SPRING FOR SPRING MUSIC

Bonnie Bramlett
Roots, Blues and Jazz
Zoho
http://www.zohomusic.com

Karsh Kale
Broken English
Niyaz
Remixed EP(digital only)
Six Degrees Records
http://www.sixdegreesrecords.com

The Jaco Pastorius Big Band
The Word Is Out
Spyro Gyra
Wrapped In A Dream
Heads Up Records
http://www.headsup.com

s we leave the frosty days of winter behind (the weather forecast for the coming weeks showing a daily increase of a degree or two) and looking forward to those April showers(and Macy's flower show) that come with the season, it is also time to discover new music – and this season is a promising one from some of the records we've sampled over the last few weeks:

For those into good soul music, may we recommend Bonnie Bramlett, who is joined by the Mr. Groove Band for a Cd entitled Roots Blues and Jazz(Zoho). Bramlett has had a long history in the business. Starting off as one of The Ikettes with Ike & Tina Turner (the first Caucasian in the group), she achieved great success in the 70s with Delaney and Bonnie. In the new album, she presents some original material and while giving her own voice to classics such as "Love The One You're With", Chuck Berry's "No Particular Place To Go" and Bordeaux Bryant's "Love Hurts".

Although she attempts to take a more jazzy approach to the arrangements, her voice undeniably comes from the soul, and you can feel the influence of Etta James and Aretha Franklin in her singing. Pay attention to the original "I Can Laugh About it Now", that tells a hilarious story of her band being arrested for playing too long, and listen how she makes Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come" her own with a little help from fellow former Ikettes Robbie Montgomery and Jessie Lucas.

On the world music front, Karsh Kale emerges with his new album on the Six Degrees label, Broken English. Here, this Indian-inspired musician brings his diversity of sounds to new heights by including a larger range of sounds into his music. On the opening track, MC Napoleon raps in English while Vishal Vaid sings in Hindi with a backing of Western and Eastern drums, which serves almost as a statement for the CD's direction.

One of the most interesting moments is "Free Fall", which has rock and roll drumming, distorted guitars and Indian flute that somehow seamlessly blend together. Singer Trixie Reiss handles the lead, while Sabiha Khan provides Indian vocals, resulting in a very danceable track. We are then taken to a more relaxing moment on "Drive", which has more of a lounge feel with sitars backed by a soft electronic beat.

The strongest track is definitely "City Lights", a rock ballad which features beautifully played acoustic guitar, sitar solos and heartfelt vocals by bandmember Todd Michalsen, who draws inspiration from Bono without necessarily becoming an imitator.

Persian-inspired group Niyaz impressed us a few months ago with their most recent release, bringing a mix of contemporary and traditional music to a new realm. This blend is taken even further with the new digital-only release Niyaz Remixed EP, which is available for download from http://www.sixdegreesrecords.com.

On this four-track EP, Djs such as Junkie XL (who brought Elvis back to the singles charts with his take on "Too Much Conversation") and the Midival Punditz give their point of view on two of the group's original songs, "Dilruba" and "Allahi Allah".

Obviously intended for dance floors, this EP brings some welcome surprises: Although Junkie XL uses a lot of his trademark beats on his track, he also respects the song's original feel, pausing them halfway to give it a certain "dreamy" effect.

Midival Punditz, however, had a different view. Hailing from India, they give more of an electro-banghra feel to "Allahi Allah", enriching it with more percussion. The original oud (an instrument commonly used in Middle Eastern music)played in the album is used here for effect, and the result is a very danceable tune that doesn't lose touch with its World Music heritage.

In his brief but brilliant career, the late bassist and composer Jaco Pastorius changed the face of electric bass in the realm of modern jazz, and in The Word Is Out (Heads Up), a new album conducted by Peter Graves, the Pastorius big band and several guests revisit some of his greatest moments.

83-year-old harmonica man Toots Thielemans guests brilliantly in "Las Olas", and bassist Gerald Veasley steps into Jaco's shoes on "Dania", giving his own take on the song. Arturo Sandoval provides a breathtaking solo on the medley "Blackbird/Word of Mouth", which also features a beautiful solo by soprano saxophonist Ed Calle. Mike Stern contributes a beautiful solo with his effects-laden guitar on Pat Metheny's "Sirabhorn", which also has fantastic fretless bass work by Mark Egan, who took private lessons with Jaco in the 70s.

Pastorius himself makes an appearance on "Reza" – the twisting bassline having been extracted from an unreleased live recording from the 80s. Listen also to "Beaver Patrol", in which Victor Wooten plays a funky slap bass that serves as a perfect backdrop for the band and Hiram Bullock's very electric guitar solo.

In Wrapped In a Dream (Heads Up), iconic jazz group Spyro Gyra goes further into its quest for musical exploration by taking their sounds into several directions. The bandmembers (they all wrote tracks for the disc) seamlessly go from light to Brazilian jazz, also veering into more funk-inflected moments.

For instance, in "After The Storm", guitarist Julio Fernandez begins with a Mississippi-inspired guitar lick, which shortly develops into a more complex piece, albeit keeping the general bluesy feel intact. In Woogytybop, Jay Beckstein provides vocals in a tune that tips its hat to the acapella vocal groups of the 50s, giving the style a modern jazz feel with clever piano and sax licks.

They immediately grab your attention with "Spyro Time", a fast-paced Brazil-meets-funk piece that demands a lot from bass player Scott Ambush, who delivers accordingly. Listen also to "The Voodooyoodoo, a rumba-inspired moment that showcases guest percussionist Cyro Baptista and which also features great guitar work from Fernandez.