Spaghetti Eastern Music, the long-running and genre-fluid project of NYC and Hudson Valley-based guitarist and keyboardist Sal Cataldi, returns with Kilimanjaro (Radio Edit)—a condensed version of a 12-minute live performance recorded at the Green Kill Art Center in Kingston, NY. This shorter edit captures the essence of a jam that blends elements of dub, Indian raga, and psychedelic improvisation into a textured and evolving instrumental piece.
The track opens with a downtempo dub-inspired groove, anchored by Tom “Spontaneous” Semioli’s bass lines and propelled by Dirk Drazen’s steady drumming. Cataldi and Dawoud “The Sufi Renegade” Kringle add melodic improvisations on guitar and the Dautar—a custom hybrid of sitar, cello, and guitar. Loops, delays, and analog effects shape the evolving sound, which fuses retro psychedelia with modal improvisation.
This version of Kilimanjaro comes from Spaghetti Eastern Electro Dub, a collective improvisational offshoot of Cataldi’s broader Spaghetti Eastern Music project. Alongside Cataldi, the group features Kringle, Semioli, and Drazen. The original live version runs 12 minutes and can be streamed in full via Spotify, while this new 4-minute radio edit captures the track’s core energy and cross-cultural style in a compact format.
Cataldi’s work draws influence from a wide range of artists and movements—including Miles Davis’ electric era, Bill Laswell, Fripp & Eno, Krautrock, and global folk traditions. His releases span everything from ambient guitar soundscapes to funk-driven improvisations, often pushing genre boundaries.
Kilimanjaro (Radio Edit) offers a clear example of Cataldi’s collaborative, improvisatory method and highlights his ongoing interest in fusing Eastern modal approaches with electric jazz and psychedelic textures. The full-length version available below for those looking to explore the extended live session in its entirety…
