Based on Raga Charukeshi, this piece includes a traditional gat (melody) from the Maihar Gharana (school of Indian music) that I learned from an old recording of my guru, Pundit Krishna Bhatt. The gat is set to Matta Tala, a rarely heard rhythmic cycle of 9 beats. I analyzed this melody to establish a chord sequence that became a new foundation for textural composition, improvisation and elaboration. These elaborations are punctuated by composed tihais (rhythmic phrase repeated three times) leading back to the melody in a traditional manner.
from
Neel Murgai Ensemble,
released May 23, 2017
Engineered, mixed and mastered by Sam Crawford
Additional engineering by Michael Gittleman
Tracks 2,4,5 composed by Neel Murgai
1,3,6 are Murgai’s treatments of traditional material.
Lyrics in 6 by Ghalib
8 by Murgai, Maneri, Gupta, Heffernan
Cover design by Indra Gill
Cover illustration by Matthew Lillis
Special thanks to many people, without whom this music would not be possible:
My teachers: Krishna Bhatt, Edgar Grana, Ravindra Goswami, William Sweeney…
My Family: Jessica Plotnick, Indra Gill, Leith Murgai…
And the many other musicians, teachers, friends and family members who havesupported and inspired me along the way.
neelmurgai@earthlink.net
www.neelmurgai.com
Innova Director: Philip Blackburn
Operations Manager: Chris Campbell
Innova is supported by an endowment from the McKnight Foundation.