Justin Gray and Synthesis - New Horizons (Justingraysynthesis.com)

Historical article recovered from a Wayback capture dated 2018-02-24.

Toronto based artist Justin Gray may not be widely known to Australian audiences but some of his collaborators over the years are well known down-under. Greg Osby and Ingrid Jensen need no introduction while tenor saxophonist Tony Malaby recorded with our own, the late David Ades in Brooklyn back in 2011. Like our own cross cultural explorers Matt Keegan and Sandy Evans, the bassist and composer Justin Gray also shares a passion for the fusion of Indian classical styles with jazz. So intense is that passion, that in 2010 he co-created an instrument with a sound that seamlessly straddles both genres without compromise. As the sole practitioner of this instrument, his multi-stringed fretless bass veena coalesces the electric bass tradition of Pastorius with the humming resonance and agility of the vichitra veena. Underpinning the sophistication of the project is the addition of the Venuti String Quartet which provides a glorious, almost orchestral unison ride for Gray to state the raga and carnatic melodies against the deep grooves of drummer Derek Gray and Ed Hanley’s tabla. All these memorable melodies are from the pen of the bassist. The purity of tone of this instrument is at its crystalline best on ‘Break of Dawn’ when the strings lay off and Alam Khan joins the party on sarod but its Gray’s virtuosity which compels the listener to the rotational symmetry of the plucked drone strings, the strummed body strings and the remaining four conventional fretless bass strings. This is an outstanding debut and a must listen for indo-jazz fans

Frank Presley