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From
the Deep South's bottleneck howl to the limpid mooning of Hawaiian hotel music, there's something disreputable, even ersatz, about the slide-guitar that makes the whole idea of Indian classical slide-guitar a touch risible.
Yet, as Calcutta maestro Bhattacharya demonstrated on Mahima, his inspired collaboration with
Hawaiian guitar virtuoso Bob Brozman, the instrument's slinky tone and swooning ever-elongating sounds make it ideal for exploring the airy labyrinths of the Indian raga. This solo album features three guitars of Bhattacharya's own designing, of between four and 22 strings each. The sheer range of sound - not to mention the fluency of his playing - makes for rewarding listening.
While the trebly tone and beautiful but highly structured melody of the opener,
Aanandam, sound oddly modern, the overall feel is deeply
traditional. From harpsichord-like tingle to deep bluesy growl, Bhattacharya creates dialogues between the different parts of his instruments. Building to passages of stunningly sinuous artistry, this music is imbued at every turn with that disconcerting proximity of the spiritual and the sensual that is so central to Indian culture.
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