Give this experimental Jazz band’s new album a listen
If you’re a fan of funky arrangements, this three-member band might have popped in on one of your playlists. Out with a new album, they are ready to rule the indie music charts
The Bodhisattwa Trio is a Kolkata-based experimental, instrumental Jazz Rock outfit that believes in spontaneity, improvisation and the raw expression of unadulterated human feelings. Led by Bodhisattwa Ghosh on the guitar, backed by Premjit Dutta’s drumming and Bijit Bhattacharya’s bass lines, the band draws inspiration from their lives, as well as from artists, scientists and philosophers. The artistes deliver a high-octane mix of original material as well as interpretations of tunes written by timeless legends.
Their new album is called Heart of Darkness, which takes inspiration from both, author Joseph Conrad’s novella of the same name and its 1979 Marlon Brando-starrer Hollywood adaptation, Apocalypse Now. It is a tumultuous sonic trip that swerves unpredictably between Jazz, Experimental Rock and Lo-Fi. Bodhisattwa says of the inspiration, “It’s very personal. I went through a terrible time last year. I called it Heart of Darkness because that was the direction I wanted to go in.”
Bodhisattwa adds his personal favourites are the second track, Transcendence, and Blues for Polo, which the guitarist calls a Jazz Ballad. He explains, “It was all recorded live. We did scrapped a lot of stuff if we were not happy with the song.”
The launch will see Ehsaan Noorani collaborate with the trio. About Ehsaan’s support Bodhisattwa shares, “I’ve been friends with Ehsaan for around six years and recently we have worked together in some gigs under the banner of Fender. I’m extremely fond of him as a musician and he is also a great human being. He has supported us right from the word go. We are really thankful to him and we are looking forward to this experience.”
Formed in 2012, the band released their debut album Intersections in 2014. The band has accrued some touring experience after playing at independent venues in London, Paris, Slovenia and Bangladesh, apart from performing at the Kolkata International Jazz Fest. From fiery Progressive Rock tracks like Annihilation to the Down Tempo melodies of 0305, they have been experimenting with soundscapes since they started in 2012.
On the music in their album Premjit shares, “For us, Jazz Rock is simply a term that we are using for the sake of convenience. We don’t know what genre this music is. We are constantly striving to express our innermost feelings, improve as artists and create a sound which we can truly call our own. There are huge influences of Jazz and Rock, but I believe it is a sound which is unique and the listener can expect a sense of self-reflection and solitude underneath the technical language we have woven into the music.”
The band believes the album is a continuous story. To get the full essence of the story, one should listen to the entire album in solitude. On the response they’ve received so far and the challenges they face, Biljit reflects, “The response has been very warm so far. We have played twice already in Mumbai and Bangladesh and are looking forward to this tour. The good thing is that music is accessible to everyone. The standard of good music has really gone up because every artist is exposed to the global music phenomenon.”
Bodhisattwa also roped in his friend and photographer Shan Bhattacharya to create a multimedia package. The album is as much a photo book as it is a music album, he says. “Shan is into abstract photography. When I heard these songs, I visualized that I would make something like a one-hour film, but since that wasn’t possible due to budget constraints, I gave Shan the songs and he said he could visualize it. Multimedia is much more effective because the music is so intense. I wanted to have one more medium of interpretation to make it a little more effective.”
When: June 10, 8 pm onwards
Where: Blue Frog, Pune
rashmeet.taluja@goldensparrow.com
Originally published on The Golden Sparrow
