A Circle Has No Beginning

Brooklyn-based percussionist and composer with Indian roots has created a masterful fusion album that draws the best from Eastern and Western; music to my ears and I hope to yours

NO FCC's; Favorite tracks: 1, 2, 6, 8, 12


**1 –(5:17) Little Wheel Spin and Spin – Buffy Sainte-Marie song I'm very partial to, done with vocals that are eminently intelligible as well as a sound tapestry that enfolds it; mesmerizing

*2—(5:34) Taiwa—homage to South African jazz pianist; beautifully rendered with violin, piano and synths

3—(6:49) Innocence in Harlem-- pretty jazz improv with synths, horns, keyboards, drums; Indian violin; East segues in and out of West

4—(3:37) Come Take Everything (Intro)-- very slow and South Asian and somewhat dissonant

5—(6:44) Come Take Everything-- picks up speed and sounds more Middle Eastern and then pretty much modern jazz

*6 –(6:25) Two Faces of the Moon – Native American Indian movement song paired with late night raga; American Indian meets Indian-Indian; lush

7—(7:08) Tyagaraja Dreams in Brooklyn – based on a tune by 18th century Carnatic composer—starts with mysterious soundscape; segues into rhythmic South Asian piece with jazz elements

*8—(8:45) With Blessings-- intro with jazz riffs builds on classic Golden Era Bollywood

9—(2:20) Crows at Sunset (Intro)-- soundscape starts with sitar coming in

10 – (6:17) Crows at Sunset – ominous-sounding motif sets in with Indian instruments playing in unison segues to western jazz

11—(3:41) Run for the Red Fort – jazz-infused raga

*12—(11:21) Prog-Raag Bhimpalasi-- spacious meditation on a melody from shennai master Bismillah Khan