Customer Reviews

Remember Shakti

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a record that makes you wish you could have been at the concert when it was recorded. The highlight of this two-record set is the hour-long composition - "Mukti" - by the master flautist, Hariprasad Chaurasia. First of all, John Mclaughlin demonstrates a deep understanding of Indian classical music, while at the same time being true to his own instrument. So he sets the pace well for the things to come. Second, Chaurasia shows himself to have the rare ability to successfully compose a blend of Indian and western sounds.

However, the show stopper is the rhythmic interlude with the two percussion geniuses - Zakir Hussain on the "tabla" and 'Vikku' Vinayakram on the "ghatam" (or clay pot). In spite of having heard them live on many occasions and been floored by their mastery of rhythm , it was still mind-boggling to hear what they did on that night.

Each percussionist is comfortable with the other's very different rhythmic tradition (Zakir's Hussain's music is from north India, 'Vikku Vinayakram's from the south); they also LISTEN to each other and converse together with ease. Their brilliance is only matched by their humour (at one point the players themselves crack up), and one has trouble keeping one's jaws from hitting the ground. Truly a must for anyone who wants music that blows the mind.

A great recording of a great performance. New Shakti member Hariprasad Chaurasia, on Bansuri, adds a new dimension to the music. The playing of the three original Shakti members is unparalelled. Unfortunately, JM isn't playing his famous acoustic Shakti guitar, with it's scalloped fingerboard and extra strings. On this recording he plays an electric hollowbody that fits the new band appropriately. I must honestly say, I have not heard JM play (and sound) better since some of his classic recordings from the seventies. One important factor about the music is that they did not try to achieve the classic Shakti "sound". Instead, I feel that they took the West meets East idea of fusion to a new height. Buy it!

Earthy percussive rhythms. Airy flute. Softly filtered guitar. Shakti's triumphant 1997 return to live performance was cause for celebration indeed; founder John McLaughlin and tabla master Zakir Hussain remained from the original lineup, with a few new friends jumping on board to continue the Indian/jazz fusion the group had perfected so well in the 70s. The overall mood here was softer and more reflective than usual - the presence of guest Hariprasad Chaurasia on bansuri flute made the affair much lighter and more meditative, and this album mostly left out the incredible instrumental pyrotechnics that made their original debut such a blazing firecracker of an album. No doubt many were disappointed to hear such a laid-back offering from the group.. it would almost be like Led Zeppelin reforming and turning out an album of slow ballads. But the superb musicianship and tight-knit group chemistry leave no doubt that whatever the lineup, whatever the mood, they will always be Shakti.

Anyone mainly looking for the usual greased-lightning virtuosity of McLaughlin and crew will be mostly disappointed with this selection. John's guitar isn't even present during the first half hour during "Chandrakauns," and he's perfectly content to sit silent through several stretches during the other tracks. Chaurasia's beautifully graceful flute is the main star most of the time. It floats over the tabla and ghatam beats. It lends a balance to the soft guitar through their closing duet "Zakir." For several passages it's the only sound to be heard, drifting through the air all by its lonely self. The flute is only absent through "The Wish," giving John his main space to stretch out with some of that trademark hyper guitar. Though the fast-paced beats of Hussain and T.H. Vinayakram make it the busiest track to be found, it never entirely loses the dreamy quality of the whole album. Even the recurring "Lotus Feet" is minor-keyed and somber this time around, not lightened much by the grave slowness of the percussion.

I myself don't listen to this Shakti album as much as the others, probably because it's the most quiet and low-key of the bunch, but it remains no less stellar because of that. Plenty more fire and energy would come later with The Believer and Saturday Night in Bombay. For the time being they were content to let us sit back, drift and dream.. and I say there's not a thing wrong with that. All is bliss, all is bliss.

Remember Shakti is one of those rare bands that can seemingly do no wrong, even moreso than the original Shakti group. Shakti was the great Indian/Jazz fusion band, featuring master musicians John McLaughlin (guitar), Zaikir Hussain (tabla) and T.H. "Vikku" Vinyakram (ghatam). Without the presence of violinist L. Shankar, an alternate voice is provide by bansuri (a kind of flute) virtuoso Hariprasad Chaurasia. The music on this recording is subtle and low key, slow to build (one track stretches over 30 minutes, another over an hour), its subtle, quiet, unagressive, and yet totally engaging. It draws you in with its circular, almost hypnotic patterns and unnervingly brilliant performance and near psychic interaction from the band, in particular McLaughln and Hussain, who in my assssment were born to play together. Interactions are somewhat sparse, augmented by the fact that not everyone plays on every track-- in fact, only the brief and haunting "Lotus Feet" and the extended "Mukti" feature the whole band.

