Legacy: The music of pioneering Indian recording artists
The Ensemble
Pandit Debashish Bhattacharya is an award-winning artist who is known throughout the world as the unrivalled master of Hindustani slide guitar. A product of the demanding tradition of the ancient guru-student training system, he has received numerous international awards and accolades, including two Grammy nominations, Billboard Top 10, and the BBC Planet Award.
Rounding out the Ensemble are Debashish’s daughter Anandi, a gifted vocalist and a rising star in her own right, and Debashish’s younger brother Subhasis, who is recognized as one of the greatest percussionists of his generation.
The Legacy
The concert program for the Fall of 2024 consists of a unique tribute to the pioneering Indian recording artists of the early 1900s. In those days, small shellac disks captured succinct renditions of Hindustani classical ragas and popular songs, creating a sensation among the wider populace. Indeed, this golden era saw the rise of the first celebrity musicians; household names of the time.
The Performance
The Ensemble will recreate the spirit and character of these early recordings. Dressed in the fashion of the period, they will transport us to those early days, where a family might have huddled around a radio to hear their favorite stars in, say, 1915.
With lilting, elegant vocal lines, labrynthine slide guitar, driving complex rhythms of tabla, and the luminous sparkle of the Swarmandal, the evening will feature various combinations of members and instruments: the full ensemble, duets, and solo pieces. On full display in each work will be the combination of virtuosity, finely filigreed ornamentation, and emotional expression that makes Hindustani music so appealing.
Another major highlight will of course be the ornate stringed instruments of Debashish’s own design. These include the Chaturangui (Chat = 4, ang = color,“gui” from guitar), a 26-string slide guitar; Pushpa Veena (Pushpa = “flower” Veena = “stringed instrument”), a 25-string hybrid of the sarod and slide guitar; and the delicate Anandi, a 4-string slide ukulele.
