Nearly 25 years separate the selections on Passing Dreams, with initial sessions from 1975 led by Badal Roy teamed with David Liebman's Lookout Farm ensemble and selected East Indian music friends. To expand the total time of this CD, various duet tracks circa 1998 were blended into the original recordings, making for a project that keeps interest flowing no matter the configuration. Roy's world-class tabla playing as heard on John McLaughlin's seminal album My Goals Beyond and the Miles Davis fusion blockbuster Dark Magus connected him to Liebman as a collaborator on those seminal recordings of the early fusion 1970s. Furthering their partnership, Liebman dedicated his AM/Horizon LP Sweet Hands to Roy, and upon a trip to Bombay the two solidified their bond, resulting in the music heard on this refreshing album. The larger ensemble pieces combine the best of both traditional ethnic and creative improvised jazz worlds. Frank Tusa's lyrical, soaring, and free bowed basslines glide alongside the cascading piano of Richie Beirach, the alto flute of Liebman, the sarangi of Ustad Sultan Khan, Arjun Sehgal's sarod or sitar, and the lithe tabla playing of Roy on the title track. Equator has the admitted feeling of John Coltrane's Equinox, with time suspensions over ten swelling minutes of bliss merging into a jazz waltz swing. Of the many configurations in duet format, Tusa's serenity and Sehgal's contrasting activity are quite bluesy during Atma, with Liebman's C flute and Roy's deep tabla very cohesive on Dhun, while the same pairing for Ajoy and Moti Mahal employs soprano sax and sitar or tambura, ultimately unforced and peaceful. Attuned to the aspect of communicative village calls, Vale of Kashmir is more vocal from an instrumental standpoint, especially considering the wood flute sound of Liebman in birdlike, near cartoonish fashion speaking in tongues with Roy's witty tabla. There's one track where the Americans sit out and the Eastern musicians go at it on Sultan Bhai, a modernized raga in singing sounds slowly sped up into a fervor over seven minutes. Badal Roy is primarily known as a sideman, in contemporary times with pianist Michael Wolff, so this look back is valuable to all who treasure his contributions, to jazz and to his heritage. It's a highly recommended recording for tabla students and fans of world music, and instructive as well as enjoyable to the public in general. ~ Michael G. Nastos, Rovi

1		Passing Dreams
2		Dadrain
3		Atma
4		Dhun
5		Equator
6		Vale of Kashmir
7		Moti Mahal
8		Ajoy
9		Sultan Bhai

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