Zakir Hussain - Making Music (1987)

This post starts with a thankyou to commenter Doug who jogged my memory about this album, back when I posted the Hariprasad Chaurasia album.  Not sure why I'd let this gorgeous recording from December 1986 sit on the shelf for so long - perhaps it didn't catch my mood when I first picked it up.  In any case, here's one of the vast collection of ECM experiments when a handful of musicians came together and struck gold.

Indian percussionist Zakir Hussain had already worked with Jan Garbarek a couple of years prior to this session (that's coming next week), and Hussain and Chaurasia had also collaborated on more traditional Indian music.  Completing the lineup was John McLaughlin, playing understated acoustic guitar throughout.  After the lengthy title track introduces everyone, some tracks highlight the musicians in pairs or trios and Chaurasia's sublime flute sounds take a starring role almost everywhere they appear.  Garbarek gets a wonderful feature on Anisa, followed by a Hussain solo, and McLaughlin's fleet fingers are highlighted on the all too brief You And Me.  One of the most underrated ECM treasures, not least by me up until now.

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Hariprasad Chaurasia - Fabulous Flute Of Hariprasad Chaurasia (1985)

Meditative, ultra-chilled ragas from bansuri (bamboo flute) master Hariprasad Chaurasia, who was born in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh in 1938.  I've had this on heavy rotation since chancing across it a month ago, and it's a beautifully relaxing 45 minutes that takes in two ragas and a folk tune as a brief closer.  Raga Chandra Kauns is "an evening melody of romantic mood", and the more uptempo Raga Manj Khamaj is "a melody of the night".  Enjoy at those or at any times of day and be transported.

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