Vipassana

Eric Harland holds down the drum chair in such excellent units as The Charles Lloyd Quartet, Dave Holland’s Prism, and James Farm. His own group, Eric Harland’s Voyager, released their debut in 2010, and the expansive *Vipassana* is the 2014 follow-up. Hip-hop, R&B, rock, and the influence of Eastern philosophy all find their way onto this excellent album. Taylor Eigsti’s grand piano chords, Nir Felder’s slinky guitar, and the soothing, soulful vocals of Chris Turner welcome the listener on the opener, “Relax.” “Passana,” which has propulsive bass from Harish Raghavan and layers of wordless vocals, brings to mind the spiritual side of the innovative hip-hop artist Flying Lotus. “Normal,” a sort of variation on a rock ballad, features assertively strummed acoustic guitar and big electric power chords. Herbie Hancock’s “Maiden Voyage” is grounded by a simple beat in a spare, gentle arrangement that imbues the piece with a vibe that\'s quite distinct from the original. The closer, “Dhyana,” opens with searing guitar that evokes \'70s prog-rock before things turn funky, and Turner lets loose all sorts of vocalizations.