Unexpected Guests
Factor, 2020
8/10
A long running Canadian outfit spearheaded by Ritesh Das, this 7th album from Toronto Tabla Ensemble recruits no shortage of grooves as Craig Downie, Nagata Shachu, George Koller, Raaginder Singh Momi, Alysha Addetia and Maryem Hassan Tollar are on hand with their respective talents.
“Dream Symposium” starts the listen with playful percussion and plenty of ambience while much cultured rhythm enters the hypnotic landscape, and “Unexpected Guests” follows with spirited bag pipes from Downie in the frisky and dance friendly setting.
Further on, “Toronoto Tabla Youth Ensemble” uses keys strategically in the quick display of acrobatic drumming that almost sounds robotic, while “Monkey Tale” spends over 9 minutes impressing us with its proficient sitar and lush landscape.
At the end, “What’s Going On?” gets a bit spacey in its exploration that emits sublime, wordless vocals as the music mesmerizes with a cinematic quality, and “Raghupati” exits the listen with expressive singing and plenty of melodies, harmonies and memorableness from an Eastern angle.
Das has played everything from rock’n’roll to jazz, and with TTE he’s been Juno nominated, which is no surprise when you hear the gorgeous textures and superbly rich compositions of Unexpected Guests.
Travels well with: Catherine MacLellan- Coyote; Divahn- Shalhevet