Fareed Haque: 32 Taxis

Track

32 Taxis

Group

Fareed Haque + The Flat Earth Ensemble

CD

Flat Planet (Owl Studios OWL 00133)

Buy Track

Musicians:

Fareed Haque (guitar),

Ganesh Kumar (kanjira, vocals)

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Composed by Fareed Haque

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Recorded: Summer/Fall 2008

Albumcoverfareedhaque-theflatearthensemble-flatplanet

Rating: 90/100 (learn more)

Improvising on Ganesh Kumar's 32 quarter-note beats, Fareed Haque builds an imagery of taxis at a busy Calcutta intersection … thus the title. Kumar accentuates his kanjira beat with konnakul (a percussive vocal scatting native to South India), laying a solid subcontinental foundation for Haque. The multitalented Haque weaves rich layers of two jazz guitars and a classical guitar, creating a floating, dreamy tapestry that lumbers along while Kumar is sprinting. Listening is like watching a person on film move serenely in real time while the scenery around him is sped up. It takes a good deal of understanding music from several corners of the world to put together a song like "32 Taxis." Fareed Haque and Ganesh Kumar bring all those corners together in India's third-largest city.

Reviewer: S. Victor Aaron

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