Customer Reviews

Blueberry Cave

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

and the winner is: Garaj Mahal "Blueberry Cave"

Songs:
The Shadow (Eckhardt)
Alvin (Hertz)*
Blueberry Cave (Levy)
`Spect Rap (Eckhardt)
NO `Spect (Haque/Hertz)**
Massive (Hertz)
Cosmic Elevator (Eckhardt)***
Paladin (Levy)
Bicycling in Bombay (Garaj Mahal)*
Celtic Indian (Hertz)

Personnel:
Kai Eckhardt: Bass
Fareed Haque: Guitars
Eric Levy: Keyboards
Alan Hertz: Drums

Guests:
*DJ Fly Agaric: Turntables
**Tasha Levine: Vocals
***Shanan Edelheit: Vocals

Review:
Garaj Mahal, the Jazz Rock Jam Band Supergroup, has finally released its second studio recording to the delight of music lovers no matter their shape, size, or taste. There's just something about this recording that appeals to everyone. "A little bit of everything" is usually a recipe for disaster in the world of music. Most attempts leave the listener unsatisfied or the band isn't capable of delivering the goods. "Blueberry Cave" is a total success in every respect. Jam Band lovers will enjoy this recording because it has that cosmic groove so essential to a good Jam Band. Jazz Rock fans will love it because the compositions, performance, and soloing are top shelf, reminiscent of the Jazz Rock pioneer groups such as Mahavishnu Orchestra, Weather Report, and Return to Forever.

Garaj Mahal bridges the gap between Jazz Rock and Jam Band like no one else. The main reason is that with Jazz Rock fans, it's not enough to be a great musician, you have to be an amazing musician. That's no knock on the fantastic talent in the world of Jam Bands, just a proclamation of Garaj Mahal's incredible musical gifts. Individually, Kai Eckhardt and Fareed Haque have played with a virtual Who's Who of Jazz Rock musicians, while Eric Levy and Alan Hertz are equally capable of doing the same. As a group, they come together and speak in one voice as clearly and in most cases better than the best Jazz Rock or Jam Bands on the scene today.

Blueberry Cave certainly contains a little bit of everything from the cosmic groove, funky on the corner, Eastern flavor, children of Miles, to "a little Grateful Dead is always good for the soul". Consequently, I'm inclined to say "a little Garaj Mahal is good for the soul"!!! There's no getting around it, these guys have something special that feels good and brings a smile to your face and your day.

I've been listening to Garaj Mahal for some time now and downloaded dozens of their free concerts from The Archives. With all that exposure, I was expecting this studio recording to be a disappointment because of the band's obvious love for performing in front of an audience. To my surprise and delight, Blueberry Cave showed another side of the band that is usually reserved for professionals of only the highest caliber. This recording brings together all the individual and group gifts without a weak link anywhere. The compositions hold up after many listens and the performance is nothing short of spectacular.

No matter your musical tastes, Garaj Mahal's newest recording Blueberry Cave is a "must have" Cd for everyone's collection. It doesn't just feel good, it IS good. In the world of today's musical diversity, the winner is Garaj Mahal Blueberry Cave!

By,
Rick Calic
jazzrockworld dot com

Garaj Mahal now has a spot in one of my elite ultra-exclusive Ipod playlists alongside John Scofield and MMW. This is funk, electronic, experimental, jazz, fusion, prog, played at a very high level. A jam band that actually jams. Phish is funk-lite. The Dead are dead. Widespread panic just sucks. This is what the intelligent stoners listen to.

Great band- I've seen them a bunch of times. My only problem with this CD is the amateurish production. You can tell that it is basically homemade. It is a fine recording, I just wish that they would get into a top studio with a good producer to get a fuller, more polished sound. This is recorded pretty much straight, which is, I guess, a more jam band purist approach. I haven't heard the other CD's yet.