Jai Uttal, a Grammy-nominated sacred music composer, recording artist, multi-instrumentalist, and ecstatic vocalist, combines influences from India with influences from American rock and jazz, creating a stimulating and exotic multi-cultural fusion that is truly world spirit music. Having traveled extensively in India, where he met many beautiful saints and singers, Bhakti yoga became his personal path. Jai has been leading kirtans around the world for more than 30 years, creating a safe environment for people to open their hearts and voices.
Celebration, meditation, a dance of the devas, a love song to the universe . . . Jai Uttal’s new album Roots, Rock, Rama! is all of that and more. The whole world’s myriad musical colors coruscate like a bejeweled shawl tossed from the shoulders of a goddess on this landmark two-CD recording. It manages to pack a lifetime’s spiritual and musical quest into seventy-eight minutes of glorious music from an innovator whose work transcends any category or genre designation.
Music and spiritual practice became inextricably linked for Jai Uttalwhen he met the great Indian saint, Neem Karoli Baba, in 1971. Maharajji, as he was called by his devotees, encouraged the practice of Bhakti (devotional) Yoga as expressed through kirtan, the call-and-response chanting of sacred mantras, and service. Kirtan would become the center of Jai’s musical and spiritual life, giving him what he calls his “soul support system!”
But while all this was unfolding, Jai Uttal was also exploring other musical forms, including stints as an electric guitarist for Jamaican reggae artist Earl Zero as well as Peter Apfelbaum’s world jazz band, The Hieroglyphic Ensemble. In time, he began searching for ways to integrate all the diverse musical styles and traditions he’d absorbed.
To find his music, performance schedule, more information, or to connect with Jai Uttal, visit: www.JaiUttal.com
Click here to read Jai Uttal’s latest cover article in OMTimes Magazine!
