This post was triggered when one of the music connoisseurs in my family enquired about my experiences with independent and cross genre music. While I was humbled at the request knowing truly well that I am neither an expert nor an exponent of independent music, I also thought that it is my good fortune to spread and share the joy I have personally felt when listening to some of these incredible pieces...One of the few things I personally take pride is the fact that I have many friends who love music from various genres and in fact one of the biggest takeaway for me from some of my friendships over the years has been their love of music.
Keeping in line with my nomadic wanderer nature, I typically keep my heart open to anything new on the areas of my interest and that has given me a chance to listen to multiple genres of music without prejudice.
So when I sat down looking at the seemingly simplistic task of picking few of my favorite alternative music, I suddenly realized that it wasnt simple at all...The music that touched my soul and evoked strong emotional responses were too many and avoiding any of those would not be satisfactory. So I set myself some guidelines...Only non-film songs will be selected, no more than one song from an album or by an artist, no pure classical renditions, no instrumental only music (that itself would be enough for a blog like this) and I wont go for music that's not based in Unified India...So with all that, here is a list of 12 songs in no particular order that has changed me forever.
Jee Chahe to Sheesha ban ja - Raqs-e-Bismil
This is rendered by the indomitable Abida Parvin who doesnt need any introduction for the music lovers across the world. While she has been one of my favorite singers across the years, personally nothing comes close to listening to 'Raqs-e-Bismal' at night. This is a must-have album for any sufi music lover and I could have picked any of the songs from the album but at this moment, this is the one that is on top of my play list and I would recommend reading the translation of the exquisite lyrics if you are not well versed with Urdu. Turn the light off, put your ear/head phone on, play Raqs-e-Bismil and enjoy how the entire surrounding reverberates with peace...
Thoomani Maadathu - Sessions from The Space
Agam is the latest band in this last and I have started following them only for last 2 years but in that time, Harish and Pravin (on Guitar) has become an integral part of my life. They have produced only very few original songs and frankly any of those songs could be on this list. Their most successful song has been their amazing rendition of 'Ranga Pura Vihaara' that introduced and quickly established a genre called "Carnatic progressive rock" in the minds of those who are in constant search of different music...'Pani Mathi Mukhi Bale' (The Celestial Nymph) is another personal favorite of mine and the additional Malayalam lyrics along with the sound of idakka makes me long for my native Kerala...'Thoomani Maadathu' is the latest song that came out from Agam and offers an outstanding rendition of one of the stanzas from the ever lasting 'Thiruppavai' by Nachiyar (Andal) from the 7th century. Suffice to say that this is now part of my every day routine.
Farz Karo - Paigham-e-Mohabbat
My preference towards Ghazal music has once again let me select this gem from Paigham-e-Mohabbat composed and produced by Muzaffar Ali. This album is mainly an ode to unified India with anguish of the partition and hope for a better tomorrow and contains works of many a great poets from Unified India...One of the call out is Faiz's 'Hum Ke Thehre Ajnabi' rendered hauntingly by Ustaad Moin Khan interspersed with amazing 'Mone Poday' sung by Shorjo Bhattacharya. I also discovered what an amazing singer Sukhwinder Singh truly was outside of what we normally hear in bollywood where he is type cast. It certainly is one of the best albums produced in this genre. My personal favorite of the album is the ghazal 'Farz Karo' by Ibne-Insha that is sung by one of the most under appreciated singers of our times, Chaaya Ganguly. This song evokes multiple emotions but the most frequent of that is a feeling of longing...
Giri raja sutha thanaya - Remember Shakti
Piya Mori (Raga 4) - Ragas and Sagas
This is quite a unique collaboration between the highly regarded Norwegian Saxophone player Jan Garberek with Pakistan musicians lead by the great Fateh Ali Khan (not to be mistaken for the other great Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan)...Frankly, any of the 4 Ragas of the album could have been selected here as each of the track of this album is unique and provides opportunity to learn about ourselves and the music we love with each listening...I feel Fateh Ali Khan Saab is not as recognized in India as he should be for his amazing singing not to mention his great contributions to music.
