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Confluence of Raga Guitars

by Joel Veena & Matthew Grasso

supported by
Rod Dalager
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Antti Vahteri
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francie marbury
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Wendy Redlinger
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Stu Fuchs
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1.
Raga Bhimpalasi (Alaap) 09:58
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2.
Raga Bhimpalasi (Jod) 08:11
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3.
Raga Yaman (Alaap) 08:20
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4.
Raga Yaman (Jod) 08:06
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5.
Raga Kirwani (Alaap) 10:51
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6.
Raga Bhairavi (Alaap) 11:09
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about

The first album to explore different modalities of performing Hindustani classical music on the guitar, 'Confluence of Raga Guitars' is a duet between the Tantrakari guitar and the Indian slide guitar performed by Matthew Grasso and Joel Veena. An immersive cascade of strings, resonating in the emotion and majesty of North Indian ragas. Both Joel and Matthew are deeply steeped in this traditional music, presenting well-known ragas like Bhimpalasi and Yaman "by the book" on their emergent instruments. Matthew studied with legendary sarod maestro Ustad Ali Akbar Khan at his California-based college of music and Joel has been traveling to India since 2007 to study with his teachers there.

The Tantrakari guitar was designed by Matthew Grasso and built by luthier Waylin Carpenter in California, USA. Its body is based on the western classical guitar and uses nylon strings for its main playing strings and steel strings for the sympathetic resonating strings. There are 15 strings in total, including five playing strings, two drone (chikari) strings and eight sympathetic resonating strings. The instrument utilizes a five-limit just intonation fingerboard to accurately produce the pure intonation practiced in Indian classical music.

The Indian slide guitar initially emerged in the 1930s and 40s in Kolkata, India as a modification of the Hawaiian slide guitar and was first used to play folk and film music. During the 1970s, the artist Brij Bhushan Kabra modified his Gibson Super 400 archtop guitar to be played 'Hawaiian style' flat on the lap, with a steel bar and to have a drone string (chikari) on one side of the neck. He began performing Hindustani classical ragas on the instrument with the guidance of his friend, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan. The years that followed saw different iterations of the Indian slide guitar, with sympathetic resonating strings and additional resonating chambers added. The instrument that Joel plays on this recording was built by master luthier Bhaba Sindhu Biswas of Kolkata. Biswas' company Concord has become known as the finest makers of the instrument and primary architect of contemporary improvements: Biswas introduced the hollow neck for increased sustain and innovated placing the bridge for the sympathetic strings underneath the main playing strings, increasing their responsiveness several fold.

The album is recorded and presented without compression or any processing (beyond some minimal plate reverb). The approach was to allow for each guitar to fill the space naturally and for the listeners to be able to experience the two distinct voices of the instruments while also enjoying their congruence as guitars. The ragas selected are rendered in a traditional way, with a systematic alaap and sometimes followed by the rhythmic jod section, but without the typical drone of a tanpura. Each guitar showcases some of its unique techniques throughout the performances: the Tantrakari guitar creating sumptuous waterfall-like polyphony with its fingerstyle approach and the Indian slide guitar showing off its abilities of microtonal ornament and expression.

While before this we had yet to listen to two distinct voices in guitar playing jugalbandi (duet) with Hindustani ragas, Matthew and Joel's work shows that the guitar is well-suited for this arena. Allow yourself to hear the guitar as never before and join us in the 'Confluence of Raga Guitars.'

credits

released April 10, 2024

Matthew Grasso - tantrakari guitar
Joel 'Veena' Eisenkramer - Indian slide guitar

Recorded by Matthew Grasso & Joel Veena at Alley Cat Studios, Davis, California USA in April 2023.
Mixed by Joel Veena, Root Cellar Sound, Vermont USA
Edits by Matthew Grasso
Produced by Matthew Grasso & Joel Veena
Cover photo by Vidhi Salla, cover art design by Joel Veena

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Joel Veena Guilford, Vermont

A chance encounter with the 20-stringed Indian slide guitar more than a decade ago in Delhi turned into a life-changing event for Joel. He has since immersed himself in the oral tradition of North Indian classical music, studying with some of the great musicians of India.

A prayer and a process, Joel’s music aims to heal, calm and strengthen. ... more

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