Shakti: This Moment

Forty-six years is a hefty chunk of time between studio releases. Half a lifetime, in fact. Shakti, however, is no ordinary band. The lengthy hiatuses that have punctuated the pioneering Indo-jazz band's fifty-year journey have not dimmed the collaborative flame of co-founders John McLaughlin and Zakir Hussain. Following its 2012-13 tour, they placed the dust covers over the band—redubbed Remember Shakti in 1997—once more. That hiatus soon seemed set to be permanent following the premature death of mandolinist Uppalapu Srinivas in 2014. Not so.

After a period of mourning, however, McLaughlin, Hussain and long-time members vocalist Shankar Mahadevan (vocals) and Selvaganesh Vinayakram (mridangam) recruited violinist Ganesh Rajagopalan for a one-off Remember Shakti gig in India, in early 2019. The pandemic put the kibosh on more extensive touring, but the remotely recorded Is That So? (Abstract Logix, 2020)—a McLaughlin-Hussain-Mahadevan collaboration—held the promise of another go round.

And so it is, that Shakti—having reverted to its original moniker—returns with its first studio outing since Natural Elements (CBS, 1977).

The single, "Mohanam," is an elegant, vibrant calling card from This Moment (Abstract Logix), due for a summer 2023 release. Lively percussion, catchy motifs and two, three or four-part konokol lines form the canvas over which Shankar Mahadevan's voice soars majestically. McLaughlin and Rajagopalan nip in and out with darting melodic runs, sounding as one, then taking turns to revel. Players dance in and out, creating an ever-fluid mosaic where melodious unison, playful call-and- response and flashes of darting improvisation are the primary elements. Six minutes of joy.