Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Charu Suri: The Book of Ragas Volume II

Charu Suri: The Book of Ragas Volume II

By Dan McClenaghan
October 5, 2021
View read count

New sounds in jazz often come from countries other than America, where the music was born.

Antonio Carlos Jobim

piano
1927 - 1994

" data-original-title="" title="">Antonio Carlos Jobim and

Joao Gilberto

vocals
1931 - 2019

" data-original-title="" title="">Joao Gilberto introduced the lilting rhythms of Brazil; the prolific pianist/bandleader

Satoko Fujii

piano
b.1958

" data-original-title="" title="">Satoko Fujii brings an avant-Japanese frame of mind to the music, and .numerous Scandinavian artists—

Jan Garbarek

saxophone
b.1947

" data-original-title="" title="">Jan Garbarek,

Trygve Seim

saxophone

" data-original-title="" title="">Trygve Seim,

Tord Gustavsen

piano
b.1970

" data-original-title="" title="">Tord Gustavsen and the

Marcin Wasilewski Trio

band / ensemble / orchestra

" data-original-title="" title="">Marcin Wasilewski Trio—have introduced a Nordic cool sound.

And then there is India, bringing violinists

Arun Ramamurthy

violin

" data-original-title="" title="">Arun Ramamurthy,

Trina Basu

violin

" data-original-title="" title="">Trina Basu and cellist

" data-original-title="" title="">Amali Premawardhana to mind, and pianist Charu Suri, presenting her The Book Of Ragas (Amala Records, 2019), and now the followup: Book Of Ragas Volume II.

Suri's music blends American jazz and Eastern India's ragas along with instrumental and Sufi vocal improvisations. A first spin of the disc—to ears uninitiated to the music of Indian ragas—reveals sounds which seems as exotic as the Bossa Nova of Getz/Gilberto (Verve) did back in 1964. It also, as did that Bossa Nova shot across our bow, presents an alternate universe beauty, vibrating with life and a sense of hopefulness.

These four tunes are "morning ragas," exploring different morning moods, translated to sound by Suri's piano work,

Jesse Gerbasi

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Jesse Gerbasi's vibraphone and Umer Piracha's Sufi vocals. The vibes in the mix enhance the morning aspect of the sound, a gorgeous smear of sunrise in the Eastern sky, tinting even the melancholic "Asvari" with an optimistic and ethereal backdrop.

A terrific follow-up to Suri's first effort in this genre, The Book Of Ragas, this The Book Of Ragas Volume II reaches even deeper into the pianist's Indian roots, revealing more layers, more intricacies of the music of India in a gorgeous infiltration of American jazz.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Raga Jaunpuri (Late Morning); Asavari (Late Morning); Sankarabaranam (Morning); Aaj Rang Hai (Today There is Color).

Personnel

Charu Suri

piano

Falsa

vocals

Jesse Gerbasi

drums

Additional Instrumentation

Jesse Gerbasi: vibraphone.

Album information

Title: The Book of Ragas Volume II | Year Released: 2021 | Record Label: Amala Records

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Caroline Davis, Legraux Tobrogo?, D...
< Previous

Will Power Versus Won't Power
Next >

Charu Suri Concerts

Nov 14 Fri

Charu Suri: Jazz Journey Through India

Dazzle Jazz Club
Denver, CO

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.