September 1997

Fareed Haque
Deja Vu
Blue Note Records

By Deni Kasrel

The album Deja Vu so embodies the flower child era it would seem a difficult task for Haque, a player at home in classical and mainstream jazz genres, to remake it with authenticity. But he does. Haque captures the original cast's innocent, often dreamy spirit and sweet harmonies while adding fresh accents, like a more deeply layered tone and broader diversity of rhythmic elements. A satisfying eloquent update of an enduring classic.