If it's jaw-dropping, jazz-rock technical proficiency you're after, look no further than this quartet of astonishingly talented musicians. One spin of "The Shadow," the head-spinning nine-minute opener that meshes classic prog circa Brand X with a sped-up James Brown funk attack will prove conclusively that in the chops department, these guys are pretty much untouchable. But rather than fashioning themselves as a contemporary version of the '70s Mahavishnu Orchestra or Return to Forever, two obvious influences on the band's sound, Garaj Mahal expands its palette to incorporate elements of rap and world music. That is particularly evident on the sitar driven "'Spect Rap," which shifts into the edgy, slow burn of "No 'Spect." Even when jamming over a driving, repetitious rhythm, as in "Massive," the layers of electric and acoustic guitar keep the approach from getting stale, and the extraordinary individual instrumental talents, especially from bassist Kai Eckhardt, keep the music focused. Some of that dissipates, though, on "Cosmic Elevator" when vocals with sophomoric lyrics nearly derail the quartet's tough Sly Stone funk. Things get back on track for the album's closing three songs that comprise the disc's final 25 minutes. Fareed Haque's sitar guitar dominates "Bicycling in Bombay," infusing an East Indian slant to the taut, slow groove as guest DJ Fly Agaric 23's turntables add subtle hip-hop effects. "Celtic Indian" shifts through so many mood changes in its 11 minutes that it seems like a suite of different tunes all connected by the phenomenal interplay of the members. Recorded in July of 2004 but not released until nearly a year-and-a-half later, Garaj Mahal raises its already high musical bar on Blueberry Cave and sets a new standard for innovative jazz/funk/rock/prog/world music that few, if any, other bands are technically accomplished enough to meet. © Hal Horowitz © 2014 AllMusic, a division of All Media Network, LLC. | All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/album/blueberry-cave-mw0000350351
The masterful San Francisco's fusion band, Garaj Mahal continue to fuse the concept of jazz with a unique, original and eclectic mix of world rhythms encompassing pop, soul, progressive rock, studied jazz and modern jazz fusion, Indian music, focused funk, and jam-band styles. "Blueberry Cave" is a welcome sign that the future of good, spontaneous, innovative and original jazz fusion is alive and well. Not for the snobby progressive fusion purists, but great, progressive music just the same and HR by A.O.O.F.C. In 2007, "Blueberry Cave" won in The 6th Annual Independent Music Awards for Best Jam Album. Buy Garaj Mahal's "w00t" CD and support great modern fusion and real music. Read a lot more about the band @ http://kaizone.com/Garajmahal/pages/storyoftheband.html [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 158 Mb]
TRACKS / COMPOSERS
1.The Shadow - Kai Eckhardt 9:15
2.Alvin - Alan Hertz 5:08
3.Blueberry Cave - Eric Levy 7:04
4.Spect Rap - Kai Eckhardt 2:20
5.No 'Spect - Fareed Haque, Alan Hertz 5:27
6.Massive - Alan Hertz 8:52
7.Cosmic Elevator - Kai Eckhardt 8:03
8.Paladin - Eric Levy 7:32
9.Bicycling in Bombay - Garaj Mahal 6:13
10.Celtic Indian - Alan Hertz 11:15
MUSICIANS
Fareed Haque – Guitar, Sitar, Vocals
Kai Eckhardt – Bass, Vocals
Eric Levy – Keyboards, Vocals
Alan Hertz – Keyboards, Drums, Percussion, Sampler, Vocals
BIO (WIKI)
Garaj Mahal is a four piece band, based in the United States, playing a fusion of jazz, Indian music, rock, and especially funk: Kai Eckhardt (bass), Fareed Haque (guitars), Alan Hertz (drums), Sean Rickman (drums) and Eric Levy (keys). The band was formed in 2000 with the largely fulfilled expectation that the technical virtuosity each band member has been known for would bring about great music. They are one of the modern low- to mid-profile bands that allow their music to be recorded live at shows, and distributed in torrents, and musical archives. In early 2007, Mahal's "Blueberry Cave" won in The 6th Annual Independent Music Awards for Best Jam Album. According to Bassist Kai Eckhardt the band has disbanded with no plans to play again. After 11 years of touring, nine albums recorded and roughly 1000 shows played, the East/West Coast band Garaj Mahal has put an end to its appearances. There are currently no plans for future shows. Kai Eckhardt, August 14, 2011
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