Suites

There is a lot to like on this diverse album, the second put together and led by Brussels-based sitarist Joachim Lacrosse. He is again joined by some very polished musicians, bringing together instruments such as South India percussion, western strings, guitar and keyboard. Some of the music does not stray too far from the Indian traditions in which Lacrosse is steeped. There are some lovely classical vocals on the traditional ‘Aigiri Nandini’ and the syllabic recitation on cross-over ‘Sapamapa’ is effective with a catchy rhythmic underpinning on sitar and cello. I also really like the beautifully played extended cello techniques (from Merryl Havard) combining with the sitar on ‘Maya’, which bring a lot to what is an otherwise fairly typical jor-like track. However, on other tracks the musicians spread their wings a bit further. The two excellent saxophonists, Grégoire Tirtiaux and Frédéric Becker get jazzy outings on ‘Kabir Flowers’ and ‘Walking Om’. The perhaps less successful ‘Les chant des goals’ may not be to everyone's taste, and feels a bit rough in conception, but there is some charm to the chanson-like singing as the lines are passed from person to person. The attractive, if unstartling, playing on ‘NSD Carmen’ stays in the same sentimental territory, as does ‘Time Flies’, whose vocals are less appealing. The album finishes with a short but effective sitar track, which brings us back again to more traditional territory.