Bula! by High Tide is built on a deceptively simple idea: to follow the arc of a night. Across thirteen compositions, sitarist and composer Sasha Bayan leads an ensemble that understands restraint as well as intensity. The album is immediately accessible, warm melodies, inviting grooves, and luminous timbres, yet beneath the surface lies a dense web of rhythmic sophistication, modal exploration, and cross-cultural dialogue.
The presence of sitar anchors the album spiritually, but this is never a soloist-centric project. Violin, French horn, electric guitar, bass, keys, and percussion weave around one another with remarkable sensitivity. What makes Bula! by High Tide compelling is precisely this balance: complexity without heaviness, depth without abstraction.
Track-by-Track Highlights
- Welcome: A brief but evocative opening. Free rhythm, suspended time, and an almost ceremonial calm prepare the listener for the journey ahead. More invocation than introduction.
- Sun Landing: Sitar, violin, and brass step forward, each articulating the central theme in their own voice. The mood is open and affirmative, setting a bright emotional tone without rushing forward. It is also my personal favorite piece of the album. Its tapestry of sounds and textures are mesmerising to listen to.
- Kava on Carl: Opening with solo piano, this track slowly unfolds as layers of percussion and strings join in. Smooth, relaxed, and subtly jazzy, it carries the intimacy of late-night conversation.
- Into the Blue: A short atmospheric interlude driven by soft horn lines. Spacious and reflective, it functions as a breath between longer statements.
- Atashk Abi: One of the album’s most vibrant moments. The sitar takes the lead as rhythmic energy builds, dissolves into a slower reflective passage, and then returns to the main theme with renewed intensity.
- Ai Miranda: Optimistic and melodic, this track stands out for its catchy thematic material. It feels playful without losing the album’s meditative grounding.
- Ruh y Alma: A deeply sentimental piece. Slow, expressive, and emotionally charged, it highlights the ensemble’s sensitivity and control over silence and sustain.
- Dance of the Fire Snake: Cinematic and hypnotic, this piece leans into Middle Eastern colors through the use of augmented second intervals. Mesmerising melodic lines and shifting tides give it a ritualistic power.
- The Naming: A return to the album’s core spirit. Grounded, ceremonial, and confident, this track feels like a moment of identity and intention within the nocturnal arc.
- Eleventh Hour: Short and introspective. Free rhythm and focused sitar lines create a sense of suspension, as if time itself briefly pauses.
- Midnight: Built around a memorable sitar theme, this track explores variation and dialogue, especially between brass and strings. One of the album’s most structurally engaging compositions.
- First Light: Led by violin, this piece gently announces the arrival of morning. Calm, translucent, and full of quiet optimism.
- Rising Morn: A contemplative conclusion that revisits earlier thematic material from “First Light”. With subtle variations between sitar and violin, it closes the album in a state of peaceful resolution.
Final Thoughts
High Tide, the San Francisco–based ensemble delivers a debut album that feels less like a collection of tracks and more like a lived experience. Moving from dusk to dawn, this record invites the listener into a space where North Indian classical traditions, jazz improvisation, and chamber-like textures coexist with rare naturalness and emotional clarity.
Bula! by High Tide is a rare debut, confident without being loud, intricate without being inaccessible. Rooted in tradition yet unmistakably contemporary, the album reflects years of collective listening, improvisation, and trust built through live performance. For listeners drawn to global fusion, modern jazz, or spiritually resonant instrumental music, Bula! offers a deeply rewarding experience, one that unfolds slowly and stays long after the final note fades.
Credits:
Sitar, Guitar, Composer: Sasha Bayan
Violin: Allison Irvine
Bass, Keys: Will Cenote
Electric Guitar: Mark Reynolds
Percussion: Ahmed Ragab
French Horn: Mars Gelfo
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