DEBASHISH BHATTACHARYA

Liner Notes to Calcutta Chronicles: Indian Slide-Guitar Odyssey By Paul Fisher

The city of Calcutta (now known officially as Kolkata) is the capital of West Bengal, in the East of India. It is home to some 4.5 million people, making it India's fourth most populous city, although over 15 million people live within the metropolitan area putting it only behind Mumbai (Bombay) and Delhi.

Once the capital of the British Raj, since independence Calcutta might have lagged behind other Indian cities in terms of economic growth (although in recent years its been catching up fast) but the city has long been known as India's cultural capital. Calcutta is the hometown to a disproportionate number of India's greatest literary, revolutionary and artistic figures.

The city has had a profound impact on another of its sons, arguably the greatest contemporary innovator of Indian traditional music, and certainly one of its most gifted performers, Pandit Debashish Bhattacharya. This influence, plus traces of a wider ancient Indian history, with elements of Sufism and the origins of the Romani of Hindustan, together with Debashish's own set of inspirations drawn from years of travelling and performing around the world and collaborating with musicians from diverse backgrounds, has resulted in this, his latest opus and his most personal release to date. Calcutta Chronicles: Indian Slide-Guitar Odyssey.

"Long before the British Raj, Calcutta has had a different mix of people" Debashish explains. "It has been a place of pilgrimage for peace and harmony. People from all over India have come here to witness for themselves the great musicians such as Ustad Ali Akbar Khan. My inspiration has come from the different cultures and people".

Debashish grew up within a musical family, both of his parents being singers. "I saw my parents religiously practicing and performing their music every day. I grew up accompanying them on different instruments like tambura, guitar and tabla. This cultural atmosphere was normal in every Bengali middleclass household. The first and last thing of the day was music.

We used to play musical games, enhance our memory by remembering the compositions orally, believing that we could remember the complete Raga form and the compositions by practically singing or playing only. We needed to believe that we could remember everything that we heard once! That strength comes from the old tradition of imparting music orally in India, which I strongly encourage in my school in Kolkata, Bhattacharya's School of Universal music."

Around 1929 legendary Hawaiian musician Tao Moe was one of the visitors to Calcutta. He brought with him an Hawaiian steel guitar which was (literally) lapped up by the Indians, the instrument becoming a surprise cult hit spawning a trend for steel guitar during the 1940s. Somehow or other one such guitar found its way into the Bhattacharya household. "Then I started to play the guitar that lay in the house. At that time I started learning the sitar and vocal classical too. However I stuck to the guitar and thought about different styles and techniques for playing better Raga music." Much later, in 2004, Debashish finally met the man who unwittingly had changed the course of his life when he was introduced to Tao Moe in Hawaii. Aged 95 Tao Moe passed away that same year.

The young Debashish Bhattacharya was soon developing his own style of playing and developing the slide guitar when in 1979 he added resonating and drone strings.

"I got a government scholarship and went to study from Pandit Brij Bhushan Kabra who brought the slide guitar in the classical concert circuit in India. It was he who shaped me, chiseled my ideas and inspired me to break forms and innovate both in the guitar and the music that I play. Later I went to vocalist Pandit Ajoy Chakraborty who also guided me in different directions of Raga music."

He made rapid progress, winning the prestigious President of India Award aged 20. During his 30s further honours were bestowed upon him such as by the Prasar Bharati Ministry of information and aged 40 in 2003 he was made a Pandit (master).

On the world stage, listeners and festival-goers from Africa to Asia, Europe and the US have been transfixed by the magic of his artistry. He has garnered a fan club of leading guitarists some of whom he has played with such as John McLaughlin (as part of Remember Shakti featuring Zakir Hussain) Bob Brozman and Martin Simpson. Other master musician collaborators include Liu Fang (China) Takashi Hirayasu (Okinawa) and Rene Lacaille (La Reunion).

An idiosyncratic set of circumstances of developing ancient Indian music on an instrument that's modern history can be traced to an island in the Pacific while absorbing his strong local Calcutta culture and experiencing pockets of others from around the world has resulted in a complex and enigmatic character.

Perhaps it's best left to Debashish himself to sum up his latest offering.

"This album is metaphorical; a slideshow of my musical experiences since the days of my childhood. It is a narration of the inspirational experiences of my life, through my compositions played on Chaturangui, Gandharvi and Anandi—the three manifestations of my vision of the magical instrument, Guitar. The album is a humble endeavour to express my thoughts to you in the language of Indian Raga Music."

Personal Notes

To describe Pandit Debashish Bhattaracharya as simply an extraordinary musician doesn't really begin to do him justice. But then, any words don't quite seem to either, without entering into what could be perceived as over-bloated hyperbole. To talk about a musician with such deep qualities takes a bit of an explanation.

