RUDRESH MAHANTHAPPA: Samdhi
ACT Music, 2011

WORLD JAZZ / FUSION – Alto saxophonist Mahanthappa tries a new angle with this fully electric quintet, which brings a somewhat funkier tone to his hypermodern jazz sound. He’s still exploring Indian classical rhythms and melodic ideas, though, giving many of the tracks a global feel. Mahanthappa busts out a laptop to enhance his palette (with mixed results), and his bandmates kick some ass while providing supple support. Not his best CD by any means, but a worthy effort. Oh, and track #7 will totally mess you up, with or without drugs.

Fo’s Picks: 2, 4, 5, 10 maybe 8

1. 2:26 – meditative intro: sax muses over synth drones
2. 6:17 – energy blast: sax takes no prisoners, goes electronic; guitar rolls
3. 2:07 – gentle melody for solo electric bass, has an African sound
4. 8:01 – bright, lilting tune: sax digs in, way-out interlude, cool bass & drums
5. 3:10 – solo guitar references India in an ecstatic reverb daydream
6. 7:30 – call & response, then alternates dark urgency with light bebop breaks
7. 5:19 – looped sax, boombox beat, old-school synths… then it gets weird
8. 8:24 – casual, loping tune for 3 minutes, gets fast & edgy, calms back down
9. 3:34 – hot drums: first the kit, then mridangam, then a duet
10. 9:01 – funky Indo-jazz, many shifts as sax pulls and twists, faux-violin solo
11. 1:57 – solo sax, a sort of ballad with strange squeaky microtones
12. 7:37 – relaxed balladry: has some unusual twists, but mostly forgettable

[ Fo ] - October 2011