Jo Jo Jo Rama - Vatsalyam
People might wonder why this is part of this list as it doesnt really fit the criteria of cross music. However, I wanted to include this album which renders lullaby's from various regions across India sung expertly by Bombay Jayashree, This folk lullaby is a personal favorite of mine and I have attempted (miserably, I must admit) to sing this to my son regularly. Also, I have to admit that I wanted to include 'Uyire' by Subramaniya Bharathi from her album 'Atma' but unfortunately thats not available on youtube but if you come across that album, dont forget to check it out.
Chadariya Jheeni Re Jheeni - Mukhtiyar Ali
I came across the row talent and the powerful voice of Mukhtiyar Ali when he and his troop came to Bangalore as part of the Kabir Project around 10 years back and from the time I listened to him live, he has been an addiction. There are very few musicians who are as versatile as Mukthiyar Ali and this particular bhajan is of Sant Kabir and the live recording has a very good explanation of Kabir's vision here...He has now been collaborating with Mathias Duplessy and some of the songs they have delivered like 'Jeena Jeena' are outstanding to say the least.
Rhydhun was a truly path breaking album in India when it got released almost 20 years back. The sounds you heard in that album was so different to what you are used to that it almost revolutionized music for many. My personal favorite of the album was Nand performed by Geetika Varde (Taufiq Quereshi's better half) but unfortunately there are no youtube links available for it, so I am using another favorite from the same album here, this is a marathi folk song which is set in slightly different tone to the rest of the album...There are so many greats in this albume starting with the one and only 'Ustaad Allah Rakha' to Zakir, to L Shankar to Shankar Mahadevan. The most revered song from the album is the one called 'Nothing But Voice' where they have recreated the entire backing music by human voice that sounds incredible even now.
This is a late entrant to the list and it makes the list primarily because Nand didnt make it and to help you discover Geetika Varde and if you are any similar to me in musical taste, you would be addicted to her voice...I have been infatuated by this song since I heard this about 2 years back but I have to admit that I havent had a chance to explore the works or Neeraj Chag more.
Paimana Bideh - Chup
This is from the album of the amazing cousin sisters of Pakistan Zeb and Haniya. This song is in Pashto/Dari and hence you would need a translation for you to fully immerse in the song. Zeb and Heniya has produced quite a bit of good music together and I was a constant follower of them before they both went their separate ways. Zeb has since sung some very good songs in bollywood with the amazing 'Hone do Battiyan' from Fitoor being the best.
This is another amazing Kabir poetry with rich imagery and one that ultimately talks directly to your soul. Now, there are plenty of outstanding renditions of this starting from Pt. Kumar Gandharva (who also composed this version) to Kailash Kher but I personally prefer this version by Vedanth which isnt musically perfect. This is not just because I was in the audience when he gave this performance at Bhoomi Jatre festival at Fireflies but also because I found the emotional quotient in this rendition better than most. Of course, the original version even in their own album was sung mainly by Bindhumalini with Vedanth just supporting and while Bindhumalini is a superb singer and has got an outstanding voice, I connect with this version of Vedanth more...
Zariya - AR Rehman @ Coke Studio
I dont think I would need to introduce this to any audience as this is hugely popular already but still when we are talking about cross music, how can I close without referring to one of the most recent truly global collaborations? Here we have a Jordanian singer, Nepalese Budhist Monk and ARR with his troupe and the music they produced together is truly phenomenal. There has been other songs in the same episode that should be mentioned as well especially the lovely 'Naan Yen', so the entire episode is worth watching.
I realize there are too many songs that I have missed and among them some of the best songs I have heard, Fuzon, Colonial Cousins, Junoon, Jal, Indian Ocean, Dewarists are some among those...Of course, I havent mentioned about pure Ghazal's from some of my favorite singers but that was intentional.
I am indebted to my many friends and colleagues who has introduced me to some of these incredible pieces which enriched my life for the years to come, so hopefully, this helps some people discover a new frontier in their exploration of new sounds. Wishing you all a great musical journey forward...
Keeping in line with my nomadic wanderer nature, I typically keep my heart open to anything new on the areas of my interest and that has given me a chance to listen to multiple genres of music without prejudice.
