“A milestone achievement for the group musically and conceptually” - Percussionist, Sameer Gupta
The ‘shehnai’ was made famous by it being the chosen instrument of legendary Indian Classical maestro Ustad Bismillah Khan. This wailing earthy sound was Coltrane’s first exposure to Indian music and it clearly left an impression, as the sound of the shehnai is very often associated with Coltrane’s soprano tone. When the shehnai sound enters the ensemble, the group embraces the totality of Coltrane’s expansive musical trajectory. By the end of the album, with the joy of freedom, the group abandons the conventional rules of time, space, and harmony, and touches on the influence of some of Coltrane’s late works - (often been deemed unaccessible by some Coltrane followers). In this context the effect is pure ecstasy. It effectively completes the story of this musical legend and his profound effect on the musical landscape for those inspired by raga music and its connection to the Coltrane legacy.
Brooklyn Raga Massive’s creative movement, one that the New York Times has called a “Raga Renaissance flowering in Brooklyn,” has gone international. On October 13th 2018, the Mondriaan Jazz Festival hosted BRM’s 'Coltrane Raga Tribute'. Luckily, thanks to Nederlandse Publieke Omroep (NPO), the audio for this performance has been captured.
credits
released October 30, 2018
Recording by NPO Soul & Jazz
Marc Broer, Philip ten Brink, Martine van Zelst
Mondriaan Jazz Festival 2018
Recorded at PAARD, The Hague on October 13, 2018
Curated by Mike Bindraban
Musicians:
Sameer Gupta (drums, tabla, musical director);
Jay Gandhi (bansuri);
Arun Ramamurthy (violin);
Brandee Younger (harp);
Rashaan Carter (bass);
Abhik Mukherjee (sitar);
Sharik Hasan (piano);
Pawan Benjamin (saxophone, shehnai);
Eric Vloeimans (trumpet)
Cover Illustration Design - Pawan Benjamin
Audio Mixing and Mastering - Sameer Gupta
The "Coltrane Raga Tribute" is a project of the 501c3 Raga-inspired Indian Music Collective 'Brooklyn Raga Massive' www.brooklynragamassive.org
Brooklyn Raga Massive is an adventurous nonprofit musicians' collective that creates cross-cultural understanding through
the lens of South Asian classical music by providing direct support to artists, fostering collaboration through iconic concerts and jam sessions, facilitating cultural exchange through educational initiatives, and producing performances, festivals, and one-of-a-kind albums....more
supported by 20 fans who also own “Coltrane Raga Tribute EP - Ogunde & Afrindica”
My god, what an absolutely incredible Suite. I'll admit, I've struggled to get into Pharoah Sanders due to diving headfirst into some of his most challenging catalogue and that never worked. This is the perfect place to restart. Floating Points is new for me and I can honestly say I've never heard synthesizer music this lush and organic before. the LSO is just perfect. This is one of those albums that any serious music fan needs in their life. The perfect swan song for the great Pharaoh! 5/5 ClassyMusicSnob
supported by 17 fans who also own “Coltrane Raga Tribute EP - Ogunde & Afrindica”
I was brought here after listening to a live performance of Makaya's on you tube. I instantly loved the song Holy Lands so much that I had to see if the album version was the same rendition as the live one. Then I listened to the whole album! Universal Beings is a just a groove... It's a mix of traditional and something new, very nice. pandr1900