The thrill of real music is back, courtesy Electric, the album released days ago by the Amyt Datta Power Quartet, a jazz-rock ensemble of virtuoso musicianship that draws on the aesthetics of the genre, at times pushing boundaries too, to offer an experience that is, well, mind blowing.
The tunes that are flung at you like a sudden gush of wind are a heady amalgamation, encompassing frenetic pace, sublime interludes and emphatic statements, radiating high-octane guitar flourishes aided by an explosive rhythm section of bass (Aakash Ganguly) and drums (SambitC) cushioned in sprightly keyboard (Samrat Mukherjee) chimes.
All save one of the eight tracks showcased in the album, already out on streaming services with a CD release scheduled for Saturday, are reincarnations of Amyt Datta compositions featured in his earlier albums, namely, Ambience de Danse, Amino Acid, Pietra Dura, and the most recent Red Plant that were conceived under different musical sensibilities (acoustic/electric) with varying band structures (duo or trio).
“I have long harboured a sense that these tracks have two faces, calling out for electric avatars,” the guitar guru had told this reviewer about the selection culled from a setlist of over 10 reimagined tunes unveiled two years ago in live performances in Calcutta and Mumbai. Of these, eight have made the grade for this formal release.
The band
The syncopated seduction of the opening track, ‘Intriot’, is an apt introduction with its quick-fire seemingly disparate riffs on keys and guitar. Welcome to our world, the quartet seems to be saying. Accept that privileged invite and the tunes take over, unravelling emotions and stories with flamboyance.
Up next is ‘Red Plant’, a stunner of a track, a plaintive cry at the defilement of nature. ‘Stain’ is intense and prolonged in feel, symbolising, we learn from the liner notes, the trials and tribulations of the creative process, while the propulsive ‘Ironic Bironic’ (Bhairav + harmonic) is about the busy life of modern times.
‘Black Pages’, ‘Erraticus’ and ‘Dark City’ hinge on pronounced grooves, the sophistication coming from the interplay of the bass, keys and drums, especially some back-beat intricacies with the guitar leading the way in extraordinary displays of speed, control and hue.
‘Dark’ City owes its allegiance to Miles Davis's electric era. The youngest of Amyt Datta tunes, this hitherto unreleased, deeply brooding track exudes energy and panache. It is unforgiving in the way it charts its course — one can almost imagine the Joker raising his arms and proposing a toast to Batman in mock admiration while unveiling his next Machiavellian project in Gotham City. The guitar solo here banks on low-key bursts, giving way to a multi-instrumental bridge to transition magically to the emphatic opening riffs. Brilliant.
The bedrock of Amyt Datta's playing is exploration beyond virtuosity. He is challenging himself constantly. The band supplements that philosophy with aplomb as Aakash’s innovative bass, Samrat’s shimmering keys and SambitC’s dexterous fluency on the drums provide for a wide yet tightly framed musical canvas.
Unsurprisingly, therefore, Datta’s solos are varied; each embedded to the tune in myriad fashion, at times raucous (‘Introit’) or tangentially mellifluous (‘Red Plant’); at other times bold, edgy and even delicate in tone and texture (‘Black Pages’, ‘Ironic Bironic’).
Electric has the marks of a landmark album with tunes like seasoned wine, having matured over the years, their vintage roots opening up new horizons. For many though the immediate temptation will be to fall for the ones that rely on the groove (‘Black Pages’, ‘Erraticus’, ‘Dark City’). Succumb to that by all means. But listen hard. The real juice lies in tunes that are more open and diverse in the journey they undertake without ever losing focus on the intended destination.
Amen. Amen indeed!
Electric is out on streaming platforms. CDs available on Free School Street Records.
The package