So when I sat down looking at the seemingly simplistic task of picking few of my favorite alternative music, I suddenly realized that it wasnt simple at all...The music that touched my soul and evoked strong emotional responses were too many and avoiding any of those would not be satisfactory. So I set myself some guidelines...Only non-film songs will be selected, no more than one song from an album or by an artist, no pure classical renditions, no instrumental only music (that itself would be enough for a blog like this) and I wont go for music that's not based in Unified India...So with all that, here is a list of 12 songs in no particular order that has changed me forever.
Jee Chahe to Sheesha ban ja - Raqs-e-Bismil
This is rendered by the indomitable Abida Parvin who doesnt need any introduction for the music lovers across the world. While she has been one of my favorite singers across the years, personally nothing comes close to listening to 'Raqs-e-Bismal' at night. This is a must-have album for any sufi music lover and I could have picked any of the songs from the album but at this moment, this is the one that is on top of my play list and I would recommend reading the translation of the exquisite lyrics if you are not well versed with Urdu. Turn the light off, put your ear/head phone on, play Raqs-e-Bismil and enjoy how the entire surrounding reverberates with peace...
Thoomani Maadathu - Sessions from The Space
Agam is the latest band in this last and I have started following them only for last 2 years but in that time, Harish and Pravin (on Guitar) has become an integral part of my life. They have produced only very few original songs and frankly any of those songs could be on this list. Their most successful song has been their amazing rendition of 'Ranga Pura Vihaara' that introduced and quickly established a genre called "Carnatic progressive rock" in the minds of those who are in constant search of different music...'Pani Mathi Mukhi Bale' (The Celestial Nymph) is another personal favorite of mine and the additional Malayalam lyrics along with the sound of idakka makes me long for my native Kerala...'Thoomani Maadathu' is the latest song that came out from Agam and offers an outstanding rendition of one of the stanzas from the ever lasting 'Thiruppavai' by Nachiyar (Andal) from the 7th century. Suffice to say that this is now part of my every day routine.
Farz Karo - Paigham-e-Mohabbat
My preference towards Ghazal music has once again let me select this gem from Paigham-e-Mohabbat composed and produced by Muzaffar Ali. This album is mainly an ode to unified India with anguish of the partition and hope for a better tomorrow and contains works of many a great poets from Unified India...One of the call out is Faiz's 'Hum Ke Thehre Ajnabi' rendered hauntingly by Ustaad Moin Khan interspersed with amazing 'Mone Poday' sung by Shorjo Bhattacharya. I also discovered what an amazing singer Sukhwinder Singh truly was outside of what we normally hear in bollywood where he is type cast. It certainly is one of the best albums produced in this genre. My personal favorite of the album is the ghazal 'Farz Karo' by Ibne-Insha that is sung by one of the most under appreciated singers of our times, Chaaya Ganguly. This song evokes multiple emotions but the most frequent of that is a feeling of longing...
Giri raja sutha thanaya - Remember Shakti
First of all, apologies to any Shakti lover here who might feel offended by my choice here, but this is more of a sacrifice I made to follow my principles (of not having a pure instrumental recording here). Now, coming to Shakti, where do I start? After dismantling the first incarnation of Mahavishnu Orchestra (some very good recordings there if you get interested), John McLaughin (A British Guitarist) started this band that featured the best musicians India had to offer with L Shankar on Violin, Ramnad Raghavan on Mridangam, Vikku Vinayakam on Ghatam and Zakir Hussain on Tabla (Others like Chaurasya has been guests). Idea was to produce a fusion of Indian classical music with Jazz and what a pleasure that was. I have never heard music like this before or after and Shakti has been my first true introduction to cross music around 15 years back and it still remains fresh and a firm favorite.
Mostly they produced music on stage and the interplay between the musicians were pure bliss and I have often wondered if heaven had a BGM, it would be produced by this band...tracks like 'What Need I have for this...', 'Joy', 'Lotus Feet' are etched in my memory forever and the pure energy you get out of the interplay between Tabla and Ghatam of young Vikku and Zakir would probably never surpassed (at least in my lifetime). Almost after 20 years of the last stage performance of Shakti, John Mclaughin and Zakir decided to put together another band called 'Remember Shakti' and this time, they were joined by U Shrinivas on Mandolin, V Selvaganesh (son of Vikku Vinayakam) , Palanivel on Thavil and a young Shankar Mahadevan on vocals...Do I need to say anything more? Enjoy!
