Reviews
From New Age Retailer, July/August
2000
by Steve Ryals
A smoking-hot percussionist and
master tabla player, Ray
Spiegel has put together a superb
group of jazz and Indian musicians
for the world-fusion Sum and Kali.
Spiegel, who has worked with such
luminaries as the Grateful Dead,
builds captivating rhythms into
divine music with bass, violin,
tanpura, drums, vibes, sax, and
percussion. Steve Gorn plays bansuri
with his usual flair. The delightful
result is at once earthy and sublime,
weaving seemingly disparate musical
elements into a unique masterpiece.
Favorite tracks include the bluesy
"Colaba Blues", with Ira
Coleman's liquid bass line and Stephen
James on a soulful violin. "Ashes
on the Beach at Puri" uses
a reggae beat and tablas as the
backdrop for sarod and electric
guitar trading lead. "Kali
Ma", which Spiegel wrote with
Jai Uttal and Bhagavan Das, is a
nearly 16-minute romp thorough the
far reaches of jazz and world fusion,
featuring Das on vocals as well.
Steve Ryals
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