Cosmic Jugalbandi

In classical Indian music, a jugalbandi is a duet by two (usually) different instruments, each musician taking turns interpreting the raga and responding to the other’s ideas in real time. For Michael Wadada, who led a shifting group of musicians under the name Suns of Arqa, it meant more than just a combination of two different instruments, but also the juxtaposition of two radically different kinds of music: Indian classical and Jamaican dub. If that sounds like either a weird or a sacrilegious combination to you, I encourage you to give it a listen. The arrangements manage to draw deeply and respectfully on both traditions, to stunning effect.