Piya Mori (Raga 4) - Ragas and Sagas
This is quite a unique collaboration between the highly regarded Norwegian Saxophone player Jan Garberek with Pakistan musicians lead by the great Fateh Ali Khan (not to be mistaken for the other great Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan)...Frankly, any of the 4 Ragas of the album could have been selected here as each of the track of this album is unique and provides opportunity to learn about ourselves and the music we love with each listening...I feel Fateh Ali Khan Saab is not as recognized in India as he should be for his amazing singing not to mention his great contributions to music.
Jo Jo Jo Rama - Vatsalyam
People might wonder why this is part of this list as it doesnt really fit the criteria of cross music. However, I wanted to include this album which renders lullaby's from various regions across India sung expertly by Bombay Jayashree, This folk lullaby is a personal favorite of mine and I have attempted (miserably, I must admit) to sing this to my son regularly. Also, I have to admit that I wanted to include 'Uyire' by Subramaniya Bharathi from her album 'Atma' but unfortunately thats not available on youtube but if you come across that album, dont forget to check it out.
Chadariya Jheeni Re Jheeni - Mukhtiyar Ali
Jiji Rhy - Rhydhun
Rhydhun was a truly path breaking album in India when it got released almost 20 years back. The sounds you heard in that album was so different to what you are used to that it almost revolutionized music for many. My personal favorite of the album was Nand performed by Geetika Varde (Taufiq Quereshi's better half) but unfortunately there are no youtube links available for it, so I am using another favorite from the same album here, this is a marathi folk song which is set in slightly different tone to the rest of the album...There are so many greats in this albume starting with the one and only 'Ustaad Allah Rakha' to Zakir, to L Shankar to Shankar Mahadevan. The most revered song from the album is the one called 'Nothing But Voice' where they have recreated the entire backing music by human voice that sounds incredible even now.
Saawan - The lost souls
This is a late entrant to the list and it makes the list primarily because Nand didnt make it and to help you discover Geetika Varde and if you are any similar to me in musical taste, you would be addicted to her voice...I have been infatuated by this song since I heard this about 2 years back but I have to admit that I havent had a chance to explore the works or Neeraj Chag more.
Paimana Bideh - Chup
This is from the album of the amazing cousin sisters of Pakistan Zeb and Haniya. This song is in Pashto/Dari and hence you would need a translation for you to fully immerse in the song. Zeb and Heniya has produced quite a bit of good music together and I was a constant follower of them before they both went their separate ways. Zeb has since sung some very good songs in bollywood with the amazing 'Hone do Battiyan' from Fitoor being the best.
Naiharva - Suno Bhai
This is another amazing Kabir poetry with rich imagery and one that ultimately talks directly to your soul. Now, there are plenty of outstanding renditions of this starting from Pt. Kumar Gandharva (who also composed this version) to Kailash Kher but I personally prefer this version by Vedanth which isnt musically perfect. This is not just because I was in the audience when he gave this performance at Bhoomi Jatre festival at Fireflies but also because I found the emotional quotient in this rendition better than most. Of course, the original version even in their own album was sung mainly by Bindhumalini with Vedanth just supporting and while Bindhumalini is a superb singer and has got an outstanding voice, I connect with this version of Vedanth more...
I dont think I would need to introduce this to any audience as this is hugely popular already but still when we are talking about cross music, how can I close without referring to one of the most recent truly global collaborations? Here we have a Jordanian singer, Nepalese Budhist Monk and ARR with his troupe and the music they produced together is truly phenomenal. There has been other songs in the same episode that should be mentioned as well especially the lovely 'Naan Yen', so the entire episode is worth watching.
I realize there are too many songs that I have missed and among them some of the best songs I have heard, Fuzon, Colonial Cousins, Junoon, Jal, Indian Ocean, Dewarists are some among those...Of course, I havent mentioned about pure Ghazal's from some of my favorite singers but that was intentional.
I am indebted to my many friends and colleagues who has introduced me to some of these incredible pieces which enriched my life for the years to come, so hopefully, this helps some people discover a new frontier in their exploration of new sounds. Wishing you all a great musical journey forward...
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