Meet Me Anywhere

New Jazz and World Music
Since Natraj 's inception in 1987, the group's music has evolved steadily to encompassIndian concepts like raga and tala along with many aspects of African ensemble playing, but without abandoning such necessities of jazz as swing, groove and taking chances. Make no mistake, these guys take a lot of chances. Natraj's arrangements are carefully structured, but when it comes to improvisation you can never know what's going to happen - and that's the essence of jazz no matter what other musical streams are present. When the group plays one of my tunes I can anticipate only one thing: that they'll surprise me. Phil Scarff's arrangements highlight the soloists musical personalities along with their chops, and players like Jerry Leake, Mike Rivard and Russ Gold rise to the occasion. - Warren Senders