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Hamid Drake & Bindu: Bindu
Bindu (a term in yoga that means prayer) is a mixture of jazz with Middle Eastern, African and Indian musics. The thirteen-minute "Remembering Rituals," where Drake plays frame drums and Nicole Mitchell flute, is a sound journey that lands the listener in the middle of a North African bazaar. "Bindu # 2 for Baba Fred Anderson"—a more "traditional" jazz composition, albeit in a free style similar to that of former jazz outlaw Ornette Coleman—finds the entire quartet of saxophones (Sabir Mateen, Ernest Dawkins, Greg Ward and Daniel Carter) and drums joining in a blowing and bashing free-for-all. The Middle Eastern journey resumes on a mellow tone with "A Prayer for the Bado."
So far, so good. The Indian-flavored "Meeting and Parting," with Drake on tablas, sustains an eleven-minute drone with Carter, Ward, Dawkins and Mateen improvising on top. While an enjoyable listen, Bindu is best enjoyed in portions—the parts being better than the whole.
Track Listing
Remembering Rituals; Bindu #2; Prayer for the Bardo; Meeting and Parting; Born Upon a Lotus; Bindu #1; Do Khyentse's Journey.
Personnel
Hamid Drake
drumsHamid Drake: drums, tabla, frame drums; Daniel Carter, Ernest Dawkins, Sabir Mateen: tenor and alto saxophone; Greg Ward: alto saxophone, clarinet; Nicole Mitchell: flute.
Album information
Title: Bindu | Year Released: 2006 | Record Label: Rogue Art
About Hamid Drake
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