Making Music is an appropriate title for this meeting of bandleader Zakir Hussain with flutist Hariprasad Chaurasia, guitarist John McLaughlin, and saxophonist Jan Garbarek. Rather than call it “fusion” or some variation thereof, it is music being made for the joy of creation. Garbarek reignites some of the fires he set on earlier recordings with Shankar, while McLaughlin showcases his mastery of classical forms, matching the tabla master’s charisma with ease. To my ears, however, Chaurasia is the one to focus on. His dialogues with McLaughlin (“Zakir” and “Sabah”) in particular reveal a style without the need for delineation.

– Tyran Grillo