As jazz musicians who are looking to flavor their music with primarily East Indian tonalities and rhythms, with a sprinkling of West African and South American elements, Natraj have a sound all their own. They're not afraid to fuse disparate cultural folk melodies and beats with improvisation. These fearless ones include soprano saxophonist Phil Scarff, who does the lion's share of arrangements, violinist Mat Maneri, acoustic bassist Michael Rivard, and percussionists Jerry Leake and Bertram Lehmann, the former on a variety of Indian and ethnic percussion, the latter on drum kit and small percussion instruments. The band uses ostinato bass figures on many of these selections as a baseline for their improvisational flights. "Mukhras Not Tukras" with its free flowing groove bass beat, and the spirited soprano dominant raga "Drut" has a marvelous bass solo that frees up Rivard a bit. He is oak solid in his rhythmic role for "Kalyani" and "Na Yella Bo," the former an elongated flight for Scarff's soprano, the latter a West African traditional song. The other ragas are the more traditional, spiritual "Vilambit," and the spacy to rocked out wild "Blue Tumbleweed," a Scarff original that brings varied newer inflections into the traditional Indian form. The intro track "Kalyani" has a way elongated statement that collectively defines the parameters of Natraj's stance and purpose. But Maneri stays in the shadows for most of this program, he steps into the light for the more involved and intricate piece of his composition, "Don't Utter," a beautiful solo and unison line with soprano that really cuts to the chase, and carves out the heart of Natraj's musical center. Maneri's violin expressively right down front and in your face for the startling "Blue Tumbleweed." This is a wonderfully conceived, programmed and executed CD, and Natraj should think this is as fully realized a project as their music can be. Lovers of Oregon, Shakti, Vasant Rai, L. Subramaniam, and even Ravi Shankar and Joe Harriott will be proud to put this recording (along with the previous Accurate CD The Goat Also Gallops), in their collection, right next to those pioneers of Indo-jazz fusion.
© Michael G. Nastos /TiVo