Our paths first crossed in July 1999 at a hotel in Winnipeg, Canada. I was there with Okinawan musician Takashi Hirayasu. who had just recorded an album together with American guitarist Bob Brozman in Okinawa, and Bob had invited Takashi to play with him and some of his other collaborators at a couple of Canadian festivals. Two of those other musicians were Debashish and his brother, tabla player Subhasis Bhattacharya. Also there at this point was Greek bouzouki player George Pilali, and Bob's band ‘Thieves of Sleep' on guitar, bass and percussion.

The hotel's dining room doubled up as a rehearsal room for their performances at the festival. From the first notes they played together I felt I was witnessing something very special. It wasn't just the way the musicians gelled together, but the mastery of each one. By far the most serene musician, for whom everything seemed effortless, was Debashish. Everybody in the room was awestruck by him, as indeed were 20,000 people in front of the main stage when the group closed the festival on the Sunday night. While Bob is a wonderful slide guitar player by any standards, Debashish was on another level altogether, another planet.

We next travelled to Quebec, where more of Bob's friends would be joining us. These included Rene Lacaille from Reunion with his group and kora player from Guinee, Djeli Moussa Diawara. If I thought I had witnessed something special at Winnipeg, then the events of the next few days were something I will never forget, as various concoctions of these musicians and together in a finale charmed the audiences on several stages. They were performances that would never quite be repeated, but proved to be the catalyst for several future projects. World Music Network went on to release that Bob and Takashi album, then subsequently other collaborative projects with Bob and solo albums by Bob, Rene Lacaille and now this, the second solo album by Debashish Bhattacharya.

Since the release of his last album, Calcutta Slide Guitar, the profile of Debashish has been raised considerably, not least through his deserved winning of a BBC Award for World Music in 2007. I've had the good fortune to continue to work with Debashish on various live projects around the world and never ceased to be amazed by his pure artistry. Each performance has its own unique qualities, with sensational fast improvised passages and moments of the utmost grace, beauty and silence. Maya is like a snapshot of those performances, showcasing the talents of a world class musician. Debashish is a musician and human being who exists on a number of levels; deeply rooted in Indian spirituality, continuing the traditions of thousands of years, yet a perilous innovator and the product of years of international travel, soaking up worldwide influences. The extraordinary Pandit Debashish Bhattacharya.

Track Notes

1. – Sufi Bhakti (Dawn Medley on Anandi) 7.12 secs

This piece blends elements from Sufi music and Bhakti or devotional music of India. It reflects the journey of the Anandi, the small slide ukulele, the latest of the trinity of guitars created by Debashish. The Anandi has ventured from Indian culture to Islamic Sufi, and returned to find a kindred spirit in the Baul of Bengal. The instrumentation consists of three different Anandi, Indian harp, tabla and the ancient one stringed instrument, the ektara. This composition combines different intros in D minor and crosses into the rhythm sections of a dawn melody. Within the different forms of the classical raga Bhairavi, are strong international flavours, reflecting Debashish's own international journeys and wish for world harmony.

2. Amrit Anand. (Bhairavi alaap on Chaturangui) 3.29 secs

A morning raga. Every morning brings new hopes, and music flows like the divine nectar or Amrit. Morning ragas, like the dawn atmosphere, are serene by nature. Each melodic phrase brings a drop of divinity. In the hands of a devoted musician these ragas come alive and immerse the listener in the amrita (nectar) of music.

3. Nivedan- (Bhairavi thumri) 7.31 secs

Every expression of an art is an offering or Nivedan of the artist's soul, his real self. Nivedan, therefore, is the quintessential part of his life. Debashish's deep spiritual roots strike a fine balance between contemporary and ancient that he treads with effortless ease. This trait of his personality is reflected in this thumri based piece that is devotional in spirit yet contemporary in nature. A thumri song portrays the loving and affectionate dialogues between Lord Krishna and his devotee. The melodic articulations and form of composition shows the deep emotional bond between the rhythm and melody, as with Krishna and Radha, the devotee, with its revering flow and devotional passion.

4.Ganga Ghat- (Charukesi alaap) 4.55 secs

Growing up in Kolkata, the river Ganges has had a strong social impact in the life of Pandit Debashish Bhattacharya. Considered a holy river in India, it is the association of human lives and livelihood with the riverbank that finds expression in this mid-day raga rendition played on the Chaturangui.

5. Gypsy Anandi (Mishra Pahari and Mishra Maand) 6.24 secs

An instrument too grows with its artist. Anandi the youngest of the Trinity of Guitars designed by Debashish has traveled around the world with him. This piece represents the instrument's second journey. Melodies from diverse cultures are mixed with its own roots music. This unique composition is an Indian melody with an Hawaiian flavour, blended with Afro-Andalusia rhythms with its soul in raga. Three different Anandis are played in gradual layers.

