Forty-six years after their last studio album, pioneering Indo-jazz fusion ensemble
Shakti returns with
This Moment. Founding members guitarist
John McLaughlin and tabla master
Zakir Hussain are joined by percussionist
Selvaganesh Vinayakram (aka
V. Selvaganesh, since 1999), vocalist
Shankar Mahadevan (since 2001), and violinist
Ganesh Rajagopalan. The roots of
This Moment lie in the pre-production process of
Is That So? a 2020 album by
McLaughlin,
Hussain, and
Mahadevan.
McLaughlin's guitars here are synthesized, acting as harmonic companions for
Mahadevan's singing and konokols -- percussive vocal syllables -- and
Hussain's improvised tablas.
Rajagopalan is the guitarist's frontline companion. This set initially came together through online jam sessions during and after the pandemic. It was ultimately recorded in four studios on three continents. The sound is quite modern: acoustic guitars from the early albums have been replaced by organic-sounding electric guitars.
McLaughlin employs them as accompaniment sure, but also as a sonic backdrop, effects generator, harmonic catalyst, and solo instrument.
Opener "Shrini's Dream" is dedicated -- as is the album -- to Indian mandolinist
U. Srinivas, a
Shakti member who died in 2013. The interplay between
McLaughlin's fingerpicking, guitar synths,
Rajagopalan's keening violin, and
Mahadevan's vocals cross traditions from the Indian subcontinent before descending -- albeit momentarily -- into sultry blues. Guitarist and violinist solo in unison as
Hussain improvises in triple time. "Bending the Rules" opens with seamless ambient guitarscapes before
Rajagopalan enters. A minute in, the rhythm changes,
McLaughlin starts playing a South African township motif in infectious cadences as
Mahadevan contrasts his lyrical singing style with syncopated konokols, then trades in call-and-response with
Hussain. The guitarist delivers a punchy post-bop solo before the vamp returns to carry it home. Six-minute single "Mohanam" begins in pastoral terrain with
Mahadevan's soulful vocals entwined with the guitar.
Hussain slips in propulsive, skittering tablas framing catchy guitar motifs and two-, three-, and four-part konokol lines from all players save
McLaughlin. Violin and guitar octave vamps stretch a sonic canvas for
Mahadevan's majestic delivery.
McLaughlin's guitar break is melodic, dynamic, and rockist. "Giriraj Sudha" is a traditional Carnatic song arranged by
Srinivas and
Selvaganesh. Its intricate melody is simultaneously urgent and pastoral as
Mahadevan and
Rajagopalan engage in melodic exchange.
McLaughlin's "Las Palmas," crisscrosses Indian and flamenco rhythms via handclaps before the band's melody turns, flitting across Celtic, folk, and euphoric post-bop.
Hussain's tablas use these handclaps as a lifting-off point for exploration while rooting his bandmates to the pulse of his frenetic downbeat. Closer "Sono Mama" is almost funky, a killer example of Indojazz-rock fusion with interlocking group konokols, driving bass notes from
McLaughlin's lower register, and thrumming tablas.
This Moment recalls the original
Shakti incarnation given the return of violin. That said, the ensuing decades of individual and collective music experiences -- as well as decades-old creative and personal connections between
McLaughlin,
Hussain, and
Mahadevan -- result in extraordinary musical communication that transcends traditions, concepts, and formal approaches, making
Shakti a band for the ages. ~ Thom Jurek
![Midnights [Jade Green Edition] [Edited]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0602448247032_p0_v3_s90x140.jpg "Midnights [Jade Green Edition] [Edited]")
