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In praise of the mysterious essence of music!
Percussionist/composer Per Tjernberg’s first album on Country & Eastern is actually his 12th album as a leader. He continues to explore his later development using a large ensemble of great improvisers and a more jazz influenced expression. Multi-instrument genius Kjell Westling plays a central role on the album that turned out to be his last recording before his rather sudden demise in the fall of 2010.
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MIYAN KI TODI - A MORNING RAGA IN THE DHRUPAD TRADITION
CE19
Artist: Zia Mohiuddin Dagar & Zia Fariduddin Dagar
Label: Country & Eastern
A RUDRA VEENA & VOCAL DUET BY Z.M. DAGAR & Z.F. DAGAR
MIYAN KI TODI - A MORNING RAGA IN THE DHRUPAD TRADITION
In the first Country & Eastern releases in 2005 we presented a classical indian evening raga, Malkauns, with Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar, rudra veena, and his younger brother Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar, vocal. This recording from february 4, 1968 of an evening raga in the Dhrupad tradition, the most traditional form of indian classical music, was extremely appreciated among connoisseurs all over the world. The recording was done in Ustad’s house on a late evening and he was so thrilled with the recording that he wanted to do another one on the next morning, february 5, this time a morning raga, Miyan Ki Todi. Here it is! The 55 minutes long recording captures the morning mood of this raga in a wonderful way, listening to it in the morning is strongly recommended.
Musicians:
Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar, rudra veena
Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar, vocal
K. Sridhar, tanpura
Recorded on february 5, 1968 in
Ustad Zia Mohiuddin’s house in Chembur, Bombay
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Elias Krantz’s music revolves around asymmetrical melodies, driving rhythms and ambient soundscapes. These elements, when combined, conjure up a strange mix of melancholy and euphoria. A wide range of different instruments co-exist while adhering to the principle, as Einstein once said "Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler"
Elias' first album “Island Rock” was released via Airwaves in 2007 to rave reviews.
While listening to his new album you might be reminded of Krautrock legends such as NEU! and Can, as well as modern post-rock in the vein of Tortoise, Four Tet and Caribou, but obviously Elias has a very personal and unique musical language.
He has been working on the follow up over the last two years and the result will be released on Country & Eastern on May 23rd.
The name of the album is Night Ice.
It's hard to avoid hyperbole in texts like these but this album is indeed a huge step forward from his debut. More collaborations with a wide range of different musicians have allowed more ideas to be explored and developed. The result is an album in which your favorite track changes with every listen. Its brave, dynamic and as pure as they come. An album worthy of the two years spent on it's details."
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THIS ALBUM IS NOMINATED FOR A SWEDISH GRAMMY 2011!
Windwise
(Swedish folk music on solo saxophone)
Playing these tunes on the saxophone entails certain challenges. As a saxophonist playing this music, you can end up feeling like a trespasser in
the fiddle player’s territory. Especially while playing traditional songs from Orsa and Bingsjö. This is why it has been particularly exciting on this occasion, to instead create a recording centred on the saxophone’s perspective when it comes to tone, dynamics and key choice. However, as I have learned most of these songs from fiddle players, it is impossible to avoid the influ- ence of their techniques on my own interpretations.
The musical phrases are most often created for the fiddle, which means there are very few places to breathe. Dynamically speaking, the saxophone is also a much louder instrument than the fiddle. This is why I have tried especially hard to find a way to play softly but with a pure tone and energy that balances well against the tone of the other instruments, including the fiddle and the nyckelharpa.
I was a member of jazz pianist and composer Elise Einarsdotter’s ensemble for many years. In the late 1980’s, the group expanded from a quartet to a quintet with the addition of singer and fiddle player, Lena Willemark. She brought with her traditional music from Älvdalen, which was added to the group’s repertoire. It was then that I learned to play my first fiddle tunes on the saxophone and I was immediate...
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The great singer/saint Swamy Haridhos and his followers in a long concert of religious singing from New Years Day 1968. Music and devotion in equal parts. Not only was Swamy Haridhos an extremely charismatic leader, preacher and singer, head and shoulders taller than ordinary bhajan singers, but as such he attracted the participation of top notch accompanists. In this recording from Gita Govinda Hall in Bombay you hear him with his regular partners at this time, the harmonium giant Muthunathesa Bhagvatar and mridangam vidwan P.S. Devarajan plus young violinist K. Shivakumar and K. Ramani on tabla in front of an participating audience of more than a thousand devotees
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SWAMY HARIDHOS & PARTY:
MORE CLASSICAL BHAJANS
w. Muthunathesa Bhagvatar, harmonium; P.S. Devarajan, mridangam; K. Shivakumar, violin; K. Ramani, tabla.
Recorded at Gita Govinda Hall, Bombay on january 1, 1968.
Recorded and produced by Sopan Dev/Bengt Berger.
These are the last four songs from the concert that did not find room on the CD. These are available as lossless digital uploads only