6. Rasika (Pilu-vilambit)-8.21secs

In his early years, Debashish would hear the Bengali music, popular in the days of the Raj. Old LP records of these tunes were sold on the streets of Calcutta and at all night concerts. This tune and the following track, depicts the flavour of the music he heard at this time.

7. Renaissance (Pilu-drut with jhala)-8.31 secs

There was a period when the perfect reproduction of vocal music was the ultimate goal in playing Indian classical instruments. Ustad Ali Akbar Khan and Pandit Ravi Shankar changed this trend and tantrakari (instrumental style) was at its peak in 1960s. This inspired several generations of instrumentalists. Debashish, as a child, could feel the winds of change too. On this piece, Debashish assimilates the rich flavours of the past on his Chaturangui.

8. Kolkata to Kanyakumari- (Kalavati-alaap in Gandharvi) 7.46 secs

This piece is a tribute to the Yatra or pilgramage of Swami Vivekananda the great philosopher leader. Debashish shares his birth date with the great thinker and always finds inspiration from the life of this spiritual leader who preached unity in diversity. Motivated by his vision, this piece blends the essence of North Indian and Carnatic classical music.

9. Maya- (Kalavati Madhya lay in Gandharvi) 7:00 secs

The ultimate question of existence…Are all earthly things Maya- an illusion? Is globalization Maya? Many things we believe exist in truths and lies. There are also many things that we can only realize but cannot be measured by truths and lies, cannot pre-judge or count before hand, and that we cannot get rid off . This composition is a portrayal of such an existence in Art and the Artiste. One characteristic of a raga is that despite its inherent nature, it can change according to the mood of its presenter. The raga draws all the peace, devotion, romance, pain and bliss from the person who understands it truly and sincerely. Debashish is one such artist, his strong faith in Indian philosophy enabling him to reach artistic heights, after traversing through the diversities created by Maya.

 

INTERVIEW BY AND COURTESY OF PHIL MOORE

As a preface, I believe that people would be most interested to learn of your life as someone who has dedicated himself to music. Also, in terms of your music, you are clearly something of an innovator. This is clear from your work and practice. Again, this is something that I think people would like to hear about, especially for those unfamiliar with your music and musical background.

For me life is full of blessings and surprise with fair share of ups and downs. I have always followed my destiny and the new path in front of me. I honour it always, look at it with respect and do not ignore even the smallest opening. I am traditional in my musical genre but am open to dynamics for betterment. That's my style.

This faith has given me strength to stick to my music and go deeper and deeper without brooding.
For me, music is purely in service of music and for nothing else. Everything comes as a blessing if I can do music better than I do. I know many will see it as a philosophical chat but simply it's not that. I have practiced music and imbibed it as my lifestyle under the tutelage of my beloved Gurus, my parents and later from my other Gurus too. Following the path of truth I have been blessed by many!

Now, talking about Innovation - it is the result of believing in truth and the practice of truth.
(I know! I know! It almost sounds unreal). But I say as a scholar of Indian music that one cannot feign if he or she claims that music is the art of his or her living. One cannot chat for hours with his or her limited knowledge about the vast ocean of music to people when he or she could do betterment by thinking, studying and practicing music during those valuable hours .I do not indulge my precious time in making fake image of how much I know etc. I am happy telling others - I am what I am. This belief actually enhanced and expanded my musical horizon spread across 40 years of music practice. Practice means not just learning or muscle and finger movement around the guitar but much more, like a religion. It is the communicative aspect of a musician of Indian classical music. It is much about the interplay of heart and soul guided by self-realisation. To me my music is the result of such realisation. Does it clarify what you wanted to know?
But I do not know how many people of the world are ready to believe in this when they have every short cut available at E-bay!

As a start, could you please let the readers know a little about your background and upbringing.

I saw my parents to be with their music religiously practicing and performing every day. I grew up accompanying them on different instruments like Tambura, Guitar and Tabla. This cultural atmosphere was normal in every Bengali middleclass household. The first and last thing of the day was music. I learnt what treasure lay for me in my parents and gradually I learned that I was responsible to carry on the legacy. We used to play musical games, enhance our memory by remembering the compositions orally, believing that we could remember the complete Raga form and the compositions by practically singing or playing only. We need to believe that we can remember everything what we hear once! That strength comes from the old tradition of imparting music orally in India, which I strongly encourage in my school in Kolkata, Bhattacharya's School of Universal music.

