Reinterpreting music Sufi'stically'
30 May 2013 8:44 PM GMT
His house resonated with the sound of tabla, immersing him in music during his formative years. Son of the renowned tabla player Pandit Shankar Ghosh, Bickram Ghosh carries on the family tradition with his experimental take on Indian classical and folk music. Adding zing to Sufi music this time around he is geared up to take the audience through a journey where Sufi meets the new and rhythm-heavy sound. Ghosh and his entourage bring you Sufusion as a part of the 14th Annual Sangeet Mahotsav here in the Capital on 2 June at Kamani Auditorium.
How did a chance encounter with Parvati Kumari lay the foundation for Sufusion ?
I met Parvati through the CEO of a music company. She will be one of the lead vocalists for Sufusion. She has this earthy tone to her voice; not like one of your pop singers, who also wants to delve into Sufi, but a raw and traditional Sufi artist. I have always had a desire to work on this format of music. With Parvati on board, we took a step forward.
Is your original brand of music way different from the form that Delhites are going to listen to?
Well, let me take you back in early 2000 when we formed our band Rhythmscape. We were striving to reinterpret Indian music through our style and that's what has given an edgy image to the band. We produce a modern take on Indian classical and folk music. On stage, we like to keep the performance flowing, so we jam instead of playing a regular lineup of music.
And should we expect some Sufi-tabla jamming sessions this time around?
Now, that's the tricky part. We wanted to maintain our style here but were caught up with the question of justifying the lyrical Sufi music through jamming? That's where we have Shankha, our dholak player, coming in. Our finale act is always a jam, no matter what. That's where dholak, an integral part of Sufi music, will feature in the jamming session.
Besides the show, we would like to know about your early days as a tabla player. Making a foray into music was a family tradition or a personal choice?
I was always drawn to music, and how couldn't I be. During my growing up years, our house was always swarming with people from musical background. I studied English literature but was trained into percussion as well. I took up a career in music after college. During the late 90's, the idea of fusion as an element in music picked up force. I would say, Rahul Sharma, Taufiq Querishi and I were the new face of changing form of music from our generation.
What's the road ahead from here on?
I still remember the time when Pt. Ravi Shankar asked me to perform with him in Brussels back in 1993, giving me a day's notice. It was unbelievable. It kicked off my 11 years long working relationship with the maestro. Now, apart from experimenting with different genres, I am also mainstreaming my music through films. Having worked on the music of bollywood movies, such as Jal and Super Se Upar.
In my next venture, I am collaborating with Sonu Nigam for the album 'Heart and beat'.
How did a chance encounter with Parvati Kumari lay the foundation for Sufusion ?
I met Parvati through the CEO of a music company. She will be one of the lead vocalists for Sufusion. She has this earthy tone to her voice; not like one of your pop singers, who also wants to delve into Sufi, but a raw and traditional Sufi artist. I have always had a desire to work on this format of music. With Parvati on board, we took a step forward.
Is your original brand of music way different from the form that Delhites are going to listen to?
Well, let me take you back in early 2000 when we formed our band Rhythmscape. We were striving to reinterpret Indian music through our style and that's what has given an edgy image to the band. We produce a modern take on Indian classical and folk music. On stage, we like to keep the performance flowing, so we jam instead of playing a regular lineup of music.
And should we expect some Sufi-tabla jamming sessions this time around?
Now, that's the tricky part. We wanted to maintain our style here but were caught up with the question of justifying the lyrical Sufi music through jamming? That's where we have Shankha, our dholak player, coming in. Our finale act is always a jam, no matter what. That's where dholak, an integral part of Sufi music, will feature in the jamming session.
Besides the show, we would like to know about your early days as a tabla player. Making a foray into music was a family tradition or a personal choice?
I was always drawn to music, and how couldn't I be. During my growing up years, our house was always swarming with people from musical background. I studied English literature but was trained into percussion as well. I took up a career in music after college. During the late 90's, the idea of fusion as an element in music picked up force. I would say, Rahul Sharma, Taufiq Querishi and I were the new face of changing form of music from our generation.
What's the road ahead from here on?
I still remember the time when Pt. Ravi Shankar asked me to perform with him in Brussels back in 1993, giving me a day's notice. It was unbelievable. It kicked off my 11 years long working relationship with the maestro. Now, apart from experimenting with different genres, I am also mainstreaming my music through films. Having worked on the music of bollywood movies, such as Jal and Super Se Upar.
In my next venture, I am collaborating with Sonu Nigam for the album 'Heart and beat'.
Next Story
