Shiva Station [Import]

Jai Uttal | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 19, 1997)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Triloka Records
• ASIN: B00004799P
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #481,954 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Guru Brahma

2. Shiva Station (Namah Shivaya)

3. Hari Guna Gao

4. Calling You

5. Malkouns (Night on the Ganges)

6. Rama Raghava

7. Bhajore

8. Corner

9. Sita Ram

10. Jaya Jagadambe (She Who Tears Apart Thoought)

11. Never Turn Away

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Raga Rock Meets Tasty Jazz, December 26, 2002

By 

Worgelm "The Grumpy" (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shiva Station (Audio CD)

This is a thoughtful and consistently interesting release by Jai Uttal. There's plenty of precedent, both good and bad, for western musicians appropriating Eastern music, but the fact that Uttal lived in India, toured with Indian musicians and studied with Ali Akhbar Khan lends a note of credibility to the proceedings. And if Uttal made a living on previous albums by appropriating contemporary Indian "Raga Rock", he's all but evolved past that practice here. Songs such as "Malkouns (Night On The Ganges)" and especially "Bhajore", with its hair-raising trombone solo, are simply smoking, funky, and exciting exercises in East/West fusion the likes of which isn't often seen this side of Bombay (or the other side, for that matter). The songs are surprisingly rooted in classical Indian music, especially Mantra-like invocations like "Shiva Station (Nama Shivaya)" but are given a contemporary feel by Uttal's synths, ambient guru Bill Laswell's dub touches and lush mixes, and the oftentimes exciting orchestration and backing by the pure funk of The Pagan Love Orchestra. "Sita Ram" is a great example of this balance, keying on Uttal's heartfelt repeated titular mantra with deep dub beats, basslines and airtight horn arrangements. Uttal himself, posessing a fine voice, occasionally missteps a bit with the more new-agey, slower stuff like "Calling You", but even his mostly unadorned "Corner" is a fine, moody solo piece indeed. Recommended highly to fans of Bill Laswell, Peter Gabriel and other world-music experimenters, or those that enjoy more dense, thoughtful, genre-straddling music.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars transforming!, March 29, 2000

By 

D. Mcafee "nyacking" (sedona) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Shiva Station (Audio CD)

Jai Uttal's Shiva Station is one of the best albums I have ever had the pleasure of listening to. It combines traditional chanting with modern, upbeat sounds. It is inspiring. The composition is a great mix of today and yesterday, western and eastern, yet there is no compromise on the traditional selections. Two thumbs up!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars awesome voice awesome album, November 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Shiva Station (Audio CD)

 

 

Track 2 Shiva Station is reggae influenced. The guitar is tuned to sound like a sitar. Uttal's voice absolutely booms out at you. He sounds like the devotee in love with the guru and his / her teachings, wanting to take all on board, immersing himself in the fountain of divine truth. Jai Uttal does more to promote the concept of Indian religious music through this band than a lot of musicians who are involved in the east-west fusion game. I spent several months in an ashram in Herrakhan India about ten years ago doing exactly what Uttal does (not anywhere as well I may add). Hearing Jai Uttal singing these songs of praise and devotion always brings back good memories for me. repetition of the mantra brings on its own trance like state and as such JU sounds like he is in a semi permanent state of bliss and ecstasy, surrounded by his group of female backup singers. I can't help thinking that he has a beautiful voice. In fact it comes as a pleasant shock to suddenly hear him sing in English with the tune Calling You from Bhagdad Cafe. In fact on this recording he also sings in Bengali, Hindi and Sanskrit. Malkoun is an instrumental piece with all out support from the brass section, scorching guitar solos and killer bass playing. I assume from Mr Bill Laswell who mixed this release. Mine is a promo copy with not too much data but it sounds like him. Just as it sounds like it's all going to get bigger than Ben Hur, the harmonium brings it all to earth.

Rama Rhagawa-flute intro,electric guitar toned down into the background, JU sings introspectively, a muted trumpet weaving in and out of all this before the orchestra kicks in. For me a moment of sheer magic and poetry. Great to hear the Hammond organ. Not enough people use it in their music. I think suddenly about McLaughlin's time with Mahavishnu. They were intense and sonically challenging at the best of times, but what a group. The Pagan Love Orchestra reminds me of them somehow. I guess because both made a serious attempt at fusing east with west. Uttal is not as full frontal though. Here is a man at peace but still forceful in his delivery. Who is the trumpet player here? Whoever they are, they are hot.

Listening to this brings back so many memories for me. crossing the border into India from Nepal, sitting on a bus, taking the perfect picture of a three year old girl who had the eyes of an old soul, palm trees, the smell of coconuts and mangoes,sandalwood incense, Indian women laughing at the big guy sitting behind them. The radio is playing Bollywood music. God it's funny. Voices saying lambhu lambhu. Months alter after hearing it too many times I finally asked someone what it means. Tall person. I laughed. What a mad place India is.So diverse and spiritual,beautiful and frightening at the same time if you are not ready for it. Jai Uttal's music is like this. The overall feeling is that they are having fun doing this and so it should be. Absolutely a great album if you are at all interested in the fusion of east and west.