Famous percussionist Tanmoy Bose has set a unique precedent in fusion music by blending ‘baul’ songs of folk singer Lalon Fakir with qawalis accompanied by Indian-western instrumentation in his new album “Baul and Beyond”.
Tanmoy said the purpose behind creating the album was to take the soulful lyrics and earthy rhythm of baul music of undivided Bengal to the Gen Next.
“I have been working on this concept for the past 10 years since 2004 when I had collaborated with Basudeb Das Baul in the Kolkata Jazz Festival,” the classical instrumentalist told PTI.
It was the time when there was not much hype about baul music from Bengal and except for two to three names, few bauls from Bengal were known globally, he said.
The instruments featured in the album are ektara, dotara and several other Indian stringed instruments, guitar, percussion drums and rubab, Tanmoy said.
He said that apart from the Lalon songs two little-known Bengali qawalis have also found place.
The performers of baul songs are Anushe Anadil and Kangalini Sufia from Bangladeshi and Parbati Baul and Kartikdas Baul among others from this part of Bengal.
“The two Bengali qawali songs, qawali with Bengali lyrics, have been rendered by Javed Ali and Chhote Ghulam Ali. I needed their pitch and diction,” the internationally known classical instrumentalist said.
The Bengali folk singers were also chosen keeping in mind their passion about the subject, devotion and how much they believed in the baul ‘darshan’, Tanmoy said.
Tanmoy is behind the main concept and musical arrangement of the album, a unique one featuring musicians from different frontiers and genres of music.