Rainbow-tipped, heart of gold

Thursday music corner: Asha Puthli (b.1945) was born, raised and studied in Bombay, where she developed a passion for jazz singing. After a short stint as a British Airways air hostess, she relocated to New York. There she was signed to CBS Records, on which she released four albums in the seventies. Since then she's released six more albums and developed a cult following.

Puthli's third CBS album, the funky, fluid The Devil Is Loose, was released in 1976. In July 1976 New York Times music critic Robert Palmer (not the singer) wrote of the album:

Miss Puthli's singing is equally extraordinary. There just enough Indian training left in her style to give it an indescribably fluid quality. Her alternation of timbres, from the breathiest sighs to gospel‐derived moans, is unique. She improvises, shows off an impressive range and generally walks through the album with the assurance of a master performer.

Flying Fish is the opening track of the album. Space Talk, another track from the album, has been sampled multiple times by rappers including P.Diddy and The Notorious B.I.G.

Asha Puthli - Flying Fish (1976)