That vibe becomes readily evident in the opening "Semos," which first appeared on Garaj Mahal's first live CD, Live, Vol. 1. "Semos" is a brilliant piece of fusion with it's juking rhythmic changes, dazzling bass/guitar unison lines and some really tasty Pat Martino licks from Haque. Despite the complexity, it's as funky as a Friday night. The basic approach is the same as the earlier live version, but the key difference is Levy's keyboard attack. There's more of a vintage Herbie Hancock Head Hunters groove to it, replete with the slightly dissonant synth washes, and an impressive Fender Rhodes solo followed by an equally ace Moog solo.
"Hotel" has an even more explicit Head Hunters lineage, as the opening bass line is a near direct quote from Hancock's "Hang Up Your Hang Ups," while Hertz' rhythmic pattern is similar to that of Head Hunter drummer Mike Clark on "Spank-A-Lee." Both Levy and Haque turn in their usual fine performances, too.
"Ishmael And Isaac" is perhaps the tune that does the best job of showcasing the band's wide-ranging influences. There's the humor of the band in how the tune starts off innocently enough as something resembling a Russian folk tune, punctuated by an obligatory "hey!" at the end of each round. From there, the song takes a trip all over the world, swiftly modulating from Middle Eastern fusion to hard rock to Return To Forever-styled funk-jazz. The softer passage in the middle features a sublime classical guitar solo from Haque. Following that is a call and response between an a twisting Arabic phrase and Levy's urgent Moog solo. Middle East meets West, indeed.
"Uptown Tippitinas" is New Orleans flavored as the title implies, but filtered through the gospel-inflected Big Easy shuffle occasionally championed by John Scofield. The lyrical "Corner Peace" is another slower piece, with both Haque and Levy primarily sticking to acoustic instruments and proving that this band doesn't need to plug it on to sound good.
w00t just hit the streets today. If you're a fan of fusion from the time when fusion was both fun and filling, Garaj Mahal is a band that's making it that way again. And now, w00t is the best place to start having fun with this band.
Photo: Susan J. Weiand
Article comments
1 - Larry Narachi
A great studio effort ! We bought the CD at the merch table at the recent SF/Yankee(sept26,08) gig and LOVE IT.