Another take on slide guitar

September 13, 2013 5:41 AM

Hey, the Indian sitar is a great instrument and all, but it's really refreshing to hear Indian music played on Hawaiian slide guitar, and in that department, you can't do better than Debashish Bhattacharya. Here's an hour and fifteen minutes of his sublime sound for your listening pleasure: Calcutta Slide Guitar vol.3.
posted by flapjax at midnite (16 comments total)

This is the 2nd time Debashish Bhattacharya has shown up in an FPP here at Mefi. I made a multi-link post on him back in 2009, but EVERY SINGLE YouTube link in that post has been pulled (copyright). Hah!That's life on the webs!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 5:45 AM on September 13, 2013 [2 favorites]

This is excellent and perfect for a gorgeous Friday morning here.
posted by jquinby at 6:01 AM on September 13, 2013

I like the stuff on the album Mahima.
posted by legospaceman at 6:16 AM on September 13, 2013

My Great-Uncle Pete used to use the standard spark plug socket for a slide, but then he'd also break out all kinds of other grubby old tool and automotive bits I didn't recognize.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 6:17 AM on September 13, 2013

Anyone enjoying this should also check out Brij Bhushan Kabra (generally credited w/introducing the guitar to Hindustani classical music in the early 1960s - Bhattacharya is his disciple), Manish Pingle, and Vishwa Mohan Bhatt.
posted by ryanshepard at 6:19 AM on September 13, 2013 [3 favorites]

I used to have a cassette tape of music like this - not sure if it was the same artist. Thanks!
posted by thelonius at 6:24 AM on September 13, 2013

UK mefites may be interested to know he's playing at the Darbar Festival at the Southbank Centre next week.
posted by iotic at 6:40 AM on September 13, 2013 [1 favorite]

UK mefites may be interested to know he's playing at the Darbar Festival at the Southbank Centre next week.

Oooh, a timely post then! I'm delighted!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:43 AM on September 13, 2013 [2 favorites]

I admit that I wouldn't have noticed the different instrument if you hadn't told me. Love the music either way!
posted by moonmilk at 7:42 AM on September 13, 2013

I saw him play at a folk festival a couple of years ago with his brother on tabla. It was a religious experience.
posted by Ululator at 8:06 AM on September 13, 2013 [1 favorite]

We have a framed photo of Debashish on our wall. He played recently in Chicago with his brother Subhasis on tabla and daughter Anandi singing, beautifully. He hung around after the show and chatted with people, and seemed quite sincere in his invitation to come to Kolkata and study guitar at his music school. He says he's taught 3000 people, he comes from a long lineage of music teachears. He's not really playing a "Hawaiian" guitar though - it's modified to include sympathetic resonator strings, like a Mohan Veena. Here'san interesting article on the development of the instrument. In addition to being a brilliant performer and teacher, Debashish Bhattacharya designs and builds his own instruments.

I really like his recent album "Beyond the Ragasphere", which includes contributions from John McLaughlin and Jerry Douglas - there's a track available for free listening here.
posted by crazy_yeti at 8:58 AM on September 13, 2013 [6 favorites]

Timely indeed! He was just here last weekend for our town/university's biennial guitar festival. It was definitely a family affair (see above comment).

Was lucky enough to see them perform twice in one day, and the tone of each performance was vastly different. The 'morning raga,' included this amazing call-and-response between him and the tabla, which was both tonally and rhythmically on point, despite them playing wildly different instruments. He made the comment about the morning raga being 'busier' than what they were going to play in the evening, to reflect peoples' working days (although this happened to be a Saturday)

They finished off the festival with an outdoor 'evening raga,' and I could tell they were playing well past their allotted time, a concept which seemed quite insignificant as their set unfolded.

Bhattacharya has a weirdly modern sensibility, and a great sense of humor. Our small central plains town was humbled by his family's musical presence.
posted by obscurator at 9:28 AM on September 13, 2013 [2 favorites]

Thanks for this! I will be listening later when Mr. Roquette wakes back up. I love Indian music!
posted by Katjusa Roquette at 9:52 AM on September 13, 2013

Thanks for your description, crazy_yeti. I wondered if it was modified like the one John McLaughlin would play in Shakti, but it seems like a significantly greater merger between the sitar and the guitar than simply throwing some resonators on there.
posted by Runes at 10:01 AM on September 13, 2013

The album on Music India Online. Tons of other stuff there, btw.
posted by dhruva at 7:44 PM on September 13, 2013

yea, i saw him and his son play at the richmond folk festival; he's a battery charger :P thanks!
posted by kliuless at 7:45 PM on September 13, 2013