Indian classical music Archive

Ross Hammond & Sameer Gupta – Upward – Prescott

by Audiophile Audition | May 15, 2016 | Jazz CD Reviews

Improvised music which pushes boundaries. Ross Hammond & Sameer Gupta – Upward [TrackList follows] Prescott, 63:28 [3/15/16] ****: (Ross Hammond – 12-string guitar; Sameer Gupta – tabla) Jazz or improvisational duo albums offer something distinct. The reliance on just two instruments means both musicians have to have complete communication. Each artist is always doing something and also in conversation with the other person. Case in point: the hour-long CD, Upward, from guitarist Ross Hammond (who has worked with Oliver Lake, percussionist Alex Cline and others) and tabla player Sameer Gupta (he’s the drummer in the Marc Cary Focus Trio and has backed Grachan Moncur III, Sonny Simmons and more). The number of such guitar/tabla collaborations is a small list, so these two longtime friends have created a record which should appeal to improvisation fans, outsider jazz listeners, Indian music buyers, and those who appreciate guitarists such as John Fahey, Robbie Basho (who also occasionally mixed guitar with Indian percussion) and Sandy Bull. Hammond is a multifaceted player who links blues, folk, Asian-Indian and other influences into his guitar artistry. While he’s used electric guitar on some of his previous outings, here Hammond concentrates on acoustic guitar. Sometimes—such as during the […]