It was during a tour stop in India with his band Snarky Puppy that guitarist Mark Lettieri first encountered sitar virtuoso Purbayan Chatterjee. Chatterjee sat in with the band, and Lettieri was absolutely gobsmacked. “I was totally blown away by his skill,” the guitarist says. “I’d never really heard sitar played like an electric guitar.” The two struck up a friendship, and a year later, while putting together tracks for a new album, Chatterjee reached out to Lettieri to see if he’d like to contribute. Lettieri agreed, and the pair, along with keyboardist Nakul Chugh, began working remotely, digitally sending parts back and forth across continents for what would become the collaborative release Feathered Creatures. The track “Soar” more than lives up to its title, starting ethereally with acoustic piano and airy, wordless vocals before taking flight. Cheery, uplifting runs ripple from Chaterjee’s dexterous fingers as he sprints over electronic-music inspired beats and a textured backdrop of low-in-the-mix guitar and ghostly vocals. Lettieri’s prog-rock and EDM influences, and Chugh’s ministrations, contribute to the sonic palette, and the results make for an invigorating blend of cultures and traditions. Unsurprisingly, they pay tribute to the late tabla master Zakir Hussain (on the track “Hibiscus”), another innovator who combined Eastern and Western music to dazzling effect.
