louise
Black Sabbath - Classic Albums: Paranoid
As is the case with any of the previous instalments in the Classic Albums series, Classic Albums: Paranoid is an hour-long investigation into what inspired, created and resulted from Black Sabbath's legendary 1970 sophomore opus. Breaking the album down into a track-by-track analysis a... Full Review
Oval - O
Like a thirsty man discovering an oasis, Markus Popp follows a decade-long silence with an overflow of sound: a two-CD/70-track reboot of his Oval project. It turns out to be a miniature epic though, with only 15 pieces cracking the two-minute mark. For these, Popp turns out prepared guitar and free... Full Review
Eric Chenaux
There are many pleasant surprises on Eric Chenaux's latest album, Warm Weather with Ryan Driver, but the most striking is his use of a nylon-string guitar as his primary instrument for these achingly lovely songs.... Read More
Social Networking
• Be our friend on MySpace
• Be our fan on Facebook
• Tweet us on twitter
Viewing the February 2001 Issue: • Contents Page • News • Click Hear • Articles --> Books • Music Reviews --> Recently Reviewed  •  Aggressive Tendencies  •  Beats & Rhymes  •  Destination Out  •  Frequencies  •  Groove  •  Pop Rocks  •  Wood, Wires & Whiskey • Motion Reviews --> Recently Reviewed  •  Film Reviews • Music School --> N/A • Contests • Contact --> About Us  • Advertising  • Distribution  • Getting Reviewed  • Getting Published  • Letters To The Editor  • Partnerships  • Subscriptions • Exclaim! Radio --> Aggressive Tendencies Radio  • Beats & Rhymes Radio  • Frequencies Radio  • Destination Out Radio  • Groove Radio  • No Future Radio  • Pop Rocks Radio  • Wood, Wires & Whiskey Radio • Exclaim! TV • Home & Latest Issue • Browse Issues