Denver-based saxophonist Aakash Mittal dips deeper into his East Indian roots on his sophomore release, the suite-like Videsh. An artist of eclectic tastes, Mittal has focused on original compositions in the past few years as well as drawing on the influences of his father’s homeland, enhanced by recent visits and studies with renowned Indian musicians. Mittal notes on his liner note that “Videsh” means “foreign” – his self-description of feelings on his first trip to visit relatives in India which inspired this music.  

Mittal plays alto saxophone, flute, clarinet and electronic tambura, as well as adding field samples. He opens with the short and haunting “Subeh” (“the morning”) which folds into the bustling “The Street”, his frenetic reminisce of the chaotic Indian urban roadways. His memories of the sights, smells and sounds that “overwhelmed my senses” effectively come close to overwhelming the listener, but prove invigorating rather than confusing. A peaceful respite follows with “Om Shanti,” a Hindu greeting, enriched by the delicate arco prayer of bassist Jean-Luc Davis. 

Mittal moves to “afternoon” with the brief sax solo, “Dopahar”, leading into “Chapal ki Dukaan,” inspired by an encounter at a sandal store. Written particularly for drummer Josh Moore, the composition might be described as “Eastern Funk,” Mittal creating a horn vamp over which Moore works his thumpy magic before taking a solo that suggests multiple drummers. “Bimaari” has the most classical feel of the set, based on twelve-tone rows as improvised by the quartet. The grandeur of the Taj Mahal inspired “Mughal Impressions,” featuring guitarist Matt Fuller and an opening clarinet solo from Mittal. Anticipation, excitement, and awe follow the listener on this journey to one of the wonders of the world. 

Evening falls with “Shaam”, described by Mittal as based on the notes of evening ragas of Hindustani classical music in a meditational style. The composer creates an ambient electronic swirl (sax and tambura? in tandem with Fuller’s beautiful lines) over Davis’s ruminative bass and showers of cymbals from Moore. The hymnal feel is as much European and Eastern. “Ishaa” pays tribute to Mittal’s cousin, and presumedly it is her voice we hear in the samples audible below the deep and melodic saxophone. Mittal delivers an acapella solo here, stunning and cantorial, with touches of Coltrane, before the quartet shifts toward a more American post bop ballad resolution.  

“Hindustani Song II” (#1 was on the earlier release, Possible Beginnings) also uses a rag foundation for the braiding together of saxophone and guitar, sort of an Indian version of call and response over a booming drum vamp, extending into full group improv.  “A Cumin Seed in the Mouth of a Camel” bursts with the energy of bebop and the harmonies of East Meets West. Night arrives with “Raat,” influenced by the evening ragas of North India, the hollow beauty of Mittal’s flute suggesting a Charles Lloyd incantation. 

Listening to Aakash Mittal, it is easy to conjure a fusion of Lloyd and Rudresh Mahanthappa, a combination that transcends both East and West.  

The Aakash Mittal Quartet performs at theTwin Cities Jazz Festival (7:30 pm, June 18th) and Late Night at the Dakota on June 19th. Visit www.aakashmittal.com