Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Sai Ghose Trio: India Looking West

Sai Ghose Trio: India Looking West

By Jim Santella
November 1, 2000
View read count

A piano trio is at the very heart of jazz performance. Sai Ghose and his partners improvise individual solos on nearly every track and work together as one cohesive unit. The pianist has a lively approach and loves to drive his melodies without being forceful. Half of the program is original material, which Ghose has chosen to represent factors influencing his work. The tango, the blues, Far-Eastern chants, Duke Ellington, and vibrant standards appear throughout the program without veering from the mainstream. While Ghose claims to blend the cultures of Bengal and the United States, his program contains only minor references to India.

The album's title track drives up-tempo with a deep, dark, mysterious melody. The trio lightens it up so that Ghose's "East meets West" theme can explore both worlds simultaneously. Later, his "Three or Four" toys with meter, alternating the two rhythms in an unpredictable manner. It's refreshing. Standards, such as "Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise," receive a fresh look without straying too far from the beaten path. The Sai Ghose Trio performs timeless music the way Nat and Ella and Louis sang it: straight ahead and loyal to tradition.

Track Listing

Staccato; HMG Blues; India Looking West; In a Sentimental Mood; Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise; There is No Greater Love; Beautiful Love; Three or Four; Close Your Eyes; Night and Day; Time to Come.

Personnel

Sai Ghose

piano

Sai Ghose- piano; Jerry Wilfong- bass; Mike Connors- drums.

Album information

Title: India Looking West | Year Released: 2000 | Record Label: Summit Records

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Gunther Schuller Turns 75!
< Previous

Meet Lynne Arriale
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.