Indian Project

  • My Instrument
  • My learning
  • My Indian projects
  • Realization and participation to the creations of Drizzle Droplets (2010-2011)
  • The Concept of Raga

After 20 years of jazz, I discovered the India Classical Music, in 1997, during a first trip in India. The architecture of this music, as well as its spiritual depth linked to its sociological and historical dimensions and its grammatical development were, for me, vibrant, incandescent and transcendent. I was thrilled. So emotionally impressed, I decided to change my focus and enlarged my musical aspirations. The question was then to find the most appropriate musical instrument to manage a fusion with this music to which I could bring my personal, western, touch.

Nikhil Banerjee    

My Instrument

For over 25 years, I have been a guitarist; it was, then, natural to adapt my own instrument in order to fulfil my expectations. The Sit-guitar.

"Through music you express yourself....My approach to music is very deep. I do not compromise with anybody or anything else in the world. A musician must lift up the souls of the listeners, and take them towards Space."

Nikhil Banerjee.
Nikhil Banerjee    

L'architecture musicale, associée à la dimension spirituelle de cette musique, sa profondeur ainsi que son développement grammatical produisent chez moi une émotion réelle qui va jusqu'à transformer mes aspirations musicales.
L'écoute de Nikhil Banerjee a certainement contribué à me donner envie d'étudier cette musique - Marc Liebeskind.

 

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My learning from 2001-2007

IIt took me several years to perfect and be able to emerge in Indian Classical. Since 1997, I was taught within the India classical rules, working with Amar Nath Mishra and Raj Ban Singh (sitar-players from Benares) Vikaj Maharaj (sarod-player from Benares), Vinod Lélé (tabla-player from Benares), Sabri Khan (sarangi-player from Delhi), Roy Chaudhury (sarod-player from Delhi) and Atul Upaydhe (violon-player from Pune). However, the learning was initially difficult presumably due to my expectations as a professional musician and teacher. I had to learn the emotional expressiveness of the strings, as do Indians musicians, intense focus and concentration from a master. I was still searching for dimensions, a spiritual quest. This was achieved in 2004 when I, first, met Kushal Das, a sitar-player from Kolkata. The meeting with Kushal has been determinant.

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My current project and research

It is not possible to describe Indian classical music in few words. What’s written below is just a little introduction.

Indian classical music has its origin as a meditation tool to attain self-realization. The Indian classical known as the Hindustani (or North Indian style) developed from the 13th century.  This music is based on the Nava Rasa (the 9 sentiments and feelings), ragas (melody) and talas (rhythms). There is no harmony, modulation and other structural elements as found in Western music.  This music is based almost only in improvisation, as Jazz but with a totally other logic. 

In 2008, Nabankur Bhattacharia and Sukhdev Prasad Misrha join me to create the group GendeRevolution. The first CD has been released in 2008 under the label New Healing Sounds (NHS).
Furthermore, I started a collaboration with Drizzle Droplets to La création de Drizzle Droplets m'a permis de poursuivre l'aventure musicale. Non seulement, GendeRevolution se produit en trio, voire en duo (sit-guitare et tabla) mais, grâce à Drizzle Droplets, le groupe s'enrichit des danseurs chorégraphes Maitryee Mahatma et Filibert Tologo.

 

 

 

TToday, the aim of my project is to combine the depth, the spiritual dimension and the rhythmic parameters and melody, which are intrinsically part of the ragas with, tonal parameters, using my own background as composer and jazz improvisator.  I also want to associate it to my world music experience, past and current, which mean to associate also some of the African parameters. To be noted that the Indian music is enriched in folkloric music and I’ve dipped out of these resources to enrich my compositions.

As a composer, I would like to create a hybrid Indian-Western-ethno-jazz music.

 

 Eveil_DrizzleDroplets_MICR_2011  

 

 

The collaboration with Drizzle Droplets helps me to pursue the adventure. Non only, GendeRevolution was performing as a trio, sometimes duo, but with the dynamism of Drizzle Droplets, I could meet the performer, Filibert Tologo.

 

 
l'Eveil de Drizzle Droplets au MICR

 

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Current collaboration and past realizations

        • 2011 Création of "le Retour de Ganga". Laurence Zulianello (conception, production). Nabankur Bhattacharia (Tabla), Sukhdev Mishra (Voix et violon), Filibert Tologo (danse africaine contemporaine), Maitryee Mahatma (danse kathak traditionnelle), James Rosset (SAJEM Lighting)
          Laurence Zulianello (Drizzle Droplets). Création pour le Festival de la Cour des Contes, Plan-les-Ouates, le 12 mai. Repris pour le Festival des Musiques de l'Aube.
          © Drizzle Droplets, 2011
        • 2011 Création of "l'Eveil" . Laurence Zulianello (conception, production). Nabankur Bhattacharia (Tabla), Sukhdev Mishra (Voix et violon), Filibert Tologo (danse africaine contemporaine), Maitryee Mahatma (danse kathak traditionnelle), James Rosset (SAJEM Lighting)
          Laurence Zulianello (Drizzle Droplets). Présenté du 15 au 21 avril au Musée International de la Croix Rouge. Spectacle repris pour la Fête de la Musique, Genève.© Drizzle Droplets, 2011
        • 2010-2011 Atman project trio
        • 2010 Création of "Paquis...d'Envies" Laurence Zulianello (conception, production)- Nabankur Bhattacharia (Tabla), Sukhdev Mishra (Voix et violon), Filibert Tologo (danse africaine contemporaine), Maitryee Mahatma (danse kathak traditionnelle), James Rosset (SAJEM Lighting),
          Laurence Zulianello (Drizzel Droplets). © Drizzle Droplets, 2010.
        • 2009 Danse Performances GendeRevolution. Introduction to Drizzle's projects
        • 2008 Création "la Goutte". Project from Drizzle Droplets, conception and réalization, production Laurence Zulianello.
        • 2008 Danse Performances. Introduction to Maitryee Mahatma.
        • 2008 Concerts in Switezerland, France and India with Nabankur Bhattacharia (Tabla) and Sukhdev Mishra (Violin
        • 2007       Concert in Bénarès, Calcutta and Switzerland with Sandip Ghosh and Nabankur Bhattacharia (Tabla)
        • 2005       Concerts in Goa , Pune with Julien Di Maiolo (Tabla)
        • 2004       Concert in Delhi with the group of Kashik
        • 2003       Concert in Hyderabad with Rakesh Chaurasia (flute) and Bhavani Shankar (Pakawaj)
        • 2002-03   Concerts in Bombay with Rupak Kulkarni (flute) Pradipto Sengupta       (mandoline), Amit Satyajit Talwalkar (tabla), Mukul Dongare (drums)
        • 2002       Concerts in Benares with Vikaj (sarod) et Apu Maharaj (tabla)
        • 2001       Concert in Delhi with the group Tassir, (soufi music)

         

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    Le Concept de Raga Indien

    Raga in Sanskrit means passion, colour, and attachment. The raga’s structure has several parts:

    Alap : means introduction in sanskrit. It is a slow, rhythmless exposition of the rag.  the alap requires strict adherence to the rules.  This requires a firm knowledge; therefore the execution of alap is very difficult.
    Jor : is an intermediate introductory style. It is characterized by the use of a slow to medium rhythm.  There is not a fully developed cycle so it is never accompanied by tabla. 
    Jhala : is a fast paced alternation of main melody string and chikari.  This lends itself to interesting permutations of both rag and tala simultaneously.  This exciting style has become an obligatory conclusion to any instrumental recital.


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