Other Topics : Art Culture - Fashion - Tourism

Latest & Hot News about our Art and Culture

Return to current news about Art and Culture

Uniting world music in an unusual way
By Zafri Mudasser Nofil, Indo-Asian News Service

New Delhi, Oct 22 (INANES) Ever heard of a didgeridoo, a cajon or a lava flute? Exploring the basic pulse that runs through us, two skilled musicians - an Indian and the other French - executed a fine sonic harmony with whirling pipes, shaking springs and exotic drums to leave the audience spellbound here.

Suchet Malhotra and Glenn Louvet played a variety of ambient instruments and also used spoken words during their performance in "An Evening of Music on Lost Traditions" at the India Habitat Centre Friday evening.

The instruments they used were unique and represented various cultures and traditions across the globe. There was the didgeridoo, regarded as possibly the world's oldest musical instrument. It is made from limbs and tree-runks hollowed out by termites and produces a low-pitch, resonant sound with complex rhythmic patterns. 

Then there was the juice harp that Louvet plays at effortless ease. It is played by holding the instrument between the teeth and/or the lips and plucking the metal reed with the finger. 

"The result is amazing: this simple instrument gives you an exciting range of tones and pitches just by varying your mouth shape and degree of plucking," the ponytailed Louvet said.

There were also instruments like the cajon (the main drum in Flamenco music), the Lava flute (made from lava as the molten material is allowed to solidify), overtone pipes, rain sticks and spring drums. In all they played about 20 different instruments.

The event was jointly held by publishers Katha and CitiFinancial and was part of the functions that will precede the Katha Asia Utsav in January next year.

Professional musicians in their own right, Malhotra and Louvet met by chance nearly a year ago and since then their musical chords have stuck.

"I happened to meet Suchit by chance and our chemistry stuck immediately," Louvet told IANS.

He is a sitarist and his wife teaches French in a school here.

Malhotra, on the other hand, is a percussionist.

"We are trying to revive our old cultures. Glenn travels a lot, studying and researching on various cultures," Malhotra said.

The duo is planning to cut an album of their own.

"We are planning but that will take some time," Malhotra said.

The duo brought alive several situations with their performance that included "Rain," "The Indian Train Song," "Akkar-Bakkar," "Lament," "Wedding" and "War".