Radioshow 1 :

SITAR AND INDIAN INFLUENCES

IN FUSION AND POP/PROG MUSIC

     Playlist Radio Program "Psyche van het Folk", Radio Centraal, Antwerpen.

February 28th, 2001,

Sitar (and Indian) influences in prog pop/fusion music, part 1 :

Sitar and tambura in FUSION (INDO-JAZZ,..) and in some KRAUTROCK FUSIONS.

Interludium :

ZYX MusicSeventh Sons : Raga (1964) : (fragment)  max. 28 min.

Seventh Sons made maybe the first hippie rock raga (remember Amon Düül's more accoustic work). It came out on the right time, 4 years later, in 1968, when people had tried such experiences once more.

RSL Rec.Joe Harriott Double Quintet : Indo-Jazz Suite  (dirr.John Mayer) (1966)

Tr.1,Ouverture: 10 min

Tr.4, Raga Gaud-Saranga :13 min

The Indian John Mayer was one of the first to combine the Indian and Western standarts. Joe Hariott was one of the first to adapt his acheevements.

John Mayer Indo-Jazz fusions home page : http://www.indojazz.f9.co.uk/

Article : http://www.jazzsite.co.uk/JUK/JUK40/JUK40_11.pdf

Later album with audio : http://www.sternsmusic.com/disk_info/FMRCD86-0601

One of his other albums you can find at : http://www.epitonic.com/artists/kenvandermarksjoeharriottproject.html

PrestigePat Martino  : Baiyina (The Clear Evidence),

(a psychedelic excursion through the magical mysteries of the Koran) (1968)

track 1, Baiyina: 13 min

Personal web-page at http://www.patmartino.com/

Small introduction at http://www.csee.umbc.edu/~evans/martino.htm

Introduction about Martino :

http://www.metroactive.com/papers/metro/10.09.97/martino-9741.html

Sheet music from his early years : http://music.netstoreusa.com/wbp/WBp0911gtx.shtml

About his guitar : http://www.gibson.com/whatsnew/pressrelease/1997/Nov25a.html

and http://custom.gibson.com/custom/martino.html

Pat Martino's trancription site : http://www.docheuser.de/

Discussion list about his techniques :

http://www.justjazz.com/discussion-hypermail/Feb-97/00000235.htm

Review of  "Firedance"

A&M Rec.Don Cherry : Brown Rice (1976)

Track 2,(3 min-end) : "Malkauns" : 12 min

Don Cherry made several fusion albums with World Music influences. He even went to India to play with non professionals there. Brown Rice is one of the must-haves. Also African influences can be heared at the same time.

Don Cherry links : http://www.wnur.org/jazz/artists/cherry.don/

Some small review sites about Cherry :

http://www.maliner.com/bio/dcart.htm

Discography at http://www.geocities.com/BourbonStreet/Quarter/7055/Cherry/ and at  http://www.cyborg.ne.jp/~akio01/discography/cherry_d.html

ECM's Don Cherry's releases at http://www.ecmrecords.com/...

Impulse    Alice Coltrane : Journey in Satchidananda ((1970) track 1: 7 min

Wife of John Coltrane she had her own seemingly intuitive style on the harp. With all the greatest artists contribution her place in jazz history is unique. Most known is thisalbum. The track has tamboura. Relaxing.

A page about Alice Coltrane : http://members.aol.com/ishorst/love/alice.html

A page with one sound fragment is linked here :

A small review at http://www.sat.dundee.ac.uk/~arb/music/cds/IMP-2012282.html

ECMCollin Walcott : Works (1977-1985)

Track 3 "Like that of Sky"(1979) : 12 min

Collin Walcott learned the sitar. He played as a guest with many bands and projects. Most known is his Codona serie of three (with African percussionist Nana Vasconcelos) on ECM, from which "Works" is a good compilation. 

Collin Walcotts homepage : http://www.collinwalcott.com/

ECM, the label from Walcott's page : http://www.ecmrecords.com/...

The official home-page from Oregon (Walcott's early group) : http://www.oregonband.com/

The Vanguard Oregon-albums you can find at : http://www.vanguardrecords.com/Search.html

Sound fragments from Walcott's albums you can find at a linked page here.

VerveTony Scott : Music for Yoga Meditation and other Joys (1968)

Track 5, "Hatha Sun and Moon" : 4 min

Tony Scott always was curious to ethnical sources and travelled a lot in Africa. In his early albums  he adapted lots of music from Africa.Most known is however his Zen-meditations album. All albums are quiet, relaxing. I prefer African Bird dedicated to Parker.

