Trilok Gurtu - Usfret [1988] @ 256 (Ethno-Fusion Masterpiece)

Even for those of us who are not too keen on jazz-rock fusion this album is a jewel. Maybe it is the odd combination of western drumming with the incredibly complex universe of Hindu percussive tempos. Anyway both worlds live together inside Trilok Gurtu’s mind and body.

He’s arguably one of the All -Time Top 5 drummers. (make your list of the other four and send them to me if you want).

What makes this album an absolute masterpiece (and believe me it is not an exaggeration to call it a masterpiece) is the line–up that Trilok build to play with him:
Ralph Towner, founder member and virtuoso guitar player of Oregon, where Trilok spent sometime after the demise of Colin Walcott.
The very crazy Mr. Don Cherry on the Trumpet.
The ubiquitous Shankar and his exquisite violin.
The incredible Jonas Hellborg, true inheritor of Jaco’s legacy, the extraordinary.
Daniel Goyone on keyboards and with them all…
The respectable Ms. Gurtu, that is Trilok Mother herself, queen of Indian chant. Shobha Gurtu. (Listening to Shobharock, first track of this album, is a musical experience difficult to forget.)

The musicians get on a frantic ride over Trilok’s drumming like a multiple lightning jumping between massive clouds. The album is in fact an organized storm of great ideas brought to life by great performers.

What makes Trilok’s performance on drums so special is that he can create beats that otherwise would have seem impossible for our western ears, and he creates them on western drums, bringing us a heritage of centuries transformed into dazzling new and swirling rhythms.

There’s no waste in this album
Every track is interesting and stays under your skin for quite a long time.
This deserves a very good and careful listen.

Extremely recommended.

Keep Listening !!!

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