It was after high school that I told myself I will go outside comfort zone and give new music a listen. I told myself that I needed to find new music that not only make me grow as a listener, but grow to be open minded to many styles, genres and types of music. I mentioned many times before it was the local chain bookstore that did all this. With it's vast selection of music and books the learning was endless. The books were easy to learn and get the free information I needed. I worked at a library and I could always ask my friend to put it in the collection. I could even get it through the staff order and get a bigger discount then what the store had. The music was the problem. We did not have that simple of an account.
When I bought music it was when I had some extra money and most of the time I had three or four things I wanted. I had a little note pad to take notes on what I should pick up next to add it to my collection. I also asked the staff who I was friends with what I should be getting. I had all kinds and varied taste in music. I could get Fela Kuti, Spirit, Keith Jarrett, John Zorn and more. Each friend had different musical leaning then the other. I could ask my friend who liked Psychedelic Rock what to get and my friend who loved World music what I should get.
One Day all that changed when I decided to do a radical change in what music I wanted and needed to listen to. When I asked my friend who I should listen to as far as drumming and percussion two of my friends pointed out Trilok Gurtu. I did not buy everything he made, but I did buy one album that changed my life. The album was called Living Magic. It was one of my friends favorite so much he would put it on in the music portion of the store all the time. It was a way of telling me I should get this and give it a good listen. I did end up buying it and realized he knew what he was talking about. Around that same time I found an album with Trilok on percussion. The album John McLaughlin Live at the Royal Festival Hall was in the used bin at a local record store with a price of $5.99. I quickly snatched it up and brought it to my friend. He mentioned to me how amazing Trilok is on this and this is what got him into his music.
Fast forward a few months later and a ton of new music to listen to my friend at the book store invited me and his friends to see Trilok for myself at a club in New York City with another artist I would enjoy soon named David Torn. An album he also recommend to me called Tripping Over God. Both of these albums changed everything I knew about music. These two today still make creative music that bend genres, style and musical improvisation. Trilok's creativity on all thing drums and percussion just wowed me to no end. Instruments like the tabla, hand drums, chimes, and the one that I wanted to learn, water drums.
Trilok did this all and more on everything he played on. It was his World Fusion that got me into a genre that is unique and all it's own. When the album
The Glimpse came out and I heard it on a Jazz radio show I knew I needed to hear the album for myself. It was a tribute album to the late Don Cherry who played with my musical hero Ornette Coleman. On the album he has a song called "
Cherry Town" and a Ornette composition called "
Law Years." both are showcasing Trilok's amazing percussion abilities.
Over the years "Law Years" has been my favorite Trilok song. It's a mix of Delta Blues, World Fusion and Jazz. The slide guitar blows me away with something you don't normally hear in Jazz. It's playing against the percussion and the piano is very fun and interesting. Trilok's just shows us why he is amazing. He does not show off in the songs he put the percussion where it needs to be. The whole song comes together with such beauty.
If your looking for excitement in your Jazz or even your music collection then
The Glimpse is the album for you. It's got everything you need in an album that bends, melts and makes music so enjoyable. I've loved Trilok's music for a long time and after hearing this, you might be converted too. Let me know what you think. I honestly think this album is what they describe as World Fusion. It's got all the elements to make it. Enjoy!
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