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Golden Horn Releases Prasad/Blessing
The title of Golden Horn’s newest release translates
as 'Blessing,' and the sensual reverence of this North Indian classical
recording truly feels a blessing to world music listeners.
From the first haunting and evocative notes that blow like a rich eastern
wind in from the ears to the soul, the listener knows that they are in
the presence of a spirited and masterful young musician.
But make no mistake, unlike the wild of the wind, the rich depth and vibrantly
varied rhythm of this traditional North Indian recording is carefully
built upon a subtle but highly important form, a set of rules which the
musician must first learn by heart before he can move with winged fingers
into the dramatic realm of improvisation.
Indian classical music is based on the exploration and improvisation of
its two musical entities--Raga, or melodic form, and Tala, or rhythmic
cycle--within a strict set of guidelines. It takes years of work to master
the art of moving with and ultimately beyond these rules to channel one's
individual creativity into the intricate beauty of a recording such as
Prasad.
Deepak Ram is a highly gifted musician with a firm foundation in the traditions
of North Indian classical music, as well as an inspired versatility--straddling
and ultimately doing away with the boundary that once divided East from
West--that makes each of his projects uniquely his own.
Though quite young, Deepak Ram’s reputation already shines with the luster
of a large and admiring audience. Among his many laurels are the award
for Best Instrumental Album, South African Music Awards 2000. Ram has
collaborated with renowned musicians in a variety of genres, from jazz
pianist Darius Brubeck to Tunisian ud player Dhafer Yousseff. He has performed
throughout the world, including South Africaís Millennium Concert
on Robben Island before such illustrious audience members as presidents
Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki. In addition to masterful composition,
arranging, and performance, Ram is also an accomplished teacher, most
recently holding a post with the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Ram plays the bansuri, a bamboo flute whose origins date several thousand
years back into India’s rich past, being the chosen instrument of Lord
Krishna, its sweet, melancholy, yet joyful sound a manifestation of the
divine.
Ram is accompanied on this recording by Swapan Chaudhuri on the tabla.
Chaudhuri has shone in performances throughout the world, from San Francisco
to Kuala Lumpur, both as accompanist as well as solo artist. Chaudhuri
shares Ram’s rich classical background as well as his poetic grace and
inspired elegance.
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