What is this album about?
Traveller traces the route of ancient Indian gypsies from Punjab and Rajasthan in India to Andalusia in Spain. It attempts to find synergies between Spanish Flamenco and Indian Folk and Classical music traditions, while also highlighting the distinctiveness of these genres..
Who is it by?
Anoushka Shankar is a composer and Sitar-player, who has followed in the footsteps of her father, the internationally acclaimed composer and musician, Pandit Ravi Shankar.
Why should listen to it?
The compositions place the Sitar instrument in the midst of the Flamenco structure, accompanied by the sounds of palmas, cajon, ghatam, tabla and vocals from both traditions. The title track is a celebration of the two percussive traditions, with the Sitar and the Shehnai providing a melodic thread through the composition. In the feisty Buleria con Ricardo, the Sitar and the piano represent the sounds of the East and West, accompanied by the palmas (a hand-clapping typical to Flamenco). Boy meets Girl is a delightful melding of the Flamenco Granaina and the Hindustani Raaga Maanj Khamaj.
An edited version of the article was published in Culturama’s September 2012 Issue.
