Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #61374 in DVD
• Released on: 2008-03-25
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 180 minutes

Review
East-West fusions are so common now that the idea of a British guitarist with a jazz-rock pedigree mixing it up with Indian classical musicians raises no eyebrows. But in 1975, when John McLaughlin debuted Shakti, the concept and the music itself were downright alien, especially in comparison to the Mahavishnu Orchestra, which McLaughlin had just disbanded. Here was McLauglin sitting cross-legged, surrounded by Zakir Hussain's tablas, L.Shankar's Indian violin and Vikku Vinayakram on the ghatam, a bowl-like percussion instrument. McLaughlin had traded in his double-necked electric for an acoustic, found commonalities in places few had previously explored and, with his new cohorts, taken it all somewhere new. By 1977 it was over.

Remember Shakti, the reconstituted iteration of of the group that came together in the late '90s, is softer, more nuanced and less showy than its younger predecessor. From the earlier lineup, only McLaughlin and Hussain remain. U. Shrinivas on mandolin, V. Selvaganesh on kanjira, ghatam and mridangam, and vocalist Shankar Mahadevan fill out the group, and although the general approach has not changed radically, it's a more mature Shakti showcased here in performance footage filmed in Bombay in 2000 and Montreux four years later. In interviews that supplement the live music, both McLaughlin and Hussain recall the bond they formed upon first meeting in the '70s. They were, says Hussain, "like two minds, two thoughts, one action."

That telepathy still exists between the pair as well as the others. On "Giriraj Sudha," the opening number from Bombay, the rhythms are airtight and the playing mesmeric, even as McLaughlin's guitar sits out much of the tune, the co-leader preferring to clap his hands in wide-arcing forward movements. When he does hit the strings, he does so with a more graceful, unhurried touch than he ever would have considered in the '70s.

To underscore the differences, '70s footage of the first Shakti, and even some brief Mahavishnu, is generously interspersed. Although Hussain now utilizes electronic percussion in addition to his tablas, Remember Shakti somehow seems even more organic and single-minded than the pineering group being remembered.
- Jeff Tamarkin --JazzTimes - June 2008

Review
A concert in support of the 2000 CD Saturday Night In Bombay offers the first of three concerts. The other two are excerpted Montreux shows from 1976 and 2004. Going from color to black and white to color (a distraction), the Bombay show offers proof of what the CD could only hint at: the picture of relaxed intimate creative expression among members - intense, traditional and jazzy. In the morphing Shakti and Remember Shakti, the melding of classical Indian technique and Western jazz improvisation finds the perfect expression.
- John Ephland --DownBeat - July 2008

Customer Reviews

The name says it all.
I'll keep this review brief; there is simply not alot for me to say, as music like this speaks for itself. You will be hard-pressed to find another group of musicians who both look and sound so joyous in performance. Everyone in this group is as much a music-lover as they are a music-player. Smiles and laughs abound amongst the bandmates, and at times their improvisations sound more mirthful and giddy than the musicians themselves, and that's saying alot! If this performance doesn't bring a smile to your face, I fear you're beyond hope.
Add to this a wonderful feature-length interview with Messrs. McLaughlin & Hussain, documenting the history of this groundbreaking band, as well as classic clips of performances by the original Shakti (and even one of the 1st Mahavishnu Orchestra!) and you have a DVD package that's worth twice it's price. 5 stars +++

Incredible!
While at first this may seem "out there" if you just let go of "your idea" of what music is, your mind/body will soak it up like a sponge. It is so amazing what talented musicians can do...and being able to see them perform plus being able to see all the different instruments makes this a truly enjoyable experience.

An absolute must for McLaughlin/Shakti fans
I've been following McLaughlin since the mid 1970s, but I've never before gotten such an in-depth presentation about this underappreciated group.

Musically, you get both old Shakti and new Shakti; in my opinion, every iteration of this group has produced some of the most vital and inspiring music on the planet. The sound quality is surprisingly good, even on the 1970s material - it's almost as good as on the Columbia Shakti releases. The video quality's at best OK on the older material, but what can you expect?

The interviews section goes into great depth - and told me much I didn't know - about how Shakti originally came together, how it reformed, and how it came to so gracefully combine various aspects of Indian and Western music. I learned much about Indian music in the process. One of my favorite moments is a brief tabla solo by Hussain, which shows both his extraordinary skill and the incredible range of his seemingly simple percussion instrument.

I rented this off Netflix but I'm buying a copy.