Ray Spiegel Ensemble - Moksha (2014)

Veteran musician Ray Spiegel and his Woodstock, NY-based ensemble have recently released an exciting world music album entitled Moksha. The word “moksha” is a Sanskrit term that means liberation or release. This is most appropriate in that the music, while based in traditional Indian Ragas and rhythms, breaks free from strict classical forms by integrating “the full spectrum of moods, grooves, and tempos of East and West from hard driving dance beats to meditative spiritually oriented music.”
While many Western musicians dabble with the exotic sounds of the East, Ray Spiegel has an extensive formal education that is impressive, to say the least. Although he started his musical journey on clarinet at the age of six, Ray went on to learn a wide variety of instruments including Indian folk drums, vibraphone, marimba, and assorted western and Asian percussion. However he is best known for his mastery of the Indian tabla drums. Ray is one of the few Americans who have learned the art of tabla in the traditional style from tabla master Ustad Alla Rakha, who often accompanied Ravi Shankar. Among Ray’s other teachers and inspirations is tabla virtuoso Ustad Zakir Hussain, who I once had the pleasure of seeing in concert with jazz-fusion guitar virtuoso John McLaughlin and his landmark world music group Shakti. As early as 1970, Ray began his formal training at the Ali Akbar College of Music in San Rafael, CA. He also spent time in New Delhi, India learning his craft. In addition, Ray studied vibes with world-renown jazz musician Bobby Hutcherson and honed his technique around the New York metropolitan area and the San Francisco Bay area. As such, he is equally at ease performing tabla in a classical concert in India as he is playing vibraphone in a club in New York.

Tracklist:

01. Moksha
02. Once Around
03. Soul At Sunrise
04. Tal Sawari
05. Wolfy's Dream
06. Connect The Dots
07. Wild Mushrooms At Telluride
08. Farewell