ECM about his artist : http://ecmrecords.com/..

SonyMiles Davis : Big Fun (1974)

Track 1,"Great Expectations"(fragment) :  max.9 min

In the early seventies Miles had a psychedelic jazz period. Here this drive became more tempered. It leaded into new ideas for his famous Bridges Brew album.

Few audio files of this album : http://www.sonymusicstore.com/store/catalog/MerchandiseDetails.jsp?merchId=1458

ARC MusicIndian World Music fusion : Re-Orient.(with Baluji Shrivastav)

  Track 6 "Karuna Carina":6 min

A bit more big public commercial concept with still some of the idealistic ideas.The chosen track is very good.

About Baluji you'll find information at http://www.zahzah.com/artists/shrivab.htm

The original "big money making" label doesen't seem to do fusions any more. I don't know if the Re-Orient club in Sweden has anything to do with this group : http://www.reorient.se/html/e_frame.htm Contact : info@reorient.se.

Official Re-Orient Chris Conway pages :

http://www.chrisconway.org and http://www.jazzorient.com/

Contact for Chris Conway : christo@chrisconway.org

SchneeballEmbryo : Embryo's Reise (1979)

Track 9 "Cello cello" : 9 min

Some impressive traks The track I played here is for me one of the best examples of Indian fusions) from this Krautrock jazzrock fusion group from Germany, from their travels to India, Pakistan and recordings from improvisations with local usic groups. They did such a travel over in the nineties in Africa (much more clean music) and in Turkey (with some good tracks). Embryo did some other wonderful fusion albums. The group still exists !

Be ware for other groups with the same name if you look for more information on the web.

Official home page : http://www.embryo.de/

A German informative site about Embryo :

http://mitglied.lycos.de/prucknermartin/embryostory.html

Info : http://www.gepr.net/em.html

BellaphonDzyan : Electric Silence (1974)

Track 2, "A day in my life" : 5 min

Another fusion Krautrock group with some improvisation structures."Electric Silence" is recommended.

A review from the group you can read at http://www.gepr.net/di.html#DZYAN

Some fragments you can hear at the linked page here.

Mag.Carpet R.Clem Alford : Mirror Image,

Track 1, "Mirror Image" : 15 min

The solo album of this Magic Carpet member has the use in one track of the electric sitar !

His solo album is Indian fusion styled. Magic Carpet is psychedelic Folk.

Audiofiles : http://www.sternsmusic.com/disk_info/SM1004CD

Covers of Magic Carpet albums : http://members.aol.com/magicalia/

(with a link to the beautiful art of Alisha Suffit, als member of the Magic Carpet http://members.aol.com/Alishapix/ ; and you can see onemore illustration here :

Other page at http://www.hinotemusic.com/ALISHASUFIT.html

& http://members.aol.com/alishasart/

Homepage of Magic Carpet : http://members.aol.com/Magiccarpetdiscs/

or http://www.magiccarpetrecords.com

with page CLem Alford : http://members.aol.com/Magiccarpetdiscs/ClemAlford.html

with page of Alisha : http://www.alishasuift.com

Interview with Alisha : http://www.digitalisindustries.com/foxyd/alisha1.html

Jack Wieber Pr.Flute & Voice : Imaginations of Light (D,1970)

Tr.1 (fragment) "Imaginations of light" : 7 min

Track 4, "Notturno" : 8 min

Style : guitarist and sitar player combine their talents into a eastwest blend. Their first record (reissued with their second on cd) is most pleasant and interesting. It took me some time to trace their site, but here it is :

Home Page : http://aedv.cs.tu-berlin.de/~brandeis/f_and_v.html (with sound samples)

Review at http://gnosis2000.net/reviews/fluteandvoice.htm

outro :

Drop Out Rec.The Ceyleib People : Tanyet (1967)

     Track 3,  11 min

This recording had Ry Cooder as a guest musician. It's not an item to listen to it over and over.

Review : http://gnosis2000.net/reviews/ceyleibpeople.htm

Details : http://www.rylanders.free-online.co.uk/RySite/RyPages/Tanyet.html

Additional links (but not thoroughly checked out) found during this period :

James Sadler Hamilton (Indo-Celtic Sitar fusions) : http://geocities.com/sitar_music

Jai Uttal and the Pagan Love Orchestra at http://www.jaiuttal.com/index.html

Matthew Montfort (World Music Fusions): http://www.ancient-future.com/matt.html.

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Links completely updated 2002-10-19