Facing East Prod.
John Wubbenhorst & Facing East
(with Subash Chandran & Ganesh Kumar with Steve Zerlin & Jorge Zamorano) :
Facing Beloved (IND/US,2003)****
This is the group's second release. Wonderful to hear a professional group play music with ease, close to Indian classical music's feel with jazz fusion elements completely interwoven. It reminds me at those days of surprising fluently played combinations by John McLauglin (and Shakti,..).
First upbeat piece, "Continuous Celebration", based upon a 8 1/2 beat rhythmic cycle, presenting a very affective and effective jazz fusion rhythm (tabla, acoustic guitar, flute, base) is very close to that. No wonder there's another piece, "John Beyond", actually dedicated to John McLauglin. This is interwoven with the second piece just before that, "Bass Alap", which starts with tampura and a fretless bass, with a skilfully and relaxed playing, that sounds reminiscent of an Indian instrument, like the veena.
This continues with the full group. The coloured sound of the electric guitar changes the Indian feel somewhat, but adds only some small touches and chords. Rhythmically this track is very skilful. Subash Chandran repeats this in an incredible way with his voice being used as vocal percussion ("konnakol").
The guitars that come in are fusion styled and follow the Indian mood in a perfect way, recalling, like the title suggested, John McLaughlin again. Both pieces count 14 minutes together but feel half as short.
The flute playing by John Wubbenhorst on "Prelude for Debby", "Irish Prelude" and other tracks succeed in creating an ego-less group's sound on its own. The arrangement of the Irish melodic elements on "Irish prelude" (played on the Indian piccolo bansuri flute) gives these melodies a much more open mood, space and structure I have not heard being performed this way before. Transferring an Irish melody into a raga is a very original idea that could easily fail, but not here. "Irish Raga" is the perfect blend between an arranged Irish melody being tempered and perfectionised into chamber music by the Indian mode, with further on, some very nice Indojazz fusion improvisations (acoustic guitar/ flute/ percussion and bass) and with the most perfect blend where both styles are inseparable at the close of the track. Special guest here was Dave Pietro on soprano sax.
Second part of the CD, begins with "There's only light" as an awaking moment in raga style. "Infectuoso Groovatissimo" is again more upbeat, in a very happy mode, in at first a fine playing-the-same-melodies-together (interplay ?) by guitars, tabla and flute, with also, this time especially the acoustic guitar being the surprising instrument, improvising on a complex Indian rhythm. Also Steve Zelin finds room for some improvisation on his bass.
The small track to be followed is another fine surprising change. "The light above religion's mind ("there's no religion greater than beauty...") is an excerpt by Avatar Adi Da Samraj, "wisdom talk" in perfect English by a deep male voice answered by high peaked women's sighs as if a Tantric energy in a peak of harmony is naturally and spontaneously expressed. This Ruchira Avatar Adi Da Samraj seems to be the group's basic "heart-master" & guru.
And the CD continues to surprise. "Facing Beloved" starts in a relaxed mode (flute & tampura). Then clay pot (ghatam) percussion comes in (by Subash Chandran). Then, before we know it some flute passages from J.S.Bach E flat flute sonata "Siciliana" are integrated into the raga (-raga Kirwani-), very spontaneous and inspired enough to convince us from such oddity. Then Sabash with his clay pot percussion, followed by Ganesh Kumar with his South Indian frame drum, continue with skilful extended solo's before the track closes again with J.S. Bach's flute. The last track "Celebration continuous" closes the circle with a different and more light version of the opening tune.
This is a skilful and inspired release with many surprises and with a mood respectful to all sources of inspiration involved, succeeding in bringing in different aspects where Indian music can take us.
A recommended release.
