Drala Artist Bio

Mark Egan (bass); Bill Buchen (tabla, percussion); Randy Crafton (percussion). Drala is songwriter/producer David Nichtern on keyboards and guitars, and Steve Gorn, an accomplished flautist with many solo albums to his credit, on flutes and reeds. Together, they play breezy, jazz-inflected pop instrumentals that, with the help of tablas and sitar, detour briefly into Indian ragas and back to pop again. The program of songs is paced to accompany hatha yoga, its flowing, sanguine sound lending itself to a fairly upbeat but non-strenuous yoga regimen. The timing of the program does not scrupulously match the sequence of a typical yoga class, but the record nicely complements meditative movement. The track “Surya Namaskar (Sun Salute)” provides a good solid rhythm for several rounds of sun salutation. The melodic highlight of the album is “Home,” which hypnotizes with profoundly reverbed clarinet; the languid strains resonate deeply in the heart center. Another fine Dharma Moon yoga-inspired album. Recorded at Manhattan Beach Recording Studios, New York, New York. Personnel: Amit Chatterjee (vocals, sitar); Falguni Shaw, Anandi (vocals); Cyndi Lee (chant); David Nichtern (guitar, keyboards); Steve Gorn (bamboo flute, clarinet, soprano saxophone); Bill Buchen (tabla, percussion); Randy Crafton (percussion); David Marino (drum programming). Recording information: Manhattan Beach Recording Studios, NY. Drala: David Nichtern (guitar, keyboards); Steve Gorn (bamboo flutes, clarinet, soprano saxophone). Additional personnel: Amitava Chatterjee (vocals, sitar); Anandi (vocals); Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.