Archives: March 2006
Thu Mar 23, 2006
More on the bhangra/metal/art-rock/ bollywood project
I still don't have any singers lined up, but I do have some leads. This last fall, instead of spending time updating this site, lol, I was very productive and put together some new demos, and remixed some existing tracks for better balance.
There's now a good repsentative body of work to start developing this project in earnest - and let's see what 2006 brings. In the meantime, click on the sights and sounds link to get the full mp3s and descriptions of the latest works.
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The joys of alap
I love alap - the slow, unhindered careful exposition of a raag. Difficult to do well, but so rewarding to do.
My own interpretation of the concept of alap is somewhat informed by a previous career in solo improvisation on guitar, in my avant-flamenco days. Then the methodology was different ( more on that in a later post), but there is a similarity in arcing the form, the density. I also find myself transferringsome of the motivic and cellular development techniquesthat I used then into an alap context.
As a precursor to one of the new Bhangra-metal project tunes, I decided to record an alap based on the Kanada family of ragas. What was to be a short intro developed into a 15 minute full alap.
The tune this leads into is based on raag Adana, and is included in the next post. This alap is based , loosely , on on Darbari Kanada, which has a strong affilation/relationship to Adana. It does borrow some elements from other Kanada raags, so I simply call it an alap in raag Kanada:
Alap -Raag Kanada, playlist format
Alap -Raag Kanada, download
This is long - about 16 minutes -so take your time. I did; thats what alap is all about....
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a return: new songs, new gigs
After a much long absence from the site - just too tied up in the daily dunya - , Im back with new tunes, new gigs, and some potentially interesting developments.
whats been happening , in a nutshell: I narrowly escaped a relocation to Washington DC last fall but am happy - and somewhat relieved , to an extent - to be remaining here.
The Duo is developing steadily, nicely. We've come a long way since last Spring's recording, and have settled into an approach that doesn't fight or deny our background as improvisors as much. We're comfortable enough to simply trust in what we do best, to have faith in the interplay. The result is a more fluid, relaxed approach that emphasisies the dialogue, allowing us to follow the changing contours of spontaneous musical conversation with ease.
I'll be posting some rehearsal samples of our current work, kicking off with a January rendition of Night Held Hope:
Night-Held Hope - January 06, playlist format
Night-Held Hope - January 06, download
Jefferson and I will unravel more music for you next week at Bruce Dunlap's Gig performance Space, 1808 Second Street, Santa Fe. The Gig at Gig is on Thursday, April 30th - perforrmance is at 8:00 pm; suggested donation 10 to 15 dollars. We're the only one on the bill, for two sets, so we can take our time, and draw you in for the journey.
A few days later, we'll do a brief performance at this years Interfaith musical event on Sunday, April 2nd at Temple Beth Shalom,on Cordoba Road. The event two years ago was a very special and uplifitng day,and this year Im sure will be the same. The event runs form 3 to 7, with music, food, and information.
from the sacred to the secular: On the flip side - or perhaps not,, I've hooked up with Qutesh, an interesting ensemble that backs up a trio of belly dancers at Cleoptra's, the Design Center, on Saturday nights. I'm having a nice rapport with guitaris Dinesh from Denmark, who's also on the gig. At this point, we're not working out anything in advance so its also very spontaneous, and always fresh!
Hope to see you everyone at some - or all - of these upcoming events.
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