Trilok Gurtu: Baba
Musicians:
Trilok Gurtu (drums, tabla, percussion), Jan Garbarek (sax),
Daniel Goyone (keyboards), Nicolos Fiszman (bass), Tunde Jegede (kora), Shanthi Rao (veena), Nana Vasconcelos (congas)
.Composed by Trilok Gurtu
.Recorded: Zerkall, Germany, March 1991
Rating: 90/100 (learn more)
Indo-jazz percussionist Trilok Gurtu never disappoints. He can mesmerize you with meditative Indian drumming, knock you back in your seat with some cymbal crashes on a Western drum kit, or make you laugh your ass off by using some ridiculous implement as a percussion instrument. Over the years he has also proven to be a very fine composer.
"Baba" begins with an Aboriginal basso buffo of sorts. Saxophonist Jan Garbarek answers these funny- sounding deep voices in the wind with a more serious intent. Soon he introduces the slow and somber melody as Gurtu pounds a thudding backbeat. Gurtu takes advantage of open space by filling it with percussion from every source within his reach. Garbarek's playing is labor intensive and performed at a snail's pace. Yet the lugubrious melody is maintained. An Eastern-style funk, led by bassist Fiszman, speeds things up a bit and provides even more opportunities for Gurtu's percussion bag of tricks. "Baba" is really a percussion solo with the melody taking second fiddle. Those of you familiar with Gurtu's solos know that this is a very good thing.
Reviewer: Walter Kolosky
Tags: 1990s jazz · fusion · percussion
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