Day five of the Guitar and Mandolin Festival showcased a Guitar Meets Indian Fusion concert as part of the festival’s 10-year anniversary on Thursday, Oct. 23 in Edwards Hall.
The festival began on Oct. 19 with Fretboard Frontiers, a classical jazz and modern fusion with six acts, according to Adam Levin, the artistic director for the festival. For new attendees, the festival was meant to be a power-packed journey through music. With all of the instruments included in this concert, the aim was to show the audience how special this event is.
“It’s been a really special time for the festival, as it is a milestone that celebrates two of my favorite instruments, the guitar and the mandolin,” Levin said. “As we started with a love for the classical guitar, we found love with the sitar and harp.”
The concert featured two artists, guitarist Mathias Duplessy and sitarist Purbayan Chatterjee. Both sets included the tabla, a pair of hand drums from Southern India. Duplessy utilized a cello, and Chatterjee had an electric guitar and keyboard.
Duplessy started the concert by playing songs from his various albums. His first song was “Oh Vasconse.” Using the guitar, Duplessy imitated other instruments by drumming and plucking strings. Both techniques created crescendos and an upbeat tone.
“Sucalé” is an African song inspired by a trip his father took to Cameroon and Senegal, according to Duplessy. The song featured the tabla, played by Amit Kavthekar. With Duplessy vocalizing and Kavthekar tapping the drums with his fingers, they created a fast and upbeat song.
Then, he played two of four movements, called Satine, starting with the cello played by Michal Shein. The two played dream movements, a happy dream and a crazy dream. The happy dream was slower than the first two songs, and Duplessy sang in Hindi.
“Satine is considered the mother of the world,” Duplessy said.
The crazy dream “is like flying over cities in the dark,” Duplessy said.
The song started with the guitar, playing a slow verse, then growing louder as the cello joined. Finally, the tabla blended in, creating a smooth rhythm and tempo, while the guitar and cello provided momentum, playing crescendos and decrescendos as the song ended.
After Duplessy’s set, Chatterjee came out to play. Along with the sitar, he brought out Kavthekar, electric guitarist Mark Lettieri and keyboard player Arthur Gault. All songs were experimental and from both Chatterjee and Lettieri’s catalogs.
The first two songs, “Saiyan More” and “Bridges” from Chatterjee’s discography, had a steady rhythm from the tabla. However, “Saiyan More” was more sitar-focused than “Bridges,” where the electric guitar stood out. “Bridges” had a moderate tempo, while “Saiyan More” was faster.
The third song was “Slide Rule,” a 1970s funk song from Lettieri’s discography. Like “Bridges,” the song focused on the electric guitar, with a keyboard solo. The keyboard was set to harpsichord mode to develop and unify the 70s sound.
Chatterjee’s combo played a cover of “Mr. P.C.” by John Coltrane. The sitar played the melody, and the electric guitar played the harmony. Both instruments played an improvised solo before duetting with the tabla. After, the keyboard took over the melody, embodying the saxophone.
The second-to-last song was “Lullaby,” paying tribute to parents putting their children to bed, according to Chatterjee. The instruments played a mixture of sweet sounds, showcasing the sitar and adding vocals.
Chatterjee ended with “Peace of Mind” as a demonstration that “your mind is the only thing that moves.” The song started off with a rising crescendo and scatting from the tabla. In the middle of the song, the sitar played the “Pink Panther Theme,” making a jaunty tune to end the concert.
“This fusion of electric guitar with sitar and tabla is truly novel,” Levin said. “I really hope you take [something away from] this performance with you [when the concert ends].”
For information on future music events on campus, go to the events.uri.edu.
