Jai Uttal Monkey CD

Jai Uttal followed up his successful debut album with MONKEY, a much jazzier affair. Still steeped in traditional Indian folk music, Uttal experiments with vocals (his own this time, rather than a guest singer), synthesizers, and a smooth-jazz feel. It all comes together beautifully on "I Won't Ask for More," a heartfelt trance dirge that's half-chanted/half-sung to a backing of slinky Indian percussion.

Jai once again serves a superlative collection of Eastern traditions, jazz improvisation and pop innovation. From evocative instruments to striking and emotive vocals, Monkey depicts a truly One World musical vision. Jai Uttal's unique brand of East-West fusion has produced some striking albums. On this 1992 release, his second overall and first with the newly convened Pagan Love Orchestra, Uttal began to solidify his smooth blend of Western pop with Indian music and jazz. His band explores an amiable merger of their dual musical hemispheres with an album-opening sensual romp and then a parade of styles, including uptempo world pop ("The Hooded Serpent," "Govinda"), slower trance tracks ("A Distant Episode"), and Western pop ballads with an Eastern slant ("Soldiers," "I Won't Ask for More," "Heaven"). Four of the 10 songs are instrumentals, and 3 pieces are sung in English. More organic than Uttal's memorable debut, Footprints, Monkey capitalizes on the aural textures from such diverse instruments as the dotar (a two-stringed lute), harmonium, hand percussion, bass, guitar, and numerous samples, not to mention his impassioned vocals. --Amazon.comJai Uttal, a sacred music composer, recording artist, multi-instrumentalist, and ecstatic vocalist, combines influences from India with influences from rock, folk, hip-hop and jazz creating a stimulating and exotic multi-cultural fusion that is truly world spirit music. "Mondo Rama", Jai's latest album with his band the Pagan Love Orchestra was nominated for a 2003 Grammy award as "Best New Age Album".

Recorded at Studio 56, Hollywood, California in March, 1992.

Personnel: Jai Uttal (vocals, acoustic guitar, synthesizer, harmonium, dotar, gopichand, sarod, gubgubbi, kartals, percussion, samples, programming); Mala Ganguly (vocals); Will Bernard (guitar, mandolin, samples); Charlie Burnham (violin); Steve Gorn (bansuri); Peck Allmond (soprano saxophone, cornet, trumpet); Rob Vlack (piano, accordion, Hammond organ, synthesizer); Bruce Linde (bass, acoustic guitar, samples); Tom Brechtlien (drums); Peter Apfelbaum (drums, percussion, soprano saxophone, qarqabas); Geoffrey Gordon (dholak, dumbek, frame drum, bongo, percussion); Daniel Paul Karp (tabla); Tamiya Lynn (background vocals).

Audio Magazine (12/92, p.162) - "...Trans-cultural fusions are becoming the norm, but few artists are working the territories with the experience or grace of Jai Uttal...Uttal is creating a fusion unimagined in the days of raga-rock..."