Category Archives: Reviews

Concert Review: Akshara – has proven themselves to be master musicians, whose work is exemplary of beauty and sublimity.

Date: April 30, 2013
Venue: Cornelia Street Café (NY)

Review by Dawoud Kringle

DSCF1318Akshara is a percussion-based group whose compositions and improvisations combine Carnatic and Hindustani classical genres. The group performs original compositions by Bala Skandan, demonstrating the powerful and complex rhythmic structures inherent in South Indian classical music. The leading percussion instrument, the Mridangam, was played by Skandan. The group also featured Sriram Manesh on hand percussion, Mithun Radhakrishna on mandolin, Jay Ghandi on bansurai, and special guest Richard Bennett on piano.

They began with a composition in a 5 beat cycle. The percussionists did a duet within the rhythm; at times bringing triplet phrases into the 5. The percussion and bansurai / mandolin traded back & forth. They would explore all the permutations of the phrases and melodies. Bansurai & mandolin would play variations on the main melody so that it would expand and contract. They came together and wove the piece into several intricate teehais.

Continue reading →

Concert Review: Marc Ribot’s Ceramic Dog barking out a nuclear meltdown alarm – loud and ferocious but tranquil and beautiful at times

Date: May 5, 2013
Venue: Le Poisson Rouge (NY)
Review by Ancelmo James

Last week I headed down to Le Poisson Rouge to see Marc Ribot perform for my first time since 2004, and then, it was with Los Cubanos Postizos. This time it was with Ceramic Dog – Ribot accompanied by Shahzad Ismaily on bass and electronics, and Ches Smith on drums. This particular show was the CD release party of their new album Your Turn (Northern Spy) and was also the band’s first night home from a tour of Japan. A point which Ribot commented on by asserting that they didn’t suffer from jet lag because they spent all of their 7 days in Japan operating “on New York time” a feat which takes a good amount of “well…something” according to Ribot.

Continue reading →

CD Review: Sameer Gupta “Namaskar” – a unique approach to Indian / jazz fusion

D06036F00GF8YP87PDH58{0}_large  Artist: Sameer Gupta
Title: Namaskar
Label: Motema Rec
Genre: Indian jazz

 Review by Dawoud Kringle

Bass and piano hang a low note in the air. A sarangi asserts itself as the voice of a sad worldly wisdom. That Ab (or A; I am too engrossed in this beautiful music to pause the CD and check with an instrument or tuner) in the bass, shimmering cymbals, and crystalline piano chords weaving around that ancient voice. The groove and structure of the tabla, bass, and piano make their entrance, and the sarangi establishes the melody and explores its possibilities. Thus does “Aaye Ne Balam,” the first track on Sameer Gupta’s Namaskar CD begins.

Continue reading →

Concert Review: SoSaLa – A Young Band Whose Sound Still Has Great Potential To Grow And Develop…

Date:  Thursday May 2, 2013
Venue: Nublu (NY)

Review by Ancelmo James (soundcloud)

Last Thursday night I made my way across the Williamsburg Bridge to check out SoSaLa – a band lead by Sohrab Saadat Ladjevardi. The show was interesting for a number of reasons the first of which I shall point out being that the band is comprised of a unique arrangement of instruments. Sohrab, the leader and front man of SoSaLa plays the saxophone accompanied by Michael Wimberly on drums and djembe, Dave Ross on guitar, John Pietaro on vibraphone and Bradely Madsen on trombone, and at times Jeremy Danneman on clarinet as well. As the preceding list indicates, SoSala, is without a bass player.  Although this, as I understand is not a stylistic choice, and rather a matter of circumstance, it certainly pushes the band’s sound in a certain direction. To put it bluntly, SoSala is missing out on some low end frequencies. In lieu of no bass player, it appeared as though the trombone player, with the aid of some effects through a mic, was experimenting with some synth-like bass tones.

Continue reading →