Then I started to play the guitar that lay in the house. At that time I started learning the sitar and vocal classical too. However I stuck to the guitar and thought about different styles and techniques for playing better Raga music. I got a government scholarship and went to study from Pandit Brij Bhushan Kabra who brought the slide guitar in the classical concert circuit in India. It was he who shaped me, chiseled my ideas and inspired me to break forms and innovate both in the guitar and the music that I play. Later I went to vocalist Pandit Ajoy Chakraborty who also guided me in different directions of Raga music.

Can you tell us about the guitars you play? As I understand you have designed them yourself. If you could talk a little about what inspired you to design them and if you could place them in the context of Indian music and your musical heritage?

Guitars bring many colours in my music that is why I have been inspired to create three Guitars.
I told you at the beginning of designing these instruments it was just to design it but now I realise it was a subconscious restlessness of not having a voice of my own culture in the guitars I was playing that has inspired me to move in one direction. Also learning different traditional instruments and interaction with different instruments of different culture really enriched my imagination about tonality but the look is completely directed by the tradition and ethnicity of my own Bengali culture. I have been always a good painter as my second activity was art and painting and third was academics in school. If I had time I used to play soccer, cricket, badminton or table tennis. These helped me to get shapes and designs. I have tried to bring the Guitar in the heart of my culture that has initially called the guitar as a foreign novelty in Indian music.
I always believe that the Guitar is a universal instrument, if it has been taken in to the heart of so many cultures, why can it not be taken in Raga music of India?

The concept "world music" is a hopelessly vague notion. My question: where do you see yourself in terms of the global arena of music and how do people over here in the UK respond to your music?

To me music is universal and Global; if you put lyrics in a regional language and learn the accent you understand and hear culture. If you respect others territory, others culture and others language, their style etc, only then you can sense the difference in the act.
Indian Raga music that I play can reach one and all beyond boundaries as it is based on emotions and philosophy.
Now since the human race loves music, flower, food, seasonal acts, appreciate nature etc - so we have a common ground, this is how we can see our common accent and common expression. World Music is a Music Bazaar where you, me, and everybody comes for different reasons. We need to know what we are doing in the name of World Music, a self criticism among the musicians, producers, writers, composers, lyricists, media publicists and music labels that really seems to be a good way as I realize to find a better place for world music.

How would you describe your music?

A portray of Human expressions through pure and natural sound created by nature in a way where harmony and melody and inflections and microtones and micro-beats dance around the Supreme and create infinite number of unique cascades without identifying themselves in the oceanic depth of the Silence.

How, if at all, does your music and your style cross and overlap with other musical styles (for example, traditional Blues)?

My music definitely welcomes many other musical cultures. Some say that Blues is an expression very common in Indian Raga music....sheer words can't show them. I just will not tell my readers it is a surprise - they need to come to hear and realize them at concert!

We live in what is perhaps a unique period in history. The modern age seems to be determined by speed and transitoriness, with little time for reflection. With regards to music, there seems to be much clutter. Our ears are bombarded with noise and music that people rarely truly listen to. If you believe this to be the case, what, if any, are your thoughts on this idea?

In my last UK tour 2005 I have told my audience about the abuse of music. So much music in public places played in speakers, in train stations, airports, shopping malls!
Nobody really gives attention to it. It breaks a musician's heart who has brought the musical presentation in which he or she dedicated a whole life.
How does one feel when someone is ignored when he or she is supposed to be introduced?
Perhaps I have hinted in my early explanation about today's music.
There are so many factors involved in music and what we hear; it should be a paper for the students of modern music in universities for a Doctorate!

Why do you think music is so important in the human world and what can it teach us about ourselves?

My Gurus taught me - music teaching is the best example and best way of explanation about the necessity of music in our life.
Our world is resourceful, we live in the glittering abundance, without learning how to use those resources in a better way without being affected by it. On the contrary we fail to meet our greed of objective advancement; music, true music can only heal our wound we receive for such living standard. Music is a healer, music is a cleaner, music is a charger, music is the nature I worship in.

The musician must learn about rhythm, melody, harmonies, etc. Would you like to share any thoughts on the ability of music to integrate and make connections between people?

A musician needs to read his or her nature and tune it to the music he or she likes most. A musician needs to clean the passages of hearing, thinking, imagining and acting. A musician needs to purify the vision of the music in his or her self before he or she sings or plays a note.
If he or she can connect the self originating Power, gradually he or she will be able to connect the out side source of power....people and nature outside......This is my MANTRA I learn, believe and apply in my music and teaching.

Finally, is there anything you would like to say or share with the readers?

Believe in hardship, but do not fake, try to locate and define your ability and inability, never show your pride for your ability, but silently share it with others, never hide or feel scared from your inabilities, learn to overcome. Believe in human qualities more than believing in a machine. Listen and hear the music, do not play it when you are not attentive to it.