Bangalore Dreams

After success with her dazzling acoustic Karnatic trio record, Call of Bangalore, Jyotsna Srikanth returns with a short album that shares the name of her home city in the title but is otherwise very different. Bangalore Dreams began life as a live jazz-Karnatic fusion project with Srikanth's violin and South Indian percussion combining with Western rhythm section and solo players for raga-based tunes. The recording is more stripped back: Srikanth's violin is the only solo instrument, and it is supported mainly by the keyboards of Shadrach Solomon and percussion from the virtuoso N Amruth on mridangam and khanjira, with bass, synth strings and drums sometimes filling out the sound.

Each of the five tunes here blends memorable, nostalgic melodies – inspired by Srikanth's memories of her home town – with sliding violin solos, driving percussion and extended group improvisations. The album fires up on the final two tracks, with the seductive ‘Folk Dreams’ and the 18-minute ‘Pentatone’, which features a beautifully free-flowing violin and piano duet.