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Debashish Bhattacharya
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Pandit Devashish Bhattacharya | |
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| Born | 12 January 1963 Kolkata, India |
| Genres | Hindustani classical music |
| Occupation(s) | slide guitarist |
| Instruments | lap slide guitar |
| Years active | 1975–present |
| Associated acts | Brij Bhushan Kabra Subashish Bhattacharya Anandi Bhattacharya (Daughter) Suryadipta Bhattacharya (Son) John McLaughlin Martin Simpson Jerry Douglas Jeff Sipe |
| Website | www |
Debashish Bhattacharya (Bengali: দেবাশীষ ভট্টাচার্য, Hindi: देवाशीष भट्टाचार्य, Devāśiṣ Bhaṭṭācārya, born 12 January 1963) is an Indian classical musician, singer, composer, introducer of first Slide Guitar Syllabus of the world, redefined Indian classical music on slide guitar through introducing new technique, new sound and new blend of tradition and unique contemporary designing of the music. A music producer who plays lap slide guitar, he has taught more than a thousand students, created a new genre (Hindustani Slide Guitars), Chaturangui Anandi and Gandharvi and performed in more than two thousand concerts and workshops, with Grammy nominations and several world music awards. His latest work is first ever slide instrument in the world with skin on top Pushpa Veena, copyrighted (patent pending). For Hindustani Raag music he has composed three new Raag, set to evening time Raag Palāsh Priyā, Raag Shankar Dhwani and Raag Chandra Mālikā.
Early life[edit]
Bhattacharya was born into a musical family in Kolkata, it became apparent that Bhattacharya was skilled at a young age. His parents, both traditional Indian vocalists, gave him a basic understanding of music and he first began strumming a guitar at age three, when his father gave him a full-size Hawaiian lap steel guitar. He made his debut at the age of 4 on All India Radio, in Calcutta.
At age 15 he designed his first Chaturangui and created a genre called Hindustani Slide Guitar.
At 20, he was awarded the President of India Award for winning the National Music competition of All India Radio. At 21, he left his carriers and his parents for ten years to study under the pioneer of Indian slide-guitar Brij Bhushan Kabra.
His contemporaries composition started getting attracted by musicians and music lovers as well his new designing 14 string Gandharvi slide guitar brought a new lap Slide guitar in the world. In the year 1993 He has started performing extensively around the world. 2000-2001 He performed with Remember Shakti Band of John McLaughlin, Zakir Hussain and Mandolin U Shrinivas 2002 He created another Slide guitar a blend of ukulele and mandolin and named it after his Daughter.
His constant focus of past thirty years or more has been to give ideas of new music and new instruments made him really popular among traditionalists as well contemporary new thinkers of music.
He has collaborated with many world-famous musicians of different lands and cultures, making his career as a slide guitarist unique so far.
Career[edit]
His originality as a musician has earned him global admiration, and he has performed on networks all over the world.
He has attracted attention to the slide guitar and Indian classical music within India and globally.
Today he has more than 2000 students in India and other countries, and thousands of musicians, music directors, teachers, and followers who have been led to the new language of old traditional Indian music of Debashish.
He invented his own slide-guitars, unique to his compositions, which he calls the "Trinity of Guitars". These hollow neck instruments are the 24-string chaturangui, the 14-string gandharvi and the anandi, a 4-string lap steel ukulele.[1]
He opened a new Universal School of Music in Kolkata, India, where he teaches students from all over the world the principal universal form of Indian music and special course of Guitar. The school is a non-profit organisation, works for restoring music, musician and traditional art.
His most popular albums are: Mahima with Bob Brozman, and Calcutta Slide-Guitar, Vol. 3. Both of these albums are on Riverboat records and ranked in the top 10 of the Billboard World Music Charts. He was nominated for a 2009 Grammy Award in the category of Best Traditional World Music Album for his album Calcutta Chronicles.[2]
Debashish recorded his first Global Fision album in 2012, released in 2013, featuring John McLaughlin, Jerry Douglas and his daughter Anandi Bhattacharya. In 2015, he released Slide Guitar Ragas from Dusk Till Dawn. First collaboration of Indian and Hawaiian music album, Hawaii to Calcutta brought him world music award 2017. Debashish Created new lap guitars in 2015, 2016 and 2018.
In 2018 he produced his daughter Anandi Bhattacharya’s first music album, Anandi Joys Abound.
References[edit]
Citations[edit]
- ↑ Prem Kishore Guitarist Debashish Bhattacharya in LA Archived 19 April 2008 at the Wayback Machine India Post 9 April 2008.
- ↑ http://www.rediff.com/movies/2008/dec/10india-musician-bags-grammy-nom.htm
Sources[edit]
- Andrew Gilbert Sliding between cultures, instruments: Debashish Bhattacharya merges the Hindustani and blues traditions The Boston Globe, 6 April 2008.