This Moment

Forty-six years after their last studio album, pioneering Indo-jazz fusion ensemble Shakti returns with This Moment. Founding members guitarist John McLaughlin and tabla master Zakir Hussain are joined by percussionist Selvaganesh Vinayakram (aka V. Selvaganesh, since 1999), vocalist Shankar Mahadevan (since 2001), and violinist Ganesh Rajagopalan. The roots of This Moment lie in the pre-production process of Is That So? a 2020 album by McLaughlin, Hussain, and Mahadevan. McLaughlins guitars here are synthesized, acting as harmonic companions for Mahadevans singing and konokols -- percussive vocal syllables -- and Hussains improvised tablas. Rajagopalan is the guitarists frontline companion. This set initially came together through online jam sessions during and after the pandemic. It was ultimately recorded in four studios on three continents. The sound is quite modern: acoustic guitars from the early albums have been replaced by organic-sounding electric guitars. McLaughlin employs them as accompaniment sure, but also as a sonic backdrop, effects generator, harmonic catalyst, and solo instrument. Opener "Shrinis Dream" is dedicated -- as is the album -- to Indian mandolinist U. Srinivas, a Shakti member who died in 2013. The interplay between McLaughlins fingerpicking, guitar synths, Rajagopalans keening violin, and Mahadevans vocals cross traditions from the Indian subcontinent before descending -- albeit momentarily -- into sultry blues. Guitarist and violinist solo in unison as Hussain improvises in triple time. "Bending the Rules" opens with seamless ambient guitarscapes before Rajagopalan enters. A minute in, the rhythm changes, McLaughlin starts playing a South African township motif in infectious cadences as Mahadevan contrasts his lyrical singing style with syncopated konokols, then trades in call-and-response with Hussain. The guitarist delivers a punchy post-bop solo before the vamp returns to carry it home. Six-minute single "Mohanam" begins in pastoral terrain with Mahadevans soulful vocals entwined with the guitar. Hussain slips in propulsive, skittering tablas framing catchy guitar motifs and two-, three-, and four-part konokol lines from all players save McLaughlin. Violin and guitar octave vamps stretch a sonic canvas for Mahadevans majestic delivery. McLaughlins guitar break is melodic, dynamic, and rockist. "Giriraj Sudha" is a traditional Carnatic song arranged by Srinivas and Selvaganesh. Its intricate melody is simultaneously urgent and pastoral as Mahadevan and Rajagopalan engage in melodic exchange. McLaughlins "Las Palmas," crisscrosses Indian and flamenco rhythms via handclaps before the bands melody turns, flitting across Celtic, folk, and euphoric post-bop. Hussains tablas use these handclaps as a lifting-off point for exploration while rooting his bandmates to the pulse of his frenetic downbeat. Closer "Sono Mama" is almost funky, a killer example of Indojazz-rock fusion with interlocking group konokols, driving bass notes from McLaughlins lower register, and thrumming tablas. This Moment recalls the original Shakti incarnation given the return of violin. That said, the ensuing decades of individual and collective music experiences -- as well as decades-old creative and personal connections between McLaughlin, Hussain, and Mahadevan -- result in extraordinary musical communication that transcends traditions, concepts, and formal approaches, making Shakti a band for the ages. ~ Thom Jurek