Customer Reviews

Remembrance

5 star:		(2)
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I am surprised no one has reviewed this yet! I am not the best one to perform this pleasurable task, but I have no regrets - none at all - about buying this. (I bought it outside Tokyo at a Tower Records. The salesclerk responded to my request for "anything tabla" and this is what she produced.)

If you are interested in the fascinating adaptability of classical Indian music to western pop and jazz, this is an album for you. It is mainly Indian in flavor. We sense a man returning to his roots and really celebrating them. If your idea of Indian music is a complex fabric of tonalities, rhythms, etc. bereft of identifiable melody, then you are in for a big surprise. Some of these selections can be hummed!

Sorry for not providing any useful information or insight here. I just really like this album and look forward to someone with expertise on the subject of fusion to write the rave review this item deserves.

Well worth the inflated import price. Really!

The following is drawn from various sources:

Trilok Gurtu has had a remarkable career in recent years, most notably with his African-Indian projects and his compelling contribution on Tabla Beat Science, showing the versatility of his musicianship. No matter all the explorations we may attempt though, one as always is drawn back home at some point, and such is the case on Remembrance." With guest contributions from such luminaries of Indian classical music as Zakir Hussain, Sultan Khan, Ronu Majumdar, and his own mother, Shobha Gurtu, Remembrance pays homage to Trilok's past joined with the technology and diversity of his current influences.

"Brindavan Dance" intros with techno synth overlaid with rising Bollywood star, Shankar Mahadevan's vocals, and laced with Majumdar's swirling bansuri. Maestro Sultan Khan's sarangi sets the tone for "Expression of Love" as Queen of Thumri, Shobha Gurtu's buttery velvet singing duets with Mahadevan's. A sinous shehnai melody, ubiquitous at wedding ceremonies in India, signals the message in "Witness to Marriage." And Ronu's flutes juxtapose over a drum and bass loop on "Our Heritage."

"Evening in India" is cued up with Shobha Gurtu's yearning voice. The 70 year old matron reminds us where the class exists in this purely classical moment of a simple love song, sung over santoor, harmonium, tabla, and ghungroo bells. "Greetings" pits Zakir's fleet fingers against Trilok's whirling sticks. Further examples of fusion abound on this disc, but it's the quieter moments where Remembrance truly shines and exemplifies the theme of the project.