Diga (album)
title: "Diga (album)" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["albums-produced-by-mickey-hart", "mickey-hart-albums", "1976-albums"] topic_path: "arts/music" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diga_(album)" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::data[format=table title="Infobox album"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Diga |
| type | studio |
| artist | Diga Rhythm Band |
| cover | Diga cover.jpg |
| alt | Abstract drawing of the head and shoulders of a man, suggestive of Indian art, with clouds and mountains on a silver background |
| released | 1976 |
| recorded | 1976 |
| studio | The Barn, Marin County, California |
| genre | World music |
| length | 40:05 |
| label | Round Records |
| producer | Mickey Hart |
| misc | {{Extra chronology |
| artist | Mickey Hart |
| type | studio |
| prev_title | Rolling Thunder |
| prev_year | 1972 |
| title | Diga |
| year | 1976 |
| next_title | The Apocalypse Now Sessions |
| next_year | 1980 |
| :: |
| name = Diga | type = studio | artist = Diga Rhythm Band | cover = Diga cover.jpg | alt = Abstract drawing of the head and shoulders of a man, suggestive of Indian art, with clouds and mountains on a silver background | released = 1976 | recorded = 1976 | venue = | studio = The Barn, Marin County, California | genre = World music | length = 40:05 | label = Round Records | producer = Mickey Hart | prev_title = | prev_year = | next_title = | next_year = | misc = {{Extra chronology | artist = Mickey Hart | type = studio | prev_title = Rolling Thunder | prev_year = 1972 | title = Diga | year = 1976 | next_title = The Apocalypse Now Sessions | next_year = 1980 Diga is an album by the Diga Rhythm Band, a percussion-based music ensemble led by Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart and by Zakir Hussain. It was released by Round Records as a vinyl LP in 1976. It was remixed and released on CD by Rykodisc Records in 1988.
The ensemble, originally called the Tal Vadya Rhythm Band, was founded in 1973 by Zakir Hussain, at the Ali Akbar College of Music. Mickey Hart joined in 1975, and Hussain and Hart renamed the group the Diga Rhythm Band. Diga was recorded in 1976 at Hart's studio The Barn in Novato, California.
Jerry Garcia plays guitar on two of the album's five tracks. The song "Happiness Is Drumming" is an early, instrumental version of "Fire on the Mountain".
Critical reception
| rev1 = Allmusic | rev1Score = | rev2 = The Music Box | rev2Score = On Allmusic, Jeff Tamarkin called Diga "a compelling and powerful recording that draws in the listener with its spellbinding rhythms."
Writing in The Music Box in 2008, John Metzger said that the album "effectively introduced percussion-driven, globally minded grooves to an entirely new audience. It also was far ahead of its time... Diga is, in hindsight, a very uneven affair... If viewed from the perspective that it was the beginning rather than the end of a journey, it's much easier to see ''Diga'''s charms."
Track listing
Original LP version
| all_writing = Diga Rhythm Band, except where noted | headline = Side one | title1=Razooli | length1=2:50 | writer1=Ray Spiegel | title2=Happiness is Drumming | length2=3:17 | title3=Tal Mala | length3=12:48 | writer3=Ustad Alla Rahka, Diga Rhythm Band | headline = Side two | title1=Sweet Sixteen | length1=8:03 | title2=Magnificent Sevens | length2=12:55
CD Version
When the album was released on CD, the tracks were re-ordered to: "Sweet Sixteen", "Magnificent Sevens", "Happiness Is Drumming", "Razooli", "Tal Mala".
Personnel
Diga Rhythm Band
- Mickey Hart – traps, gongs, timbales, timpani
- Zakir Hussain – tabla, folk drums, tar
- Jordan Amarantha – congas, bongos
- Peter Carmichael – tabla
- Aushim Chaudhuri – tabla
- Vince Delgado – dumbek, tabla, talking drum
- Tor Dietrichson – tabla
- Jim Loveless – marimbas
- Joy Shulman – tabla
- Ray Spiegel – vibes
- Arshad Syed – duggi tarang, nal
Additional musicians
- Jerry Garcia – guitar on "Happiness is Drumming", "Razooli"
- Jim McPherson – vocals on "Razooli"
- Kathy MacDonald – vocals on "Razooli"
- David Freiberg – vocals on "Razooli"
Production
- Mickey Hart – producer
- Vince Delgado – associate producer
- Zakir Hussain – production and arranging associate
- Dan Healy – recording
- Willy Wolf – recording
- Betty Cantor – recording
- Brett Cohen – assistant engineer
- Jordan De La Sierra – cover art
- Onehart – photograph
- Steven Jurgensmeyer – package design CD remix:
- Tom Flye – engineer
- Tom Size – assistant engineer
- Joe Gastwirt – digital mastering Dedication:
- "This album is dedicated to our friend and teacher Ustad Alla Rakha, and to all drummers everywhere".
References
References
- Tamarkin, Jeff. [http://www.allmusic.com/album/diga-rhythm-band-mw0000198015 ''Diga''] at [[Allmusic]]. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
- Metzger, John (May 21, 2008). [http://www.musicbox-online.com/reviews-2008/diga-rhythm-band-05212008.html ''Diga''], ''The Music Box''. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
- [http://deaddisc.com/disc/Diga.htm ''Diga''] at the Grateful Dead Family Discography. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
- ''Diga'' CD liner notes
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