There's a lot to find to love here, the aformentioned "Lotus Feet" is haunting, dark, and brilliant. For those looking for jaw dropping guitar playing by McLaughlin, look no further than "The Wish", opening with several minutes of solo guitar before being augmented by the percussionists. McLaughlin is absolutely brilliant, with certainly one of his best performances. And for delicate beauty, there's McLaughlin's tribute to his friend, "Zakir", performed by the author in duet with Chaurasia. But perhaps what is most amazing is "Mukti", over an hour long, yet somehow never drifting into pointlessness or tediousness.

The later Remember Shakti band, where McLaughlin and Hussain were augmented by different musicians, is a much more lively and energetic affair, and to be honest, preferred by me (although when this was released several years ago, I couldn't imagine that would be possible), but that renders this recording no less valid-- the music here is absolutely breathtaking and delicately beautiful. Highly recommended.

I just came from the concert (15/6) from shakti where mclaughlin played the guitar and hussein played the tam-tam live in jerusalem. I have no words to tell you how amazing it was and how emotional the music sounded. I had the impression that the instruments were talking one to another, I therefore suggest you to buy the album "remember shakti" and to be in their concert when they will be in your town, Gabriel Gold

The first thing that caught me was the fire and intensity of this east-west band. Remeber Shakti, however, is a more sophisticated and contemporary approach to Mclaughlin-India fusion teams. It was a great surprise to find Pandit H. Chaurasia as special guest, wow! in Mukti he brings the classic indian tradition of musicians being challenge by the master, passages he plays in his bansuri have to be replicated by Hussein, Vinayakram or McLaughlin. Exciting, adorable music. A+++++

This 1997 performance and reformation of one of the most outstanding groups to ever grace our ears has shown that Shakti still has all the beauty and technical ability as they did on the 70's. This double CD contains 5 incredible performances recorded during a '97 reunion tour in England. All the same members with the exception of Hariprasad Chaurasia plays Bansui (A bamboo flute from India. Shankar (the South Indian Violinist) is absent on this tour. The first piece called Chandracauns is basically a straight forward classical Indian raga with a few surprizes thrown in. Lotus Feet is presented in it's entirety for the first time (it was faded out on Shakti's first album. The 63 minute Mukti is Shakti at it's best. A must have for jazz and Indian music lovers as well as those who are looking for incredible music.

This is a great album. For those with sensitivity to this kind of music, there are moments of great spiritual feeling. The beginning of Chandrakauns takes you into a levitation mode, as does the piece Mukti, which is over an hour, but after listening uninterruped to it one feels like awakening from hypnosis. The musicianship is superb. The only semi flaw I'd say is The Wish (too Western), but not enough to not deprive it of 5 stars.

I always loved this album. The first Shakti album was very good, but some found it too intense, virtuostic, and technical (I didn't, but that's another story). This album proves that McLaughlin and Shakti had real depth to their music, and this album is just as intense as the others they've done. It's an epic album, with the shortest track being 7 1/2 minutes (a mellow remake of Lotus Feet from Shakti's first album). The opening track, Chandrakauns, is meditative, moving, and haunting. McLaughlin doesn't appear on this track, instead it's a showcase for Hariprasad Chaurasia, who plays the bansuri, a sort of Indian pan flute. The song, Mukti, is a great epic song, running 63 1/2 minutes (!), and yet, never feeling old or tired or padded. It's really quite moving, even the tabla solo (around the 55 minute mark) is really good. McLaughlin always got a lot of flack for being "pretentious", but I never bought it. He is just ambitious, and is always attempting to fuse Western and Eastern music sensibilities, which I think he succeeds at admirably.

I was reading an article in the LA times about this band and at the end of the article it said they were playing ......that very night. To the horror of my (then) wife and son, I talked them into going with me. It was the most beautiful music I have heard - every second of the show was stunning and it lasted almost three hours. This CD and "Believer" are a "must have" for McLaughlin/Shakti fans.