SAMA went to the renowned Vancouver Folk Festival to witness the resurgence of this storied gathering of artists from all over the world, and especially Canada.
Our Co-Founder, Darek Mazzone has been playing the beguiling music of Debashish Bhattacharya for decades, and an opportunity to interview this master of the Indian Slide guitar was a blessing.
About Debashish:
Indian Raga Music thrives on improvisation. No two performances by the same musician produce the same result. For a musician with substance, therefore, the sky is the limit. His improvisations within the framework of a Raga or within the limitations of the instrument he plays become a novel experience for himself as well as his listeners. Some go beyond Pandit Debashish Bhattacharya and open new horizons in the field of their work. Debashish Bhattacharya is one such most amazing music personalities of the world whose dynamism of artistry and creativity place him as a Genius.
His debut at the age of four was broadcast by All India Radio, Calcutta, and was blessed by the late Ustad Karamatullah Khan of Farukhabad Gharana who accompanied him on the Tabla. At twenty he received President of India Award for winning National Music competition of All India Radio. Debashish, in his thirties only, was awarded the Top Grade, the ultimate honor by the Prasar Bharati Ministry of information and Broadcasting of India. His charisma as a Musician, Composer, Innovator, Revolutionary, Guru, and the Director of international slide Guitar Parivar (family) has attracted devotees of music from all the nooks and corners of the world.
He immensely influenced the imaginative ability of his fellow musicians. As a powerful slide guitarist, he has already set a new trend among fellow musicians. The composer in him does not believe in the East and the West in music. Universal Human Music is his faith, and he believes that it gives peace and joy to believers.
The performer in Debashish has the rare ability to communicate to each one of his listeners through his instrument in every performance. He has introduced a new finger style as well as playing style combining thumb and index finger. This produces finest bole variety, fastest Taanas, and strongest Jhala, which were technically impossible on a slide guitar earlier. A dedicated Guru and pathfinder Debashish has written a syllabus on Indian Classical Guitar, the first of its kind, which includes technical terminologies and abbreviations.
Debashish’s uncanny sense of musical understanding has established him as a recording artiste whose perfect musicality matches all categories of music be it Indian, or any kind of classical, jazz, blues, folk or Nue Music.
Follow and know more about Debashish here:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DebashishGuitar
Twitter: @Debashishguitar
IG: https://www.instagram.com/guitardebashish/
Website: https://debashishbhattacharya.com
About SAMA:
Seattle Sacred Music & Art (SAMA) curates, produces, and collaborates on an immersive series of music and art performances that share the healing power of global sacred music. New videos presented every Thursday at 8:00 PM PST. We are dedicated to share with you the best and most compelling artists in the world.
SAMA was launched in 2019 as a way to foster understanding and dialogue through global music during a time of extreme political and cultural polarization. Co-founders Darek Mazzone and John M. Goodfellow, both long-time Seattle residents, have created SAMA in order to help expand global sacred music’s impact on the human spirit.
“We want to open people’s hearts,” says Mazzone, a KEXP DJ and Polish immigrant who moved to the US as a child, “that’s what imbues our sense of humanity.” SAMA aims to help bring as many outstanding international artists to the Pacific Northwest to perform as possible as life resumes in public spaces. Through musical performances, global artists have the power to challenge out preconceived notions of what “the other” thinks and feels.
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⇢ Website: https://www.seattlesacredmusic.com
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Thanks for watching the video: Debashish Bhattacharya – Master of the Indian Slide Guitar | Musician Interviews 2022 on SAMA: Seattle Sacred Music and Art.
