Converging Streams

Best of World Music
Surya by Taufiq Qureshi

An NCPA Presentation

Taufiq Qureshi: percussion kit, djembe & vocal rhythms
Sarang Kulkarni: sarod & Z rod (electric sarod)
Shikhar Naad Qureshi: djembe & additional percussions
Kaushiki Joglekar: keyboard & harmonium

Surya is a collaborative fusion of ethnic Indian classical and world music.

Taufiq Qureshi, the ace percussionist of India, is referred to as a game-changer and is also an acclaimed composer. He is the pioneer of the African djembe in the context of Indian rhythms. This indeed is one of the truest quests for fusion music; that is, to define ‘Indianness’ on an African instrument.

Qureshi has always perceived fusion music as an entity by itself and not as an extension or altered version of another form of music. In a fusion ensemble, the collaborating artistes have to blend their individual styles into a whole. He refrains from calling Surya a band because the music is free-flowing, improvised and spontaneous with only bits of it pre-fixed. This spontaneity is the hallmark of Indian music. Though all the performing artistes are torchbearers of Indian music, they are influenced by musical ideas from all over.

Surya explores world music, taking inspiration primarily from Indian classical music, and also from other genres like jazz, folk music and cultural elements of Afro, Latin and contemporary music.

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