Live Vol. I by Garaj Mahal

27 Mar

Written by Mark Keresman
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Garaj Mahal is part of the continuum of neo-fusion outfits, sometimes referred to as the "jam band" phenomenon, that loose conflagration of ensembles who draw inspiration from the glory days of Fusion (1969-75, before it got all watered-down, funked-up, wanked-out and commercialized) and rock music fueled by improvisational fires (Allman Bros., Grateful Dead, King Crimson, Santana). Ably assisted by the propulsive quiet fire of tabla wizard Zakir Hussain (special guest star) for over half this album, GM wail amid tight arrangements and meticulous, dexterous soloing - this live set is rich with echoes (hold on, diehard Fusion Fans) of Jeff Beck’s Blow By Blow, Stanley Clarke, the Canterbury axis of UK art/rock/jazz/rock (Matching Mole, Hatfield & The North) and Santana’s jazziest period. This band is tight - no wretched excess, noodly-doodly jizz here, and the solos burn with focused enthusiasm. (Too bad about that dated, fluttering/twittering synthesizer soloing that appears on "Ivory Tower," though.) Sleek but organic and effervescent, Live Vol. I will have fusion/jam fanatics goin’ all warm ‘n’ runny, and looking forward to Vol. II.

Additional Info

Artist / Group Name: Garaj Mahal
CD Title: Live Vol. I
Genre: Fusion
Year Released: 2003
Record Label: Harmonized Records
Musicians: Fareed Haque: guitar; Eric Levy: keyboards; Kai Eckhardt: bass; Alan Hertz: drums. Guest: Zakir Hussain: tabla. Rec. live @ Great American Music Hall, San Francisco CA 8/23/02.
Label Website: http://www.HarmonizedRecords.com
Rating: Three Stars