For years, sitarist Neel Murgai dreamed of recording Terry Riley’s In C. And why not? Besides being an avant-classical composer and pianist, Riley spent decades singing, playing and studying with Hindustani vocalist Pandit Pran Nath, who’s remained his greatest influence. So after tackling Prince’s “Purple Rain,” which is astonishingly good, Alice Coltrane’s “Blue Nile” (ditto) and John Coltrane’s “Alabama” (ditto), Murgai and Brooklyn Raga Massive decided they were ready for something suitably massive. BRM’s In C stretches out for a full 74 minutes, with 18 musicians—on a cross-cultural mix of cajón, oud, sitar, tabla and more—cycling through these 53 cells of short, repetitive fragments and coming together in a perfect picture of heterophony. That’s the genius of Riley’s composition, and in the same way that Africa Express’ In C sounds like Bamako and the Ukrainian Improvisers Orchestra’s In C sounds like Kiev, BRM’s In C sounds just like Brooklyn. It’s a pulsing polyglot swirl that’s deeply studious and wildly adventurous, full of form and freedom. A stunning reimagining of Riley’s masterpiece.
—Kenny Berkowitz
