BALANI, TARUN - Dharma (Sealed) (CD)

Accompanied by Sharik Hasan on piano, Tiziano Bianchi on trumpet, Alex Pinto on guitar and Joshua Crumbly on bass, Balani in his new album offers a remarkable, imaginative and cross-cultural body of music, inspired by his Indian roots, whilst emulating and developing the western jazz genre. "My first initiation and experiences of music were at home," recalls Balani. "My father studied Indian classical music. He would listen to Pandit Ravi Shankar and Hari Prasad Chaurasia. My Mom was coming from the Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, and Abba, putting on these records doing household chores. Dharma can be the search for normalcy, understanding the nature and beauty of life, which also encompasses impermanence.