Raga-chamber-jazz? It's true. The Neel Murgai Ensemble (video
below of Neel's recent appearence on Letterman with Cyndi
Lauper and
Wyclef Jean) redefines the meaning of global dialogue. This is
not the exotic fusion
of your neighborhood deli but New Music that transcends the ancient
future traditional. Rooted in North Indian classical styles,
his music is inspired by a multitude of sources: raga, jazz,
minimalism, free improvisation, Mongolian throat singing and
Eastern European gypsy.
Featuring downtown improv wizard Mat Maneri on
viola, Sameer Gupta (Supplicants, Marc Kerry's Focus Trio)
on tabla and Greg Heffernan (Paradox trio) on cello, this quartet
is a perfect balance of sounds and styles. The delicate nuances
of sitar and tabla are complemented by viola and cello to produce
a stringy texture of radiant buoyancy. The self titled debut
CD of the Neel Murgai Ensemble is now available on Innova Records.
