Land of Gold
“The seeds of Land of Gold originated, in the context of the humanitarian plight of refugees. It coincided with the time when I had recently given birth to my second child.
15 December 2016
Review – Album
Ani Ukali, Sangai Orali (Ascents and Descents)
Nepal is close to the hearts of walkers and climbers who seek to scale the glittering peaks of the Himalayan range. Equally the magnificence of its architecture, like the medieval township of Bhaktapur sadly severely damaged in the recent earthquake, is well-known to travellers.
14 September 2015
Like a River to the Sea
The debut album from kirtan artist Jahnavi Harrison – composer, arranger and principal voice of the collection ‒ takes kirtan to a place ripe for genre-crossing.
14 September 2015
At Home
With over 10 per cent of India’s land mass, the western state of Rajasthan is the nation’s largest. City regions such as Jaipur, Jodhpur, Ajmer, Udaipur and Bikaner are on the tourist trail and should kind kismet or grand design ever take you to Rajasthan, you will require reliable musical travelling companions.
23 June 2014
Call of Bangalore
Call of Bangalore begins with an agile-minded, musically unafraid opening gambit. With its title slyly alluding to her birthplace, this studio album not only shows off violinist Jyotsna Srikanth’s roots but also her command of melodicism, rhythmicality and pace.
13 September 2013
Abdulkarim Raas & Kuljit Bhamra present Somali Party Southall
From its opening flourish, Hobey Hobey Heleyoy (‘Come Sing and Dance’) with its blend of Punjabi and Somali ingredients, the pretty much unerring plus ça change philosophical logic of Somali Party Southall is bracing.
18 December 2012
Englobed
Around the time that I was delivering the final drop-ins for my India chapters in the Europe, Asia & Pacific volume for what would be the third and final edition of the Rough Guide to World Music, there was a bloom of new talent working in East-West fusion forms emerging.
18 December 2012
Kindred Spirits
Arranger-composer-pianist Zoe Rahman’s last few musical forays into her roots have proved wholly fascinating.
13 March 2012
Veena Vidwan S. Balachander In Concert – Dhyaname
The South Indian veena player S. Balachander (1927–90) was one of the subcontinent’s most remarkable, maverick and acclaimed instrumentalists.
9 December 2011
Carnatic Jazz
The principle of Carnatic jazz is fairly long-established. By that, let’s agree on a fusion of the Carnatic – also Karnatic – art music tradition system of South India and jazz – predominantly, maybe exclusively jazz in its post World War II, multi-cultural manifestations.
17 June 2011