Trilok Gurtu - Spellbound

It’s really hard to fathom what goes on in the mind of a master percussionist and serial collaborator like Trilok Gurtu. With a career that spans across decades, Gurtu has experimented with numerous sounds and styles in what we call World Music today. Gaining critical acclaim in the late 80s for setting ground for Contemporary Asian music, his music has simply grown from strength to strength since. From Indian to Jazz to African, Gurtu has interwoven various genres and worked with some of the biggest names in the circuit whilst adding that touch to each performance making it his own.

Cut to May 2013, and he’s back with his latest offering, Spellbound - in other words, a musical expression dedicated to trumpeter Don Cherry; someone who was his mentor and a dear friend as well. The album takes you through a few originals and pieces by Cherry, Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis as interpreted by an all-star brass cast along with some foot-tapping rhythms on the drums.

A little shocked at first to see Gurtu going back to doing improvised music, but it’s simply inspiring to listen to jazz presented in a form which is devoid of any boundary or style. With every note on this album you can sense the emotion that goes with it. Featuring an array of trumpeters like Nils Petter Molvaer from Norway, Paolo Fresu from Italy, Ibrahim Maalouf from Lebanon, from America Matthias Schriefl and the classical trumpeter Matthias Höfs from Germany and Hasan Gözetlik from Turkey; superbly talented trumpeters all, their participation also showcases Gurtu's astute talent to shortlist the right artist for the right material. All in all, Spellbound is a must have in your music collection if you are an admirer of world music.

When asked about this album, Gurtu promptly replied saying that the idea behind this album was to present a message, which is spiritual and the one that emphasizes the musical experience. Grab a copy today, and let the music do the rest.