Rudresh Mahanthappa’s take on the lineage of the spacy alto saxophone, made cooler with the electronics – by himself and Rez Abbasi – in this music is less than conventional, seeing him summon all of the history of the woodwind’s instrumental tone-textures which float benignly – and sometimes in tongues of tire as well – over the twangy sound of Rex Abbasi’s strings that seem to roll around in melodic progression that feeds Mr Mahanthappa’s long jabbering lines that in its turn adds a rich and not entirely predictable harmonic foundation to the music. All the while both melody and harmony are nailed together by the tattoo of Dan Weiss’ drums or – as in the case of “Alap” on Side A of Disc One, the inspired,rumbling pulse of his tabla.
The surprises, when they come, are effective if discreet: a raga-like riff is played as ostinato melodic invention by either alto saxophone or guitar, alternating with a gamelan-like riff, played as stabbing pizzicato harmonics, a delicate curlicue of a bass line by Mr Abbasi on “Rasikapriya” on Side A of Disc Two underpins what sounds like a keening Gaelic lament and a close-knit passage develops from a single phrase on “Revati” (on Disc Two Side B). The recorded sound balances detail and warmth. All in all, Agrima is definitely worth its weight in gold.
Track list – Disc One Side A – 1: Alap; 2: Snap; 3: Showcase; Side B – 1: Agrima; 2: Can-Did; Disc Two Side A – 1: Rasikapriya; Side B – 1: Revati; 2: Take-Turns
Personnel – Rudresh Mahanthappa: alto saxophone, electronics; Rez Abbasi: guitar, electronics; Dan Weiss: tabla, drums
Released – 2017
Label – Independent
Runtime – Disc One 31:08 Disc Two 29:08