FYC: RAGAS & WALTZES (BEST CONTEMPORARY INSTRUMENTAL ALBUM)
Ragas & Waltzes is an ode to the power of nostalgia.
Dedicated to Charu's father who died of a sudden heart attack in December, the album pays tribute to both Indian ragas and European waltzes --both which her dad introduced the young composer to while she was growing up in India. In this album, she reimagines both musical styles through her own voice and lens. Produced and mixed by GRAMMY ®-winning Lonnie Park, the album is her first collaboration with Preservation Hall jazz drummer, Joe Lastie.
What critics are saying...
Aside from its fascinating aesthetic, Suri’s music tells a personal story. It reflects her years as a traveling piano prodigy and the experiences that she has gathered along the way. That international story continues to be told on her new album, Ragas & Waltzes, produced by Lonnie Park, a GRAMMY ® Award winner. The new full-length offers a tender and stylish marriage between the music of the East and the music of the West. - JAZZIZ Magazine
What (Charu) does with her fourth album release, Ragas & Waltzes, is to tip her pork pie hat to her father, with a lovely exploration of European and Indian musical traditions. The disc opens with a one-two-three combination of waltzes—"Vienna Waltz," "Verona Waltz" and "Waltz For My Father." These are all Suri originals, with which she creates a mood that is a mix, tune-by-tune, of longing and solemnity, then of a lilting and uplifting beauty, segueing into tender reverence that shifts gear into a segment of lively swing before drifting back to loving respect. And that swing is surely inspired by New Orleans' Preservation Hall Jazz Band's drummer, Joe Lastie, Jr., sitting in the recording session's drummer's chair. -- All About Jazz
Ragas & Waltzes are not your grandmother’s waltzes. These are genre defying blissful combinations that are worlds apart. Your heart and spirit will thank you for the experience. - R J Lannan, Artisan Music Reviews.
Charu Suri: piano/composer
Joe Lastie: Drums
Noshir Mody: Guitar
Denise Fink: Harp
Philip Vaiman: Violin
Al Jewer: Flutes
Justin Lee: Double Bass
Lonnie Park: Producer/Mixing
Tom Eaton: Mastering
