Saxophonist George Brooks is not one to stay close to the idiomatic homebase of jazz, having collaborated with musicians as diverse as Etta James, Terry Riley, Anthony Braxton and the Kronos Quartet. On his latest album Lasting Impression (Moment 1016; 44:15), Brooks looks eastward, combining jazz conventions and approaches that incorporate North Indian improvisation and rhythmic aspects. The connection doesn’t always make sense, as a jazz rhythm section interacts with Zakir Hussain’s work on tabla and percussion and Krishna Bhatt adds sitar. Intentions are good, though, as is the playing.
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