Takadimi play an intriguing blend of East-West fusion. Indian Classical and Folk combined with Western Jazz. From there a licence to branch out and be expansive.
Centred around tabla maestro Manjit Singh, and his partner Daljeet Kaur, who is a classically trained traditional Indian female singer.
Tonight’s ensemble is comprised of Nigel Gavin electric guitar (he is 75% Punjabi says Singh), Alan Brown keyboards, Olivier Holland electric bass, Ron Samson drums.
Singh is promoting Takadimi’s debut single Winter Rain, released today.
Based on an ancient Indian raga Malhaar, which is a spell to summon the rain, demonstrating that man-made climate change is centuries old well before the advent of burning fossil fuels.
The promotional video is screened. A peaceful reverie centred on the soulful soprano voice of Daljeet, who is filmed on a beach with tranquil rolling waves.
The song is given a resonant sheen by a sarangi player Ustad Dilshad Khan. Who comes from a long hereditary line of sarangi maestros. We will hear it later.
They start with something completely different, Bombay Beat, written by the Godfather of Indian Jazz Dambar Louis Banks Budaprithi.
Begins with heavy Funk from the bass guitar. Gavin plays fast riffs and come to the boil quickly, he does remind me of Mahavishnu John McLaughlin. When the tablas take a solo, it sounds like the Funky (Indian) Drummer. The piano comes in cool and quickly becomes hot with a percussive attack.
Man Ahadeam is based on the Pashtun Folk tradition of northern Pakistan and Afghanistan. It starts as Folk Jazz. Gavin plays a 12-string acoustic (I think). Tablas are leading from the start. The singing is subversive of tradition.
Then it changes up. Punk Funk heavy bass lines, and are there elements of harmolodic? It does get as fast as Be-Bop with the keyboards taking charge.
Danashree is a Tillana, a distinct ancient rhythmic style from South Indian Carnatic music. The vocals are rooted in Folk tradition, as opposed to Bollywood Pop. Keyboards and tablas combine to accentuate a rhythmic attack. A high-toned guitar brings a distinct Western urban atmosphere.
Naina More is a Thumri, a style of music identified with the Uttar Pradesh region. This is the foothills of the Himalayas and banks of the Ganges. Sensual and erotic music which makes Qaawali a natural fit.
Extended vocal tonal passages become thrilling (think of a Sufi master like Nusrat Khan). As if by alchemy the tabla rhythms fuse with the plugged-in instruments to create a Jazz Rock fusion. Cinematic musical sweep invoking Tarantino.
After a short break, Singh takes a tabla solo, for several of his students present tonight, which is breath-taking.
What is the essential difference between drums and tablas? A heavier rhythmic presence from drums and space for melodic improvisation from tablas? Played together they widen the aural soundscape for Takadimi and lean more towards the West.
Balatho is a great example of this. The guitar conjures up a heavy Dwo sound.
Last year, Takadimi played a concert with sitar maestro Purbayan Chatterjee, who played his own invention of an electric hybrid sitar, called a dwo or dho. A heavier energy.
The first part of the song is where we hear a similar style to the Butterfield Band’s East-West (which is really Michael Bloomfield). The latter part is taken out by a drum solo. Cymbals play counterpoint throughout.
Winter Rain is played live. Serene and peaceful after the last song. Keyboards feature with an intro reminiscent of the one which starts The Door’s Riders on the Storm.
Ward 7 starts with the dreamy Soul sound of Marvin Gaye’s What’s Goin’ On. Until fast rhythms take over. Scat singing from Singh, melodic accenting from Daljeet.
They finish with Lagi Bina. Daljeet sings in ecstatic Sufi style. The music is Western except for the tabla accents. It does get people up to dance. Remember this is a Jazz audience tonight.
Takadimi are a great East-West fusion band, therefore they are World Music purveyors. A natural fit for WOMAD. There will be an album to follow their debut single.
Rev. Orange Peel
