Walking On

1	Walking On / The State of Bengal 4:56
2	Tori / The State of Bengal 8:15
3	Pluck / The State of Bengal 6:39
4	Alma Ata / The State of Bengal 4:58
5	Jungle Symphony / The State of Bengal Live 3:38
6	Betelnutters / The State of Bengal 6:20
7	Tanusree / The State of Bengal 6:08
8	Throw Down / The State of Bengal 5:29
9	Love & Passion / The State of Bengal 6:10
10	Reverse / The State of Bengal 6:51
11	Streets of Calcutta / The State of Bengal Live 4:46

Barnes & Noble

In the U.K.'s Asian Underground circles, Ananda Shankar's 30-something-year-old "Streets of Calcutta" is the ultimate old-school jam, revered as a subcontinental "Rapper's Delight." Because Shankar's prescient mix of Indian instruments and aesthetics with Western funk and rock anticipated much of the current DJ-fueled British Asian subculture, it was only a matter of time before an enterprising producer secured Shankar's sitar talents for a new recording. That time very nearly ran out -- Shankar passed away suddenly in March of '99, shortly after the recording and tour that would yield this exciting intergenerational enounter. With the production know-how of Sam Zaman, a.k.a. State of Bengal, Shankar's retro-funky sitar runs are enhanced by veena flutes, go-go guitars, chattering tablas, and junglist programming. One of the best finds on Talvin Singh's ANOKHA compilation, Zaman neatly walks the line between homage and send-up, invoking the groovy '60s beats of vintage Indian film music and the deeper electronic textures that give this wild set credence on today's dance floors. Two live tracks, "Jungle Symphony" and "Streets of Calcutta," bring out the muscular punch, while the remaining instrumentals vary from chop-socky action soundtracks to dubwise chillouts. Somewhere, Ananda Shankar is smiling. Mark Schwartz

All Music Guide

This is a very groovy release, in the true late-'60s/early-'70s sense of the word. Sitarist Ananda Shankar, the nephew of Ravi Shankar, has been blending Indian instrumentation with Western sounds for decades, using rock and jazz grooves as launching pads for some very inspired jams. His music was recently rediscovered by DJ and producer Sam Zaman, also known as State of Bengal. Zaman put together a group of crack musicians to work with Shankar. The project, as it was now called, appeared at WOMAD and toured up until the time of Shankar's death in March of 1999. There are some wonderfully retro sounds on this disc, as well as some uniquely forward-looking material. "Tori" is pure '60s spy-movie music, with its swirling flute and funky backbeat. If Mike Meyers decides to do a third Austin Powers movie, here's his soundtrack. The slow dance groove of the title track features lots of interplay between Shankar and veena player Dr. Gopal Shankar Misra over a tight drum and bass backdrop. Hopped-up flamenco, reggae, hip-hop, '70s funk, psychedelia, and even a little musique concrète make appearances on other tracks. It's all delivered with lavish abandon and a sense of fun. Dig it. ~ Peggy Latkovich, All Music Guide