Blueberry Cave

Garaj Mahal is a quartet of the highest pedigree and features Kai Eckhardt's globetrotting bass work, Fareed Haque's virtuostic guitar ability, Alan Hertz' unfathomable drumming, and Eric Levy's gymnastic keys meeting in a spiritual coalescence of jazz-style improvisation, mystical middle-eastern atmospheres, and danceable American funk. With Blueberry Cave, Garaj Mahal has achieved a new level of cohesion in the studio. Whereas their debut studio album (Mondo Garaj) was recorded within days of the band's formation, Blueberry Cave shows the positive effect of years spent honing their musical relationship on the road. The album's 10 tracks offer glimpses into the band's cavalcade of musical abilities, like exotic global sounds, breakneck fusion workouts, burbling funk, and their own signature style of songwriting. Over the course of the disc, the listener will find that the band is equally adept at simmering grooves ("Alvin," "Bicycling In Bombay"), complex compositions ("The Paladin," "Blueberry Cave"), fun-loving funk jams ("No 'Spect," "Cosmic Elevator"), and raucous rhythms ("The Shadow," "Massive"). There's even some turntable work from DJ Fly that adds subtle accents to the band's percolating performances. Warning: Parental Advisory: Contains explicit lyrics.