Shakti with John McLaughlin LIVE (1975)

Shakti with John McLaughlin - Shakti with John McLaughlin LIVE

1. Joy
2. Lotus Feet
3. What Need Have I For This What Need Have I For That I Am Dancing At The Feet Of My Lord All Is Bliss All Is Bliss

Indian food is amazing. I really don't know what the Indian food is like in America or Europe or other western places but here, in Singapore, it's really, really tasty. And it can be had for so little money! Or a lot of money, if you're so inclined. But really, the rice, yoghurt, vegetables and spiced meat, the thosai, the dhal, the rasam... oh lawdy, I haven't had lunch.

Indian food, however, as in, the food people eat when they go to India, has a curious knack for making the people that I've met violently sick and bringing them closer to the jaws of death than they would care to be. One of my friends, who loves India, considers the chance of DEATH to be a legitimate reason for not visiting it. Not right now. Maybe when he's older and more ready to be snatched from life.

But the best Indian food, should be Indian food, right? And why am I talking about food anyway?

To the uninitiated listener, Indian classical ragas, long droning things based around one scale, can be interminably dull. Especially since they last for hours. Ok, not hours, one hour, maybe half, but still! It's not like Western classical where the structure is all important and the composer actively tries to engage you. It's more a meditative thing that you really have to be in a certain state of mind to appreciate. If not you just fall asleep.

But even though sleep is nice too, the riches and depth of Indian classical music once you get into it, is quite unparalleled, offering a very unique, very special kind of peace of mind and beauty.

So, how do you get into it without sleeping for hours? Well, what I did was, I listened to this album. It's not Indian classical but introduces you to some of the intstruments and the vague form of it. The songs are long but exciting, not meditative, and much easier to get into. There are sparks, flashes of beauty in the tracks, gorgeous melodies that will pull you in and it doesn't take you years to get into, just a couple of weeks, maybe.

In short, this is the Singaporean version of Indian food, which is still very tasty since it is made by actual Indians, some of whom come from India, but is clean enough not to upset your stomach and kill you (or put you to sleep).

Now consume it and godspeed. I'm off to find some Indian food for myself.

Shakti with John McLaughlin - Shakti with John McLaughlin LIVE (mf)