"KABIR TULSI AND US"
BY UDAI MAZUMDAR
RELEASING ON THE 7TH MAY 2011 IN BERN, SWITZERLAND
"I was born in the holy city of Allahabad (Prayag)
and studied music with my master Late Kaviraj Ashoutosh Bhattacharya in
Benares (Kashi) right next to the place where the immortal poets Kabir
and Tulsi sat and wrote their immortal and sacred poetry. This place,
right at the ghats (banks) of
the Ganges, was where I learnt to play the tabla, this place where today
people are still singing the songs of Kabir and Tulsi. This is why these
two poets had a great impact on me. Their work will always remind me of
the time growing up in Prayag and learning music with my
Guruji in Kashi.
As a musician travelling around the globe I am
constantly working with various kinds of music traditions, playing with
many wonderful musicians and hearing styles of music that have
significance in today’s world. It has always been my desire to interpret
these great works in a contemporary context, in the language of the
modern world and for the ears of today’s generation, without obscuring
the sentiment and divinity of the poetry itself. This project’s
combination of India’s traditional music with jazz, rock, western
classical and electronics is something that has come naturally to me and
has grown out of my musical experiences.
I have tried to portray Kabir and Tulsi using the
musical resources of today, resources that are shared by all of us;
hence the name
Kabir, Tulsi and Us."
-Udai Mazumdar
