Track Listing

1. Govinda
2. Mahadeva
3. Nataraja
4. Gopala
5. Surya

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8183 in Music
• Released on: 2004-03-16
• Number of discs: 1

Album Description
Jai Uttal—premier world music composer and 2003 Grammy® nominee—offers a moving mix of melody, rhythms, and chants with Music for Yoga and Other Joys. Known for his eclectic blend of East-meets-West sound, Jai offers listeners his first album created especially for yoga practice. More than 60 minutes of sensual music featuring dotar, electric guitar, and slide tamboura, all complemented by Jai’s full, golden-toned voice. Produced in collaboration with Ben Leinbach. Also an excellent choice for meditating, gardening, driving, and bodywork.

Amazon.com
Music for yoga is such a cliché that you could slap that moniker on a Barry Manilow CD and have it sold as a soundtrack for Downward Facing Dog pose. Yoga music has become a made-to-order commodity, and rarely attains the level of art. The title Music for Yoga and Other Joys doesn't bode well, but then, it has Jai Uttal, a veteran of world fusion going back 15 years and a devotee of kirtan singing teaming up with multi-instrumentalist Ben Leinbach for a series of extended improvisations. Leinbach creates a shifting back drop of chilled, Indian-derived grooves and textures like liquid mercury dipped in a fractal swirl. It's a perfect modal backdrop for Uttal, who improvises freely on an Indian stringed instrument called the dotar, electric guitar, and even banjo. Pieces like the 26-minute "Govinda" extend in a free fall until a rhythm loop drops in. Uttal swaps to a fuzzed out electric guitar solo that eventually merges into an improvised kirtan, his voice coiling in note-bending spirals like soul singing from the east. This may be music for yoga, but it's the other joys that will keep you coming back. --John Diliberto

About the Artist
Jai Uttal is a pioneer in the world music community. His musical roots embrace a rich variety of cultures and traditions that span the globe and the centuries. From the hillbilly music of the Appalachian mountains to the passionate strains of Bengali street singers, from the haunting rhythms and melodies of ancient India to contemporary electric rock sounds, Jai’s music distills the essence of diverse musical forms. Ben Leinbach is a master drummer, songwriter, and studio whiz who has worked with many well-known artists in nearly every musical genre.

Customer Reviews

Perfect!
I love anything by Jai Uttal, but in my opinion this CD takes the prize. I am a yoga instructor and every time I play this CD for our practice, more than a few students come up and ask me about it. The music is haunting and hypnotic and there is something about it that reaches into your soul. I and many of my students have gotten into that "yoga zone" by the end of the practice -- after savasana, some have told me that they definitely were in a different place because of the music. Buy this CD, you won't regret it.
Namaste!

PERFECT for yoga practice, relaxing, or just anytime
I teach yoga and have been looking for a good solid cd to use during class. I have found several ok ones, but there are always a few tracks on each one that I have to skip over. But "Music for Yoga and Other Joys" is solid straight thru. Each track flows nicely with the track following it, and the music is really condusive to setting a mellow, meditative or just plain relaxing tone. It is also a perfect blend of eastern and western-influenced music, without sounding cheesy--
HIGHLY recommended!

One of the best CD's for yoga!!!
This is probably one of the best CD's for yoga music. Kirtan artist and eclectic composer, Jai Uttal, teams up with talented musician, Ben Leinbach to produce an album that is evocative, sensuous and meditative. There is an almost hypnotic vibe to this collection of songs - it seems to bring one into a state of tranquility almost instantly. Very chilling, very groovy. Every time I play this one in my yoga classes, my students always comment on how good it makes them feel. Buy it!