6th Sense. New Songs from Bengal
Iris Musique 3001 822, 1999
Bapi has called his album "The 6th sense" to touch the heart and recover an intangible and essential virtue there. Our task is to follow him and his "Baul Bishwa" along this winding path, note by note, step by step, body and soul.
This album is a gem.
Paralleling the Baul philosophy of taking the best elements of disparate religions and loving "humanity" as the common denominator, this music assimilates influences from a succession of Hindu, Buddhist, and Muslim conquests. This eclectic music captures some of the soaring vocal highs of qawaali music (think Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan), but it also features jangley beautiful melodies and is packaged in a deeper and more accessible rhythmic groove. This sound is quite different from the Rough Guide track- it's more organic and upbeat.
The liner notes are fabulous and detailed- with a history of Baul music as well as English and French translations of the presumably Bengali lyrics.
An interesting quote from Bapi Das Baul:
"when you are on stage with the only desire to share your music with a musician who comes from somewhere else, the listening is vibrating. You can hear it like an endless interrogation point; you can smell it in the air like the memory of a forgotten perfume... you can taste it in singing words you don't understand."
I'm surprised this album isn't better known. I'd recommend it as one of the first records to buy for someone wanting to explore the vast and diverse musical traditions of India.
1. Ore Amar Mon Ganer Nowka
2. Mona Mona Mon
3. Dancing with Chakras
4. Mi Je Mone Mone
5. Chere De Tor
6. Nodi Chena Bora Dai
7. Ore Obodh Mon Chas Kore
8. Yeatra
320 kbps including full scans
Part 1
Part 2
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