Like post-bop jazz, traditional Indian music emphasizes modal improvisation -- which explains why it had so strong and powerful an influence on
John Coltrane,
Yusef Lateef,
Pharoah Sanders and quite a few other post-bop greats. What makes
Natraj different from them is that the adventurous Boston-based quartet does more than incorporate elements of Indian music some of the time --
Natraj makes combining jazz and Indian spiritual music the primary focus.
Natraj's instrumentation is unorthodox; leader
Phil Scarff's soprano and tenor saxophones are united with tablas (
Jerry Leake), bass (Michael Rivard) and percussion (Russ Gold). From
Trane's "Resolution" to
Scarff's own pieces,
Meet Me Anywhere offers a unique, often seamless integration of east and west that is as ambitious as it is individualistic. ~ Alex Henderson