Collin Walcott – Grazing Dreams

If you are a fan of the three Codona albums Collin was involved in with Don Cherry and Nana Vasconcelos then this is the closest album to feature the same open airy ethnic infused atmosphere minus Vasconcelos of course as he did not partake in this venture unfortunately.
Don and Walcotts percussion/sitar/trumpet interplay is playful, intelligent and awe inspiring as very musicians where able to traverse these boundaries with such fluidity. Now add John Abercrombie, Palle Danielson and Brazilian drummer/percussionist Dom Um Romao into the ingredients and voila. the ECM cd has a refined production and spacious.

I have two copies of this specific release, with the exact same record and matrix. But one sleeve is laminated and the other is not.

I think this is a great album, and it's so rare to have sitar work itself out genuinely in a jazz album. Of course, leave it to ECM to produce this album by Walcott, whose career was cut sadly too short by tragedy. Don Cherry is simply fantastic here as well, and rounding out the supreme talent here is John Abercrombie on guitar. It's a beautiful album that could have easily slipped into a sappy new-age sound, that thankfully it never does. It doesn't exactly create any memorable tracks, but sometimes that's for the best as you find yourself listening again and again, discovering the album one more time anew.