Nataraja are very excited to release ‘Spirit At Play’ the title track of their debut live album, which was recorded at the Cube Microplex Bristol in December 2023. This single is available for digital download as a ‘pay whatever you want’ option to help raise money to cover production costs of the album and build towards further recordings. The full album is being released with a launch event at the Cube once more on Saturday the 23rd of March 2024.

Go here to book your tickets:
www.headfirstbristol.co.uk/whats-on/the-cube/sat-23-mar-nataraja-gig-and-album-launch-104040#e104040

We are really looking forward to releasing more music like this and your support is essential to this. So please give what you can in exchange for this download and we hope to bring you much more music with the same energy and quality.

To fully enter into the Nataraja world, you must see the official music video for the Spirit At Play single. This is a magical combination of the live footage from the concert, with awe inspiring imagery and symbolism, created by our virtuoso drummer (and resident philosopher/comedian) Andy Edwards.

See the video here: youtu.be/KduyE1JAqEU?si=5J1QJigP3-YJHylQ

The album was recorded in full, on stage, with no second takes whatsoever. It is this creative, spontaneous environment that gives the music its power. The night of the concert the audience were simply blown away and everyone knew they had experienced something special. The music seemed completely wild and spontaneous, yet effortless and every note perfectly falling into place. The musicians seemed to be experiencing a moment of pure freedom and passion for what was being discovered. That complete concert became the live album titled 'Spirit At Play' to be released on Geomagnetic Records.

Naraja's music is based on the Ragas and compositions of North India and these provide a springboard for group improvisation and forging new textures. Expect quick-fire interaction, powerful rhythms, lush soundscapes and beautiful Indian melodies played with passion. Imagine Jimi Hendrix crossed with Ravi Shankar and the Mahavishnu Orchestra, but with a fresh vision to do something new within the fusion landscape.

Band leader Jack Jennings describes his thoughts on that cold December night.

"The album has been a case of immaculate conception dare I say. We simply turned up at the gig with very minimal rehearsal. As soon as we started to play there was a sense of focus and complete trust, that the music was going to happen just as it was meant to. All we had to do was keep our minds open and follow that golden thread of inspiration. The music just seemed to go to these extreme places and we played far beyond what we thought was possible. After that we knew we had a complete live album ready to go. Thank God we had it recorded and the in-house Sound Engineer did a great job capturing a multi-track of the whole concert. We just can't wait to get back on that stage again and keep creating this music. Fusing the complexity of Indian Classical Music with the power and depth of the 4-piece psychedelic rock band setup. Playing live with this band is almost too good to be true."
Jack Jennings - February 2024

So don't miss their next concert at the Cube this will be another night to remember. Who knows it might turn out to be another live album in the making!

This is the line up of Nataraja ~

Jack Jennings - Electric Guitar
Andy Edwards - Drums
John Jowitt - Bass Guitar
Richard Charles Boxley - Analog Modular Synthesis

Jack Jennings is one the few guitarists to fully adapt Indian Classical Music. He is disciple of sitar virtuoso's Roopa Panesar and Shakir Parvez Khan. He has worked with the legendary Pandit Sanju Sahai, Omar Peunte, Manish Pingle and Gurdain Rayatt and many others. His previous band Ashowka fused Indian Music with Rock/Jazz and was signed to Geoff Barrow’s (of Portishead) label in Bristol.

Andy Edwards is a drummer and producer. He has toured the world with rock legend Robert Plant and played on classic prog albums by Frost and IQ. As a drum clinician he has played with Terry Bozzio, Kenny Aronoff, Thomas Lang, Marco Minneman and Mike Portnoy.

John Jowitt has been awarded the British Classic Rock Society's award for best bass player seventeen times! He is best known for his work with IQ, with whom he recorded five studio albums, as well as Frost*. He also recorded and played live with Arena, Ark and Jadis, as well as playing bass live for John Wetton, Uriah Heep, Peter Banks (Yes), Tim Bowness and John Young, amongst others.

At times otherworldly, the music of electronic composer and modular synthesist Richard Charles Boxley, aka Wave Tenet, takes inspiration from artists such as Brian Eno, Aphex Twin and Four Tet. Sitting firmly within the world of ambient electronic, Richard's music has been described as having "Beautiful haunting sounds..." and "Pure tonal and textural beauty!".