Article Contributed by Gratefulweb
Published on 2026-04-06
Photo: Purple Spirits cover art courtesy of Ancient-Future.Com Records
There are tribute albums, and then there are projects like Purple Spirits, which feels less like a simple salute and more like a deep musical conversation across genres, generations, and traditions. Dropping April 10, 2026 via Ancient-Future.Com Records, the new release from Ancient Future and Matthew Montfort gathers a set of tributes to artists with whom the group shares both direct history and spiritual kinship.
At the heart of Purple Spirits is a global, genre-fluid vision. The collection includes “Punjabi Jhinzaki,” a tribute to tabla master Ustad Zakir Hussain, whose influence was instrumental in the development of Ancient Future and who appeared on the group’s World Without Walls release. “Spirit of Nirvana” nods to the surprising history between Ancient Future and Nirvana, while “East of the Sun (Studio Version)” features wind virtuoso Paul McCandless of Oregon in what is described as the last oboe recording to be released featuring him after his retirement from that instrument.
The album also reaches toward flamenco, Indian classical, Vietnamese music, and psychedelic rock. “Tres Tarantas Tres” is a tribute to David Easley, Matthew Montfort’s former high school guitar student who went on to become a master flamenco player, while “Purple Nam” and “Purple Haze (Vietnamese Đàn Bầu Style)” honor Jimi Hendrix through a striking blend of Indian raga and Vietnamese musical ideas. Across the album, Montfort and company treat tribute not as imitation, but as transformation.
The release spans seven tracks and 33 minutes, with formats including streaming, download, and CD. The digital album arrives on Friday, April 10, 2026, while the CD follows on May 29, 2026. A radio add date is set for June 2, 2026.
The guest list alone makes Purple Spirits worth a close listen. Among the featured musicians are Aditya Kalyanpur, George Brooks, Kai Eckhardt, Mariah Parker, Benjy Wertheimer, Bui Huu Nhut, and Abbos Kosimov. The Paul McCandless feature on “East of the Sun” gives the project additional emotional weight, while the Hendrix-inspired closing sequence pushes the release into adventurous, cross-cultural terrain that should resonate with listeners drawn to exploratory music.
For Dead-adjacent and jam-minded listeners, there are a few especially intriguing touchpoints here. Tousling together improvisation, global instrumentation, and reverence for musical ancestors, Purple Spirits includes Toussaint-like musical lineage thinking and even a thread connecting back to Jerry Garcia through Toussaint’s “Hi Lee Hi” tribute mention in the broader release context of the artists Ancient Future honors. More directly, it’s a project built on risk, mood, and texture rather than rigid genre boundaries — exactly the kind of thing adventurous ears tend to appreciate.
Fans can pre-save Purple Spirits here. More information is also available at ancient-future.com/purplenirvana.html.
Purple Spirits Track List
“Punjabi Jhinzaki (Zakir Hussain Tribute)”
“Spirit of Nirvana (Extended Intro)”
“East of the Sun (Studio Version with Paul McCandless, Oboe)”
“Tarantas Alap”
“Tres Tarantas Tres”
“Purple Nam (Glissentar and Đàn Bầu Duet)”
“Purple Haze (Vietnamese Đàn Bầu Style)”
Key Links
Pre-Save / Smart Link
Album Web Page
Hi-Res Cover Art
Sheet Music for “Tres Tarantas Tres”
