The Ethiopian Princess Meets the Tantric Priest: Indigo Trio

Rogue Art 2011

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"Indigo Trio's musical approach is full of singularities. First, the quartet sounds peculiar: the slender high-pitched metallic flutes contrast with the low woody bass and the deep animal drums. The music relies also on shades, the flutes drawing sinuous lines while the rhythm section creates a groove-centric background ("Wind Current"). The group plays free ("Top Secret"), close to contemporary music ("Inside the Earth"), with an African touch ("The Ethiopian Princess Meets the Tantric Priest") and almost mainstream ("Ambre Sunset"). Whatever the direction, the music always remains linked with melody and pulse.

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As far as the Ethiopian Princess and the Tantric Priest are concerned, they light the fireworks with tactful dialogues ("Top Secret"), almost Debussy-like questions and answers ( "Dérives"), stylish counterpoints ("Return of the Sun"), spinning duets ("Call Back"), impetuous reshufflings ("Ambre Sunset"), majestic moments ("The Ethiopian Princess Meets The Tantric Priest") and funny pieces reminiscent of Rahsaan Roland Kirk ("Call Back," "Ambre Sunset"). The musical connivance between Mitchell and Édelin finds its roots in the kind of free music without borders that both artists have been developing for years, in the steps of the AACM, John Coltrane, andDon Cherry.

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The Ethiopian Princess Meets The Tantric Priest is not a musical meeting between Ethiopia and India—and is even less a cocktail of African rhythms and Indian raga, nor a mixture of jazz and world music. Instead, Lucy and Shiva meet together to play their own music, genuine and powerful."--Bob Hatteau, allaboutjazz

The Ethiopian Princess Meets the Tantric Priest