At a point during Fall 2015, the Sublime Frequencies label will release an art book featuring two CDs of music, musings on collecting and Indian classical music, track notes and over 300 photographs of Indian 78rpm collections and ephemera.
A project by Robert Millis (a solo artist, a founding member of Climax Golden Twins, AFCGT and a frequent contributor to Sublime Frequencies). Keep your ears/eyes wide open: WICKED!
Gramophones - photo by Edith
Part of the "NIGHT OF RAGA" | On January 31th, 2015 | Philharmonie of Paris
With Pt. Kushal Das, sitar | Satyajit Tawalkar, tabla | Tulika Srivastava, tampura
The 1st production of ECHO Collective !
Pandit Kushal Das, natif de Calcutta, est considéré aujourd’hui comme un représentant majeur de la Maihar Gharana, l’école fondée au Madya Pradesh par l’honorable Ustad Allauddin Khan disparu à l’âge de 110 ans en 1972. Il s’emploie ainsi à développer son propre style, dans la foulée de ses prolifiques prédécesseurs, qui ne sont autres que Pandit Ravi Shankar (sitar), Ustad Ali Akbar Khan (sarod), Maa Annapurna Devi (surbahar), Pandit Nikhil Banerjee (sitar), Pandit Pannalal Ghosh (flute) ou encore Pandit VG Jog (violon).
Pratyush Gupta is a graduate from Srishti School of Art, Design and & Technology, Bangalore (India). This graphic art work made him win the first prize of a national contest in 2012. A great design for summing up the tight connection between hindustani music and cycles of days, seasons and moods, but also its link with animals. Associations which have been codified in Ancient times, still keeping nowadays their cultural, scientific and mathematical secrets!
ORIGINAL VERSION:
Picked up here or on Pratyush's blog
FRENCH VERSION:
Picked up in Courrier International website
A man was lucky and great enough to meet the living Treasures of the XXth Indian century... Not only to approach them, but also to become a close and respected friend of them. But this was not his only accomplishment...
Sarbari Roy Chowdhury left us in February 2012. He had many lives in one. He was one of post-independent India’s foremost modern sculptors. The genius of his fingers and his fine spirit led him to travel to West to build bridges with other lovers of raw material and to "polish" his artistic identity. It seems Florence left him sensual memories of lights, shapes, sounds, tastes. He was in love with its refined cuisine and was perfectly able to follow an Italian conversation, even nearing the end of his life. However Bengal always remained his land whose the lighthouse was music, perhaps. It is said that Sarbarida used to find in Hindustani music the inspiration to persevere and make rise his creative freedom. His addiction to Beauty established him as an erudite connoisseur and a mad collector. The leading maestros of his times wanted to see him in the front row during their performances and considered an honor to sit for him. So did Ustad Ali Akbar Khan for eight days. Others, who had for instance a concert in Kolkata, were used to knock at his door of Santiniketan for acknowledging his art or for simple greetings. Further, some served as models for bronze portraits: Bade Ghulam Ali, Siddheswari, Alladiya Khan, Ali Akbar, Kesarbai, Zohrabai, Faiyaz Khan, Ravi Shankar...
I cannot resist the temptation to share the testimonies that Sougata, who is also a great sarod player and a precious friend, posted. This photos belong to the family's private collection.
All my thoughts of love & my gratitude to the whole family...
From left to right: Ajanta Roy Chowdhury, Pandit Ravi Shankar, Sarbari Roy Chowdhury and the kids, Saurav and Sougata © Courtesy Roy Chowdhury, private collection / Uncredited
Article in The Times of India about the tribute given by the family one year after Sarbarida past away.
