This album is amazing. I'll try and elaborate soon (maybe later today) about it, as I finally got to listen to it on the drive down to Milwaukee on Sunday.
I'm not sure if I may enjoy it more than his last record, from 2012 in fact. The harmonies, layers, mindbllowingly fast rhythms, styles including spanish guitar, and even dance-ability really give me reason to appreciate it. Even just for the GUESTS like John McLaughlin and Jerry Douglas alone, add a lot to this record's quality.
Much like the 2nd concert I saw from Debashish in as many years at The Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis in September.
more to add perhaps later as I wrote, but for now, just check out the descriptions from 1 review site below:
http://www.debashishbhattacharya.com/beyond-the-ragasphere.html
https://www.facebook.com/swamivivekananda1863
01 : Kirwani One.5+8.five
Debashish Bhattacharya - Chaturangui, Jeff Sipe - Drums, Anandi - Vocals, Bickram Ghosh - Tabla, Nishad -Guitar, Soumyajyoti- flute, Bumpy - Bass Guitar, Raja Narayan Deb - key board The passionate harmonic minor meets the nuance of Indian Raga Kirwani. With the smooth bends of interplay between mellow and power of rhythm in twist and twang of Afro-Indian- European colours, Debashish takes off with Anandi in dizzy melodic pattern. Jeff and Bickram deftly decorate this neo-classical composition in 10 beat cycles.
02 : Reflections Remain
Adam Del Monte- Flamenco guitar, Debashish Bhattacharya - Gandharvi. Anandi Voice and claps, Subhasis Bhattacharjee- percussion, Bumpy and Nishad claps. Debashish paints the picture of a father holding his child’s hand looking at the rising sun on the sea shore while the child’s song echoes. With the joyous trance grooves by Subhasis and great solos of Adam’s guitar, along with the Indian vocals of Debashish and Anandi, Reflections Remain is a reminder of the haunting good times of human relationships.
03 : A Mystical Morning
John McLaughlin-Guitar, Debashish Bhattacharya Chaturangui, Jeff Sipe - Drums, Subhasis Bhattacharjee - Tabla, Raja Narayan Deb - Keyboard, Mainak (Bumpy) Chowdhury-Bass guitar Composed in Raga Charukeshi, vibrant morning energy with beautiful solos by Debashish and John Mc Laughlin infuses in the different grooves of eleven beat cycles that are supplemented with gorgeous melodic phrases and playing of John McLaughlin.
04 : Rasam Samba
Debashish Bhattacharya- Chaturangui, Anandi Bhattacharya- Vocals and syllable chant, Tanmoy Bose-percussion and syllable chant, Raja Narayan Deb- Keyboard and Mainak Nag Chowdhury-Bass guitar
The track opens with Anandi’s vocals rolling out atop the sound of undulating waves, and a gentle guitar, before she sings a fast-moving syllabic chant. The result is a quirky dancing number that forges bonds between the sound worlds of Latin America and India.
05 : Khamaj Tarana
Anandi Bhattacharya- Vocal, Subhasis Bhattacharjee - Tabla, Debashish Bhattacharya - Chaturangui, Nishad - Nylon string guitar Khamaj is an evening Raga. Tarana is vocal composition using instrumental syllables. This pure traditional fast tempo composition sang in a contemporary style by Anandi.
06 : Indospaniola
Adam del Monte (flamenco guitar) and Debashish Bhattacharya (Gandharvi). The E major open tuning of Gandharvi meets Phrygian mode of Flamenco and has an interactive melodic dialogue between Indian Raga and Spanish flamenco style. A feel of free dialogue between two is the feel good factor
07 : JD2 Pillusion
Jerry Douglas- Beard Jerry Douglas model guitar, Debashish Bhattacharya-Chaturangui, Jeff Sipe - Drums, Bickram Ghosh -Tabla Two brothers Jerry Douglas from blue Grass and Debashish Bhattacharya from Indian Classical (JD2) have come up to create a new mix of Guitars in a very happy fun dance number after the seductive Pilu alap by Debashish, one can identify the bond of sharing with delight in each movement.
08 : Ode to Love
Debashish Bhattacharya- Anandi (slide Ukulele)
Nishad - Classical Guitar
This song was created at Kilkenny - a beautiful small city of Ireland. Composed on the day of performance, the little Anandi- the slide ukulele which was named after Anandi, his daughter, is a bluesy melody in G-minor with a soft touch accompaniment on classical guitar by disciple Nishad .
