Indian blues
| Indian blues | |
|---|---|
| Stylistic origins |
South Asian Indian music |
| Cultural origins | India, Jazz Yatra |
| Typical instruments | Traditional Jazz |
| Music of India | |
|---|---|
A Lady Playing the Tanpura, ca. 1735 (Rajasthan)
|
|
| Genres | |
|
|
| Media and performance | |
| Music awards | |
| Music festivals | |
| Music media | |
| Nationalistic and patriotic songs | |
| National anthem | Jana Gana Mana |
| Regional music | |
|
|
Although traditional jazz has had a sizeable following for a long time in India, with the yearly Jazz Yatra festivals and the frequent collaboration between Indian classical and Western jazz musicians, the interest in the blues has more or less been incidental due to the shared ancestry with jazz. Nonetheless, there have been a few musicians who stay true to the genre. They have not only helped define, promote and keep the blues alive in India, but have also developed a very Indian flavour of this music form.
Sagar Sarkar is considered the father of the Pune Blues style, and "Contraband" are credited as the earliest practitioners of it in Pune during the late eighties to the nineties.
In a rare late nineties interview about their hedonistic lifestyle, Sagar Sarkar is quoted as saying: "The jams we've had were centered around three guys: Nirmal Kumar, Samuel Wilson and Zubin Balsara. The other prominent guys were Devendra Gautam Singh, Naveen Shastri and Rohit Nagarkatti. We ran a circuit using little known Pune venues like Nadikinara, Madhur Milan, Jaws, our respective homes and the private houses of anybody who'd cooperate. Anyone who knew about our venues were free to just carry their booze, instruments and tune in! Many a time we were joined by guests at our sessions, namely guitarists Sanjay Joseph, Milind Mulick, Jayant Sankrityayana, Ashdin Bharucha, and bassist Jacob Panicker."
Soulmate is a North-east India based Blues band, which according to their myspace page "... came together in Shillong, in February 2003 playing their first concert at the ‘Roots Festival at the Water Sports Complex in Umiam. Since then the band has performed many concerts all over The Northeast as well as in different parts of India,Southeast Asia,Europe,The Middle East and The USA. "
Soulmate is primarily made up of artists Rudy Wallang (Guitar/Vocals/Songwriter) and Tipriti 'Tips' Kharbangar Vocals/Guitar), although they frequently team up with local artists (on drums, bass and possibly other backup instruments) when on tour.
Soulmate gained nationwide recognition and popularity within the Jazz and Blues circles in India after they became the only Blues band to represent the country (Courtesy The Blues Club of India) at the 23rd International Blues Challenge organized by The Blues Foundation of America, in Memphis, Tennessee, USA, in February 2007. They were semi-finalists and performed at the Rum Boogie Café (Blues Club of The Year, 2007) alongside 150 other bands and musicians from all over the world.
...
Wikipedia