|
One Breath
Few living players of the bansuri coax such melodic joy
from their instrument as the gifted Deepak Ram. On "One Breath",
Deepak and accompanying tabla maestro Pandit Anindo Chatterjee perform
three, brilliantly conceived ragas in North Indian Classical (Hindustani)
style. With unified precision and balance the two delve deeply into highly
formidable, richly liberating musical structures cultivated over centuries
by successive master musicians - of whose legacy Ram and Chatterjee both
share.
In Hindustani classical music the listener as well plays an active and
crucial role. Through Deepak's spacious tone, formal logic, and stunning
skills at melodic invention (improvisation), he invites the listener to
explore deeply affective musical spheres hidden in the ragas. Sounds are
carefully wrought and emerge gradually to reveal subtle, but continuously
shifting patterns of rhythmic and melodic variation. As each raga steadily
increases in ambitus (musical density), one's ears become sharply focused
on experiencing the musical moment, on experiencing the musical architecture
as it is being built. Creating this experience is a cornerstone of the
art and to which the pair excel remarkably. Moreover, Ram's impressive
vocabulary of sonorities elicited through various embouchure and breathing
techniques, and masterful control of rhythmic and temporal pacing, aid
the listener in his journey toward the desired perceptual state of "rasa"
(literally, tasting the "sweetness" of the fruit).
Perhaps beginning with the revered Ravi Shankar and Alla Raka of the 1960s,
classical music of the South Asian subcontinent has been increasingly
accessible to the tastes of Europeans and Americans. Recently, a new generation
of Indian master musicians - e.g., Zakir Hussain, U. Shrinivas, L. Shankar
among others - have settled in the west to continue exploring this great
tradition. On "One Breath" Deepak Ram and Pandit Anindo Chatterjee
realize such tradition superbly.
Notes by Stephen Mamula
September 2007, New York
Pandit
Anindo Chatterjee
Anindo Chatterjee is recognized as one of India's most eminent tabla players.
He was inspired to take up tabla by his uncle, the sitar player Pandit
Biswanath Chatterjee, when he was just four years old. At five he was
All India Radio's youngest artiste. At six Anindo became a disciple of
Padmabhushan Gyan Prakash Ghosh, and studied with him for over twenty
years. Gyan Prakash Ghosh was well known for his extensive knowledge of
all tabla gharanas, as well as his own Faroukhabad gharana. His guidance
gave Anindo's art a firm foundation. As an accompanist, he is known for
his sense of balance and proportion, crisp tonal quality, modulation of
sound production and rapport with soloists. Anindo has accompanied all
of the top musicians and has toured with them all over the world. He has
received numerous honors including Presidents Award in 1970. Anindo was
the first tabla player to perform in the House of Commons in 1990.
|
