Purna Loka Ensemble

https://purnalokaensemble.bandcamp.com

Metaraga by Purna Loka Ensemble, released 17 January 20201. Syzygy2. Aboghi Varnam3. Triality - Movement I4. Triality - Movement II5. Triality - Movement III6. Alabama7. Vatapi Ganapatim8. FibrationIndian classical violinist and mathematician Purnaprajna Bangere has created a new musical syntax based on a geometric framework that integrates Indian classical music and Western music, encompassing elements from classical, blues and jazz. The result opens new frontiers with exciting new sounds and structures that transcend known genres of music. Most of his current compositional work of Purna is with multi Grammy winning director of Turtle Island String Quartet David Balakrishnan. Joining Purna and David to complete the ensemble are bass virtuoso Jeff Harshbarger from Kansas City and the talented Amit Kavthekar from Boston on Tabla. Their CD "Metaraga" has been released under the prestigious label "Origin Records" on January 17, 2020.Metaraga is a systematic musical framework deeply inspired by ideas and concepts in Algebraic Geometry introduced by Alexander Grothendieck. The journey may start from any of the known genres, traverse into other musical worlds, and ultimately arrive in a “no man’s land,” i.e., music with no east or west. The roots of this concept originated from viewing Indian musical structure, a raga, not as a single entity over a fixed drone, but in a family. This has familiar sound when seen purely from a key change perspective of the scale, but this is a limited view. A family—herein called a 'fibration'--will immediately generate vertical and horizontal components. A new system with its own grammar and syntax involving the above needs to address not only smooth transitions along both horizontal and vertical components, but also take into consideration the transitional microtones (a central formative aspect of Indian music known as "Gamaka") in the horizontal movements. This dictates not only introduction of new ragas close to the original Indian ones, but also introduction of newer microtones and expansion of the definition of a raga; ergo the term Metaraga.Like any established musical vocabulary such as is found in classical Indian raga or western systems, the Metaraga framework generates grammar and syntax of its own with rules and discipline that are repeatable. For example, one of the key entities that facilitate this are the microtones found in American Blues. Not merely an aesthetic need, the blues provide an actual technical necessity. Viewing this retrospectively, it is indeed deeply satisfying to note that western and eastern sounds are bridged into harmonious synthesis by African and African American sounds, due to their universally shared foundational nature.Such endeavors reflect the personal journey of their creators spanning various lands and music that has moved them deeply. Ultimately this intimates a music unfettered by conventional points of reference, with a developing aesthetic centered around the framework symbolizing universal brotherhood and sisterhood, going beyond the perceived cultural and civilizational dichotomies. Like the large part common biological DNA of humans across the biosphere, from this framework a common musical DNA that has a universal presence among various musical paradigms reveals itself.Needless to say, I am deeply influenced by Indian classical music, western classical music, American Blues, Jazz and Folk music, and the masters who have practiced them. I owe much to my great teacher H. K. Narasimhamurthy for training in the formative years, his liberal outlook and his legendary guru M. S. Gopalakrishnan for his deep aesthetics and overall influence on me. My deep debt of gratitude to the legendary mathematician Alexander Grothendieck for his breathtakingly broad vision of mathematics, which I realize is applicable in other situations as well.

Keywords:

Category:

City:

State:

Country: United States of America (US)

Currency : USD

Avg product price:

Platform: Bandcamp

Technologies used: Fastly CDN

Contact page:

Find Bandcamp stores worldwide and make them your client.

Find e-commerce stores worldwide and make them your client.