Mahima

That was what left my lips most frequently upon my first listen to this album. After having this for a few days now (which translates to 6 complete listenings), unless something beyond miraculous happens later in the year, this is my choice for Album Of The Year.

If you're familiar with Debashish, you know that he has Hindustanified his guitar. On a few tracks of this cd we get to hear his newer, also Hindustanified guitar. This is THE GUITAR! Debashish's tone on this thing is stunning. I don't know how he did it, but he has succeeded in creating an instrument whose tone (along with his touch and taste) has all the best aspects of the tones of both the sarangi and the acoustic guitar. This is the most sonorous, gorgeous tone I have ever heard emanate from a guitar. I hope he records some complete raga performances for the India Archive label with this guitar. The world needs 78 uninterrupted minutes of him playing this guitar!

Aside from Debashish's new guitar, the other "discovery" for me on this cd was Debashish and Subhashish's sister, Sutapa. I didn't even know they had a sister but she is an excellent singer and is featured prominently here on several tracks (singing in one or more languages of India). Asha Bhosle, watch out!! If there is another family on earth as musically talented as the trio of Debashish (guitar), Subhashish (tabla, percussion), and Sutapa (vocals), I have not heard them. Even this family seems too good to be true.

Now I must praise Bob Brozman. Anyone with a toe in the "world music" industry knows that "East Meets West" types of cd's are an extremely popular gimick. They usually consist of little more than a famous white guy who decidedly CANNOT musically hang with the Eastern musicians, but who gets loads of critical and mainstream acclaim anyway. Why? Usually because said-Westerner has whiteified the "foreigner music" down to such a bland level that it is now palatable to boring Western ears. It happens quite often, but there is one main perpetrator. You all know who I am talking about.

Thankfully the remedy to this problem does walk among us white folks, and his name is Bob Brozman. He may be the one Westerner who embodies what "world music" can and should be. He's not throwing any clout around and sleeping in 4-star hotels while his darker-skinned counterparts sleep on the floor somewhere, only to meet up again the next day in a music studio. Pure human and musical equality. This will be Bob's legacy.

In terms of the individual tracks here, there are many new gems, as well as a couple from the pasts of both Debashish and Bob. Bana Mali (track #6) is Nkaminyo Yelena Ma from the excellent Ocean Blues album by Djeli Moussa Diawara and Bob Brozman. Always one of my favorite tracks on Ocean Blues, here Debashish just blows the roof off of it with his melodic grace, fire, and the tone of his new guitar. From Debashish's past comes track #7, Jibaner Gan. More well-known to me as Song Of Life. We are treated to a fine new version of it here and it's also well worth it to hear the version Debashish and Bob do on Bob's Running Man album. I just have to ask... Bob... why no Debussy In Calcutta??? =)

So what kind of cd is this? Hindustani? No. Hawaiian? No. Blues? No. Again, it's one of those cd's that only a handful of musicians are capable of making. Debashish is a genius. Period. Subhahish is a master tabla player and also shows here that he is a brilliant arranger/all-around percussionist. Sutapa is a gorgeous singer. Then there is Bob. One aspect of Bob's brilliance is the fact that he in no way hog-ties the musicians he plays with. They don't have to hold back, dumb-down, or stoop to a lower level so as to accomodate him. Bob is just THE MAN. His openness and willingness to learn allows anyone he plays with to be free, knowing that he will be right there in the give-and-take.

This music transcends all of its foundational traditions to become something new, equal, and beautiful.