Search - Mynta :: First Summer

Mynt-fresh fusion.

03/01/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Mynta's fourth album, marking the tenth year of collaboration between three musicians trained in classical Indian music, and four outstanding Jazz musicians from Sweden, is, to me, their most polished effort so far. On the whole, Indian classical music blends seamlessly with Jazz, partly because both appear to rely heavily on improvisation within an ordered framework, and partly because of the interesting counterpointing between the tabla, santoor (hammered dulcimer) and the Indian vocals--reminiscent of scatting--on one hand, and the sax, flutes, keyboard, bass and drums on the other hand. Some of the tracks on the CD, which are incidentally available on Amazon.com for sampling, are among the best, particularly the catchy, uptempo "First Summer", which blends in a touch of rap vocals with surprising success. Other highlights include a traditional-sounding "Ganglat Fran Laggars", which is perhaps better listened to than pronounced, and "Papa's New Groove". At its best the album sets a mark for other efforts to extend the frontiers of jazz. At its worst ....well, ideally, just listen to the better tracks!"