Produced by Chris Gartner, & Ravi Naimpally
featuring: Mark Feldman (violin), DJ Olive, and master sarangi player Dhruva Ghosh
Meditation (fretless bass-vocal unison)
reviews
"The complete experience of the album leaves the listener feeling as if they had been traveling, shifting in and out of place, space and time. The “trippiness” of the music can largely be attributed to the soundscaping of producer/bassist Chris Gartner... Fragments of electronica sneak up on you in a delightful and unjarring kind of way."
The Whole Note
"Bija" Video animation by
Nikolas Tsonis.
All the sounds heard for the first
90 seconds are created soley from
multi-tracked bass
"With Tasa’s recent release ALCHEMY, their latest and most magical collection of Indo-Jazz
and improvisational virtuosity, the group has reached a whole new level of excitement".
Oye! Times
"From the meditative to the visceral, Alchemy marks a milestone in Tasa's career.
It's significant because Alchemy is Tasa's tour de force. I've written about every record the group's released since its 1999 debut, Bhakti, and while those featured flashes of brilliance, this one shines brightly throughout... The disc features guests as diverse as violinist Mark Feldman, a key figure in New York's avant-improv scene, master sarangi player Dhruba Ghosh, and Brooklyn's DJ Olive. Also noteworthy is the inclusion of "soundscapes" courtesy of Tasa's bassist Chris Gartner.
"Chris has always been exploring textures and soundscapes, and he has been slowly incorporating those elements into our live show," Naimpally says.
"I asked him to help produce the new album so he could bring those elements to the new disc. I knew I wanted to take this CD in a different direction and
Chris was able to do that in a way that didn't take away from the live feel of the band."
Errol Nazareth, Toronto Sun
photos from the Alchemy cd release concert at the Glenn Gould Theatre with special guest Hugh Marsh