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MUSIC: MUSINGS
REVERBERATIONS
Transcreating Music
In the age of information
explosion, everything needs to be positioned as "brand new"
to be noticed. Yet the French adage Plus CA change, plus C'est La Meme
Chose (the more they change, the more they remain the same) remains true
as ever. Even the post-modernist view of art finds recasting, re-arranging
and re-contextualising images, text, voices, styles to be hot and happening.
In the Indian classical tradition, creativity
lies not necessarily in inventing something totally new but in transforming
old or available material with each passing generation. The overriding
concern of all great masters of classical music, especially in our times,
has been the search for an individual identity within the framework of
the various gharana traditions.
By this score all the three new albums set to
be released by Music Today in its Maestro's Choice series-Biswajit Roy
Chowdhury (sarod), Ajoy Chakrabarty (vocal) and Rashid Khan (vocal)-qualify
eloquently to be so featured. All three brilliantly bring home the principle
of creativity as transformation.
Roy Chowdhury presents on the sarod ragas Gaud
Malhar, Shahana and Kafi. The first piece is a masterpiece of transcreation,
where he plays some traditional Khayal (vocal music) compositions from
the Gwalior and Jaipur gharanas. Not only is Chowdhury sensitive to nuances
of this compound raga of the rainy season, but also his finishing of any
musical idea is perfect in its approach to the sam (the first beat of
the tala). And for a blind plucked instrument-the sarod-his fast, zigzag
taankari is truly impressive.
Ajoy Chakrabarty, despite his mastery of the
Patiala style of Bade Ghulam Ali, has chosen to sing two Carnatic ragas
Abhogi and Hamsadhwani. Both have been assimilated into the north Indian
classical repertoire for long and it is surprising that he says in his
note that he has not heard Hamsadhwani sung as a "main" item
by any other singer. From the late Amir Khan to Kishori Amonkar there
have been many vocalists who have sung this lively pentatonic raga as
a full length item in the Hindustani (north Indian) style. But that should
in no way detract from Chakrabarty's immensely interesting renderings.
He is a versatile master and as is the case with most Kolkata musicians
his mastery of form and rhythm is impeccable.
A scion of the Rampur-Saheswan gharana, Khan
was originally promoted as the voice of tradition by ITC's Sangeet Research
Academy. But he has been unabashedly pursuing the gayakis (singing styles)
and repertories of masters from other gharanas too. In the process he
has expanded the scope of his inheritance and carved for himself a niche
that is different from all other Rampur singers including his venerable
ustad, the late Nissar Hussain Khan. He presents here the ragas, Hameer
and Jogkauns, which span the distance between his Rampur inheritance and
his eclectic acquisitions. Khan has a wonderfully resonant voice and he
makes imaginative use of it. His handling of rhythm in the Hameer bandish
by the gharana's founder Inayat Hussain Khan (set to a complex cycle of
14 beats) could have been better though.
—S. Kalidas
HOT TRACKS
No Angel, Dido
(BMG Crescendo; Rs 150)
 It
isn't often that an artist attracts this kind of attention on debut. Although
Dido hasn't yet made her presence felt in India, she has already earned
the global spotlight with her first album, No Angel. It's hard to put
a finger on the reason why. Maybe it's because the bad boy of rap, Eminem,
incorporated a part of her number Thankyou in his chart-topping single
Stan. Or maybe it's because she has a clear, bell-like voice that lends
a moody, haunting, atmospheric quality to her songs. Thing is, like so
much of modern pop, this album has a certain niceness, a sweetness, that
would make it a good thing to play when you are in that early-morning
dream zone between sleep and wakefulness, when you are looking for music
that would work on your subconscious yet not rouse you too much. But apart
from Thankyou and Take my hand, none of the other songs has a high recall
value. Dido's voice is worth listening to. Perhaps one day she will also
develop a distinctive sound.
—Anna M.M. Vetticad
Arrivals
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Nari Nari (BMG Crescendo; Rs 75)
Ten Egyptian numbers by Hisham Abbas set to Indian percussion instruments
and sitar.
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Indian Mantra
(Sony Music; Rs 65)
Jana Gana Mana by a 22-performer ensemble. Right tunes in the Independence
Day spirit.
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Celestial Melodies
(Music Today; Rs 65)
Carnatic music rendered on the veena with creativity and passion
by Rajesh Vaidya.
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Sada-e-Ishq
(Music Today; Rs 65)
King of ghazal Mehdi Hasan returns with his inimitable mastery and
grace.
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