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The complex and acrobatic singing techniques of north Indian classical music have sparked creative collaborations in the past few years. Arooj Aftab, a vocalist, has combined Urdu poetry with ambient synth and sweeping strings in her albums Vulture Prince (2021) and Love in Exile (2023). Similarly, Sheherazaad, an American singer, found a beautiful blend of Hindi lyrics and finger-picked Spanish guitar in her debut album Qasr (2024).
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The newest artist to partake in this exploration is Ganavya, a vocalist originally from New York and raised in Tamil Nadu. She has previously worked with Esperanza Spalding, a bassist and composer, as well as performing in the first live show of soul group Sault in 2023. For her most recent album, she has recruited British jazz artist Shabaka Hutchings as producer. The album contains 13 tracks, featuring Ganavya’s rich Tamil vocals accompanied by modular synths and airy woodwind flutes, resulting in a blend of spiritual jazz and experimental ambient music.
Producer Floating Points and multi-instrumentalist Leafcutter John provide eerie synth textures throughout, playing like a whisper of digital wind against Ganavya’s yearning vocals on Not in An Anthropological Mood, or twinkling through arpeggios that mirror her rhythmic sargam vocalisations – an ornamental method of singing the names of musical notes – on the expansive Seal. Countering the electronics are a range of flutes played by Kofi Flexxx, reflecting Ganavya’s breath in their earthy tones on tracks such as El Kebda, Let it Go, while Alina Bzhezhinska’s plaintive harp on Forgive Me My provides gorgeous ornamentation to long, looping vocal phrases.
The overall result produces a collection of songs that celebrates a serene, slow tempo. The atmosphere is mostly somber and controlled, but on the last track, “I Walk Again, Eyes Towards the Sky,” Ganavya’s voice soars with melismatic leaps, almost reaching its breaking point in an intense display of emotion. It is a vulnerable moment of escape that showcases Ganavya’s abilities, as she skillfully combines traditional techniques with a fresh, evocative direction.
Additionally released this month
Dele Sosimi, a keyboard player in the Afrobeat genre, has released his first album with his new band, The Estuary 21, called The Confluence on Wah Wah 45s record label. The album features lively horn fanfares that capture the typical joyous sound of Afrobeat, but also includes intriguing experiments with slower grooves, resulting in a jazz-infused highlight called Open Up. Arushi Jain, a composer who works with modular synthesizers, has created an expansive soundscape on her latest album Delight (released by Leaving Records) by layering synth programming. The composition is a unique blend of 80s electronic experimentation with Indian classical melodies. On Badā (released by Asadun Alay Records), musician Farah Kaddour presents a collection of emotive Arabic folk compositions. Kaddour’s finger-picking on the stringed buzuq is fiercely virtuosic, creating a driving, dark, and insistent sound.
Source: theguardian.com
