Shankar Tucker's Fusion

Music that is not orthodox Carnatic or Hindustani.
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bilahari
Posts: 2631
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 09:02

Shankar Tucker's Fusion

Post by bilahari »

Through a friend, I was recently introduced to Shankar Tucker's fusion of Indian and Western music.

Here is my favourite of his arrangements:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ky9SatRo ... 79C9341235

Another nice one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=od5gvwQR ... 79C9341235

I think the clarinet's an intelligent choice for fusion because it brings out both gamakas and flat notes with ease, and the transitions between two styles of music become all the more fluid. My complaints are chiefly that the Western music interludes sometimes head towards boring "restaurant music" (watch the Lemongrass video), and the use of Indian percussion is not optimal. I really don't like the metronomic drums in the Moments and Centers piece, and think that that is where the tabla (or khanjira or any Indian percussion instrument) could be used. I feel Indian percussion is so beautifully tailored to the piece being sung, and that beauty should be harnessed better. But I think his music is quite interesting and promising.

What say you?

vasanthakokilam
Posts: 10956
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 00:01

Re: Shankar Tucker's Fusion

Post by vasanthakokilam »

Yeah, overall it is a very pleasant music. The first one does not sound Fusion'ish, more like a nice film song based on some kAnaDA variant. kAnaDa and its variants are an easy low hanging fruits of ragas for these purposes. The interlude also was not too distracting, though it was a bit Jazz'ish.

The second one, there is definitely an Indian'ness to it but it is more on the fusion side. Normally I would be interested in it to see why it works but in this case my thought process was distracted, strangely, by the guitar sounds and few other little sounds here and there wondering what purpose they are serving in the overall scheme of things and what his thought process was behind it. I probably need to listen to it again later.

mohan
Posts: 2806
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 16:52

Re: Shankar Tucker's Fusion

Post by mohan »

Yes it is pleasant sounding!
Another fusion group I like is Ashwin and the Bombay Project who have just launched an album (on itunes, etc) ... see http://www.myspace.com/thebombayproject

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