The re-mastering and release of Bhagavan Das’ classic 1972 chanting album, “Ah” fills a big gap in the available collection of Indian-inspired chant records. Bhagavan Das is the Jimi Hendrix of kirtan masters. He’s loose, inspired, utterly free-form—mellifluously yelling names of God, adorations of Shakti, and adulations to his guru.

When Bhagavan Das got back from 8 years of moseying on India’s guru circuit, he was immediately a celebrity among the ever-eager hippy seeker set. He started putting on be-in kirtans from coast to coast with help from some of the luminaries of the era: Trungpa Rinpoche, Ram Das, Allen Ginsburg, Peter Max. But first he had to be discovered. That happened in India, where after half a decade of wandering as a hippy sanyasin in an exotic paradise, he met the psychedelic herald Richard Alpert who was immediately enamored with the 24-year-old Californian golden boy cum explorer of yogic practices. Alpert turned Bhagavan Das on to some very pure LSD and Bhagavan Das turned Alpert on to his guru, Neem Karoli Baba. After a brief run through the mill of the ashram Alpert emerged a new man with a new name—Ram Das. RD proceeded stateside to introduce an Indian devotional tradition, and Bhagavan Das, to an insatiable American audience. With the re-release of Ah we get the first recordings made on Bhagavan Das’ own return from India, organized by Allen Ginsburg, Peter Max and Ram Das. Some of the historic recordings were made at Hendrix’ studio Electric Ladyland, with Led Zeppelin in the studio next door recording Zofo. The sound is raw, profound, marked by a charming combination of hedonism and aspiration to transcend, which, one might say, characterizes the spirit of the time. Ah includes a 2002 video interview with Bhagavan Das about the making of the record, as well as extensive far-out liner notes, photographs, and an excellent recipe for masala chai that alone makes the CD a worthwhile acquisition. —Jason Stern