| Ustad Abhijit Banerjee - Tabla
One of Alan Kushan's many contributions to the SANTUR has been to broaden its musical range by increasing the number of bridges (notes) available to the musician. This expands the SANTUR from a typically restricted pitch area into an instrument capable of traveling previously unexplored musical territories. Alan designs and constructs these unique SANTURS and, in addition to differing gauges of steel and copper wire, he uses piano and harp strings to create fascinating variations in tonal quality. In this album he is accompanied by Ustad Abhijit Banerjee on Tabla.
Style/Genre: World Fusion
Instrumentation: Santur, Tabla.
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The ancient musical instrument SANTUR, has a unique trapezoid shape, and is more commonly known in the western world as the "hammer dulcimer". The origins of the SANTUR lie in ancient Persia and the instrument has inherited a proud legacy that is thousands of years old.
This aristocratic instrument was played at every important ceremony and on festival occasions, especially at the imperial courts. Due to the fact that the Persian plateau has always, through the passage of the history of civilizations, served as an indispensable "bridge" between cultures and peoples of the East and those of the West, this musical instrument, the SANTUR, inevitably came to be introduced to other civilizations. this was achieved not only via the ancient and legendary "Silk Road" which Marco Polo traveled 700 years ago, but also by virtue of earlier contact between the Achaemenean Persians (599 BC-333 BC) and the ancient Greeks. This exchange was continued by the Sassanian dynasty of Persia (224-637 AD) through her cultural and diplomatic links with the Roman Empire.
Because of Persia's contacts with Greece, Rome, India, China, the SANTUR found its way to such diverse areas of the world such as Ireland, Switzerland, Poland, the Ukraine, Hungary, Korea, and Germany. Each of these nations has adapted the SANTUR to its own musical temperament and has christened it with its own unique name.
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Ustad Abhijit Banerjee on Tabla & Voices
Abhijit Banerjee received his initial training in tabla from Tushar Kanti Bose and then from Manik Pal. Later on he became a disciple of the legendary tabla maestro, the late Pandit Gyan Prakash Ghosh. As a child he won many music competitions of national repute. Besides TABLA he had his training in Vocal Music and in Violin. He represents the Farukhabad gharana of tabla playing.
At present Abhijit is considered as one of the leading tabla players. He is recognized for his skillful accompaniment as well as for his solo performances. He has been on concert tours with most of the leading classical musicians of India both in North Indian and South Indian tradition. He has toured all over the world and also performed with jazz musicians and groups in New York. Abhijit teaches Indian Classical Music at Universities in U.S.A., Japan, England and Spain.
Alan Kushan, born in the mountains of Kurdestan, is arguably one of the most accomplished santur players in the world. He stands out not only because of his brilliant realizations of traditional Persian compositions, but also for his innovative avant-guard soundscapes. He is not only a builder of Persian instruments but also a virtuoso in performing Persian traditional music. His style, however, is not limited to traditional approaches but it extends itself beyond any such boundaries. He applies his own touch to the music that he performs, a touch which he has developed after experiencing the new trend of music, not only in his native land of Iran, but in the world. |
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