Wanderlust is Bangalore’s first album-length outing, and amply illustrates the range and depth of the trio’s musical interests and excursions. Featuring the unique Fender Telecaster and Fernandes fretless guitar stylings of its guitarist Phil Kaplan, Wanderlust offers a heady yet accessible mix of Hindustani (North Indian), Ewe (West Africa), and American roots music, delivered in a series of “songs without words” which are each uniquely evocative of the region or tradition that serves as the initial inspirational springboard. Fans of Bangalore in concert have often likened the experience to going to see a live soundtrack for a movie (or a series of movies!) yet to be made. The band got its start as a weekly drumming workshop launched by co-founders Phil Kaplan and bassist Sven Larson. Soon they could not resist putting melodies to the rhythms they were “banging” out, yielding fresh-sounding tunes galore, and with the addition of traps and percussion master Michael Ahrens, a fresh and danceable repertoire was born, the fruits of which you will taste in this delectable collection. A note about Phil Kaplan’s mastery of the fretless guitar: As a long-time devotee of North Indian Raga, Phil pondered for many years the challenge of translating the unique expressiveness of one of the world’s great classical music traditions to the guitar. After much experimenting (bending – or should we call it torturing? - the strings of a Fender Stratocaster, using a slide, a whammy bar, etc.) he settled on the possibilities offered by a fretless neck, allowing him to reproduce the sliding and other expressive techniques of Indian sarod masters, Indeed, Phil’s current guruji is the sarod master Pt. Puspen Dey of Calcutta, senior disciple of Pt. Buddhadev Dasgupta. Many times after a show, Phil has been approached by many Raga aficionados who have expressed surprise when made aware of the instrument Phil was playing – they were convinced they were hearing a sitar! In Wanderlust you will enjoy a peripatetic voyage of memorable melodies, combining solid mastery of American vernacular music married to a playful, yet deeply respectful approach to the great traditions of Indian classical music and West African drumming.