Jai Uttal
| Jai Uttal | |
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Jai Uttal at Bhaktifest on September 9, 2011
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| Background information | |
| 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 |
| Instruments | Harmonium, vocals, guitar, banjo, sarod |
| Years active | 1991–present |
| Labels | Sounds True, Nutone |
| Associated acts | Pagan Love Orchestra |
| Website | www |
Jai Uttal (born June 12, 1951) is an American musician. He is a Grammy-nominated singer and “a pioneer in the world music community with his eclectic East-meets-West sound.” He is a “sacred music composer, recording artist, multi-instrumentalist, and ecstatic vocalist, [who] combines influences from India with American rock and jazz to create a stimulating and exotic multicultural fusion that is truly world spirit music.”
Uttal grew up in New York City and lived in a home filled with music: “He began studying classical piano at the age of seven, and later learned to play old time banjo, harmonica, and guitar.” His father was record label executive Larry Uttal. At the age of 17, Uttal heard Indian music for the first time, which he said, “touched his heart like sounds of home.” At 19, Uttal moved to California and studied under the famous Sarod player, Ali Akbar Khan. He later began “regular pilgrimages to India, living among the Bauls, the wandering street musicians of Bengal, and singing with the kirtan wallahs in the temple of his guru, the highly revered saint, Neem Karoli Baba.” Uttal spent time with many beings of both the Hindu and Buddhist traditions. He became deeply absorbed in the practice of kirtan, the ancient yoga of chanting, or singing to God. This form of prayer became the core to Uttal’s musical and spiritual life.
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.” “The practice of calling to the divine creates a bridge between the individual and the eternal, opening the heart and welcoming the spirit.” 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.” Uttal says, “Music that creates bridges. Music that unites hearts and cultures. Music that brings peace.”
Uttal has led kirtans around the world for more than 30 years. 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.”
In 1990 Uttal released his debut album, Footprints, with Triloka Records, which featured “world music innovator Don Cherry and Indian vocalist Lakshmi Shankar.” The album was in the top ten on the world music charts. In 1992, Uttal released Monkey. The next year, in 1994, Beggars and Saints was released, which was a “tribute to the Bauls of Bangal.” In addition to the new album, Uttal produced two CD’s for his teacher, Ustad Ali Akbar. Journey and Garden of Dreams became extremely popular in the Indian community.
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Wikipedia