This cd makes all the Hindu Goddesses and Gods smile!
Pharoah S. Wail | Inner Space | 04/05/2002
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Debashish Bhattacharya is one of those musicians who makes you not even fully believe what you are hearing. I'll just come right out and say it... Yes, Hindustani acoustic slide-guitarist Vishwa Mohan Bhatt is much more well-known and "critically acclaimed" (as if anyone should actually care about the opinions of professional critics), but it's mainly due to the fact that he is one of Ravi Shankar's students and he has recorded with white musicians from the West.
Debashish is the real master guitarist of India and on this cd his tabla accompaniment comes from his brother Subhashish who is no slouch either! I gave this cd 4 stars only because I feel Debashish will improve even from how he plays now. I am leaving one star open just in case his next 5 cd's blow this one away, but even if he never records another note, this cd already cements him as one of the most brilliant guitarists of all time.
In todays terms, the performances on this cd are rather compact... one 40+ minute raga (Raga Saraswati), one 20+ minute raga (Raga Mishra Kafi), and one 11 minute dhun in Raga Mishra Pahadi. The advent of cd technology allowed us to get 70+ minute raga's and that is indeed a blessing, but it doesn't mean that everything has to be 70 minutes.
The performances on this cd have it all. Gorgeous, heartfelt alaps and explosively lyrical gats. I mean lyrical in instrumental terms. There are no vocals or lyrics on this cd. Debashish also has amazing guitar tone which makes every note shine.
I recommend this cd to everyone who has an interest in the music of northern India. Whether you like Vishwa Mohan Bhatt or not, you really need to hear Debashish. If you're not a knowledgeable fan of Indian music but you're a guitar fan who just stumbled upon this cd I also recommend it to you. I absolutely guarantee you have never heard guitar playing like this.
As a side-note, this is the first time I have ever seen the "recommend a different item by typing in the ASIN number" feature on this website. In case it doesn't work I just want to say that I recommend a couple other cd's in addition to this one. The first one being Debashish Bhattacharya's Raga Bhimpalasi. The second one is not Indian at all, it's a Burmese cd I reviewed here a couple years ago called White Elephants And Golden Ducks: Enchanting Musical Treasures from Burma. This is for people who want to hear a great Burmese acoustic slide guitarist named U Ohn Lwin. He only has two tracks on the cd but one of them, a solo track, is gorgeous. Again, it's acoustic slide guitar like you've never heard before. There are also a brilliant mandolinist and tuned-drum player on there.
One last thing. To speed up your search on this site for Debashish's other cds, misspell his name. If you type his name correctly you are given twenty Bhattacharyas. Tarun Bhattacharya is also great but if you just want Debashish, spell his name "Debashis Bhattacharya". That spelling brings up only his three cds."
Truly excellent
Allan ODale | florida usa | 10/05/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"i love classical indian music, and i love guitar music of many nations and styles. bhatttacharya has full understanding and respect for the traditions of his music... and also the musicianship to master and transform it into something his own. if you have any interest in indian classical music, this is definitely worth a listen. for me, i will listen to it many many times. i also bought the duet album he does with a guitarist in the hawaiian tradition... and this was amazing as well."
Track Listings (7) - Disc #1