Brilliant album from the Hindustani slide guitar master. Click on Read About for the full album notes written by Paul Fisher. 'Calcutta Chronicles: Indian Slide Guitar Odyssey is a musical journey through the centuries of guitar playing in India. Using three unique guitars that BBC award winner Pandit Debashish Bhattacharya designed himself, each beautiful raga explores influences ranging from Gypsy to Sufi with deep sensitivity and free-flowing movement between past and present, tradition and innovation.'

1. Sufi Bhakti (Dawn Medley on Anandi)

2. Amrit Anand. (Bhairavi alaap on Chaturangui)

3. Nivedan- (Bhairavi thumri)

4.Ganga Ghat- (Charukesi alaap)

5. Gypsy Anandi (Mishra Pahari and Mishra Maand)

6. Rasika (Pilu-vilambit)

7. Renaissance (Pilu-drut with jhala)

8. Kolkata to Kanyakumari- (Kalavati-alaap in Gandharvi)

9. Maya- (Kalavati Madhya lay in Gandharvi)

Makoto Kubota's first Indian excursion features various musicians recorded in Chennai on bamboo flute, violin, sitar, veena, dilruba, steel guitar, mandolin, tabla, dholak, udu and some superb vocalists to which Kubota has addded his trademark programmed beats, keyboards plus guitar and bass. His Blue Asia pals, Jenny Chin, Mac Chew and Yoichi Ikeda all help out at various points too. All tunes are Kubota or Blue Asia originals except for a wonderful version of Ever So Lonely. Quality Indian chill out music but not quite like anything you've heard before.


Price:   £14.99

A selection of Indian recordings from the excellent JVC World Sounds series,

Wonderful compilation album of one of Sri Lanka's greatest singers. Baila music, a Ceylonese form of dance music, but not the modern often cheesy version. Recordings date back about 30 years.


Price:   £17.99

Old style Sinhalese film music, that is unique in style to Sri Lanka. Male vocal accompanied by tabla and sitar, that mixes pop elements with traditional in a natural combination. Superb.