Jai Uttal
reliable, independent, third-party sources. (August 2020) ) |
Jai Uttal | |
---|---|
Birth name | Douglas Uttal |
Also known as | Jai Uttal |
Born | June 12, 1951 |
Origin | New York City, US |
Genres | Kirtan, world music |
Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, record producer, musician |
Instrument(s) | Harmonium, vocals, guitar, banjo, sarod |
Years active | 1991–present |
Labels | Sounds True, Nutone, Triloka/Mercury/PolyGram |
Website | www |
Jai Uttal (born June 12, 1951) is an American musician. He is a
Biography
Uttal grew up in
Artist statement and reception
Uttal's music is very popular in the yoga community, being described as “very hypnotic.” One reviewer stated, “He does a great job of explaining the purpose of chanting and kirtan.”[7] “The practice of calling to the divine creates a bridge between the individual and the eternal, opening the heart and welcoming the spirit.”[8] Uttal says, “These ancient chants contain a transformative power and healing energy. By singing these prayers we join a stream of consciousness and devotion that has been flowing for centuries.”[8] Uttal says, “Music that creates bridges. Music that unites hearts and cultures. Music that brings peace.”[2]
In one biography it is said, “Jai Uttal has cultivated a voice and musical styles that carries the listener into the heart of devotion, prayer, and healing, and to an ecstatic remembrance of the divine.”[9]
Albums
In 1990 Uttal released his debut album, Footprints, on
Three years later, Shiva Station was released, which was mixed by the innovative and ubiquitous producer Bill Laswell.[4] Shiva Station presented traditional chants in a totally new way. The concerts united the temple and the nightclub, the sacred and the worldly; emphasizing the underlying theme that spirituality and devotion can pervade all aspects of life.[6] Around this time the popularity of yoga was on the rise. Uttal began to receive more requests to lead kirtan workshops and concerts all over the world. Uttal released a live kirtan CD entitled Nectar to begin to chronicle these kirtan events.[2]
In 2000, a compilation of his four Triloka albums appeared as Spirit Room.
In 2009, Uttal released Thunder Love. One reviewer said the following about the album, “[It’s] a true example of ‘world music,’ it's a pan-cultural potpourri of sounds and styles from around the globe, seamlessly sewn into a contemporary pop/rock format. Uttal's soulful singing and spiritual themes provide the crucial connective thread throughout the album."[10]
2011 saw the release of Queen of Hearts, a “unique mixture of reggae, ska, and samba rhythms, used as a backdrop for call and response, dance oriented kirtan, and invoking Queen Radha (Radharani), the bestower of devotion.”[11]
In 2003, Uttal began the first of several recordings focused on the practice of bhakti yoga (kirtan) for the Sounds True label. These have included: Kirtan! The Art and Practice of Ecstatic Chant, Music for Yoga and Other Joys, Loveland, Dial M for Mantra, and Pranayama, a collaboration with his wife, yoga teacher and bhakti dancer, Nubia Teixeira. The two had a son, Ezra, which led to Uttal's inspiration to focus his work towards kids.[6] Uttal began to lead children's kirtan events near his home in Northern California and he created an album especially for children entitled Kirtan Kids: The Elephant, the Monkey, and the Little Butter Thief.[12] In addition to those, Uttal also hosted donation-based events at several yoga studios. At these particular events, children would sit around in a circle and listen as Uttal told “colorful stories drawn from Ramayana and other Indian myths.” The chants during these events were kid-friendly versions.[12]
“Kirtan Kids recreates the feeling of these events and gives parents a new way to introduce children to kirtan.”[12] The album features “an elephant solo, the sounds of banging pots and pans, and music from about a dozen instruments, including the glockenspiel and a toy piano.”[12] The album also includes “narrated tales of Gopala, the child form of Krishna; the elephant-headed god Ganesha; and the monkey god Hanuman.”[12]
In 2014 Jai Uttal with Ben Leinbach released Lifeline which explores a decade of their collaborations sequenced as an unfolding musical celebration of their favorite tracks ranging from the unadorned primordial chant to layered sacred sound immersions.”[2]
In 2014 Uttal revisited Shiva Station also with Ben Leinbach and re-created his 1997 work to "bring us closer to the music itself with unadorned, intimate arrangements that illuminate directly the spiritual heart of each composition."”[2]
In addition to his own works, Uttal also owns the back catalogue of Private Stock Records, which was his father's record label in the 1970s.
Discography
- Footprints (1990) - with Don Cherry and Lakshmi Shankar
- Monkey (1992)
- Yoga Chant
- Beggars and Saints (1994)
- Shiva Station (1997)
- Spirit Room (2000)
- Nectar (2001)
- Mondo Rama (2002)
- Kirtan! (2004)
- Music for Yoga and Other Joys (2004)
- Pranayama (2005)
- Loveland: Music for Dreaming and Awakening, with Ben Leinbach (Sounds True, 2006)
- Dial M for Mantra (2007)
- Thunder Love (2009)
- Bhakti Bazaar (2010)
- Queen of Hearts (2011)
- Kirtan Kids (2011)
- Lifeline (2014) - with Ben Leinbach
- Return to Shiva Station (2014)
- Roots, Rock, Rama! (2017)
References
- ^ a b "Jai Uttal Artist Profile". Archived from the original on June 7, 2012. Retrieved 2012-08-24.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Sounds True: Jai Uttal Biography". Archived from the original on 2012-10-13. Retrieved 2012-08-24.
- ^ "Larry Uttal, Executive In Music, Dead at 71". nytimes.com. 28 November 1993. Retrieved 2014-06-10.
- ^ AMG. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
- ^ "Jai Uttal at Spirit Voyage". Retrieved 2012-08-24.
- ^ a b c d "Jai Uttal: Bio Page". Retrieved 2012-08-24.
- ^ Kaloudis, Jasmine. "Yoga and Music- Sound suggestions for Meditation, Massage, and Yoga". Archived from the original on 2013-10-03. Retrieved 2012-08-24.
- ^ a b "An evening of ecstatic chant with Jai Uttal, Gauravani and the Mayapuris". Retrieved 2012-08-24.
- ^ "Spirit Rock Instructor Profile: Jai Uttal". Retrieved 2012-08-24.
- AMG. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
- ^ "Nutone: Jai Uttal". Retrieved 2012-08-24.
- ^ a b c d e Dubrovsky, Anna (November 2011). "Sweet Sing Along".
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