If you’re a fan of long jams, solid guitar playing, funky basslines, relentless keyboard solos and jazzy percussion, look no further than Garaj Mahal.
A progressive jazz/rock fusion quartet, formed around 2000 in the USA, Garaj Mahal features the exceptional talents of Kai Eckhardt on bass, Fareed Haque on guitars, Alan Hertz on drums, and Eric Levy on keys. The group has been touring the United States at small, intimate venues and music festivals, garnering wide critical acclaim and drawing the attention of progressive/fusion/rock music fans worldwide. Laying down some truly groovy numbers, Garaj Mahal shines like a beacon of hope amidst the current faltering progressive/jazz/instrumental/fusion/rock music scene of today.
Their sound is a brilliant blend of Indian scales/modes with western jazz/funk, blues and progressive rock. Primarily an instrumental band, the import of the Indian/eastern vibe into their music is most likely influenced by the only desi in the band, guitarist Fareed Haque whose roots can be traced back to Pakistan.
Garaj Mahal is more reminiscent of ’70s fusion/jam bands and artistes like Shakti, and the various projects of bassist Jonas Hellborg or Mahavishnu Orchestra featuring John Mclaughlin on guitar. However, Garaj take the established instrumental jazz/fusion genre to the next level; injecting and infusing it with super-funky bass lines, mind-blowing keyboard solos, interspersed with minimal electro-vocal looping and scratching, complete with gritty, jazzy guitar parts. They balance all this while keeping things modern and interesting by layering most of the tracks with elements of turntable/electronic-jazz and tape looping which, along with the excellent blend of Indian and western moods/sound, ingeniously complement one another on all the tracks. The product is exceptional.
Their initial two albums, Mondo Garaj and Blueberry Cave, were released in 2001 and 2005 and I had the pleasure of hearing them both around the same time about a year ago. I will suggest you do the same, because the experience was fantastic. The two albums are essential editions to any jazz/fusion/instrumental/jam-band/ rock/progressive/ psychedelic music aficionado’s collection
Mondo Garaj, the title track off their first studio album recorded in 2001, is a sizzling number, funkier than anything on the contemporary scene at the time and perhaps to date. A relentless piece of music, extremely fast-paced, remaining deliciously rhythmic and catchy, peppered throughout with some insane snapping and popping on the bass by Kai Eckhardt, littered with cheeky turntable scratching, topped off with psychedelic sounding and mind-blowing keyboard solos.
Most of the tracks on these albums tend to be longer than five minutes and some manage to feature lengthy instrumental breaks — but rarely does a track become monotonous or tedious. The superb talents of these four musicians gel phenomenally well.
A memorable performance of a super groovy rhythmic track called Be Dope had one young lady gyrating/dancing, groovy/hippy style, totally rocking out right in front of the keyboardist, Levy, at an extremely intimate venue, throughout the gig. He in turn was laying down some mean Hammond-style organ solos, seemingly just for her; reminiscent of the lost ’70s psychedelic/prog-rock scene. I completely understood the vibe she was picking up on. The music was infectious. You could not help but groove to it.
Blueberry Cave, their second studio offering, was released in 2005 and boasts, perhaps, a more polished feel although it is extremely difficult to improve on this band’s sound. If anything they have settled in even better together, and they sound even groovier whilst sticking with the same refreshing, funky and innovative fusion feel that was prevalent on Mondo Garaj.
Their sound is a rare find in today’s bland contemporary rock/fusion music scene. It is experimental and innovative, while staying light and easy to digest. Altogether, an outstanding listen; after a sample and a taste, you will be hooked and thankful to have been pointed in their direction.
Teymour Aslam hosts Voodooo Nights every Tuesday from 10:30pm to midnight