The Debashish Bhattacharya Legacy Trio (from left: Subashis Bhattacharya (Tabla), Debashish Bhattacharya (Chaturangui, Pushpa Veena), Anandi Bhattacharya (Vocals, Swarmandal) Photo: Avishek De

LEGACY

Debashish Bhattacharya

World Music Network & Riverboat Records

He’s been called the greatest slide guitarist in the world. Maestro Pandit Debashish Bhattacharya brings the legacy of 12th century Hindustani classical music to the 21st century through his musical legacy and his new album, Legacy, which finds Grammy-nominated Debashish joined by his brother Subhasis on tabla, daughter Anandi on vocal, and making his recording debut, his son Suryadipta on slide guitar. Also, the recording features Debashish’s latest creation, the Pushpa Veena, a sort of hybrid slide guitar/sarod. Legacy is a tribute to the pioneering recording artists of India in the early 1900s. With only limited space on shellac in those days, the performances were very brief compared to the typical ragas. The new record follows suit with relatively short tracks, 10 in all, written by Debashish. In the era Legacy honors, small shellac disks captured succinct renditions of Hindustani classical ragas and popular songs, creating a sensation among the wider populace. Indeed, this golden era saw the rise of the first celebrity musicians; household names of the time.

In our time, Pandit Debashish Bhattacharya, an award-winning artist who is known throughout the world as the unrivaled master of Hindustani slide guitar, has joined those “household names.” Pandit Debashish Bhattacharya is arguably the greatest slide guitarist in the world. He is an undisputed master of the demanding technique and discipline of both Hindustani classical music and modern-world fusion. A “virtuoso’s virtuoso,” he has revolutionized a number of technical aspects of performance on the instrument. He also has designed and patented four types of guitar for performing raga music, which he has named Chaturangui, Ghandharvi, Anandi, and Pushpa Veena. These guitars are played lap style, with a small steel bar and finger picks.

‘The Lonely Heart (Majkhamaj Dadra),’ written and performed by Debashish Bhattachary, accompanied by his daughter Anandi Bhattacharya (Vocal) and his brother Pandit Subhasis Bhattacharya (Tabla). From Legacy.

‘The Whispers of Dawn (Todi Slow),’ written and performed by Debashish Bhattacharya, acompanied his daughter Anandi Bhattacharya (Vocal) and his brother, Pandit Subhasis Bhattacharya (tabla). From Legacy.

Debashish has played extensively around the globe, logging over 3000 live performances and 27 albums. He has performed both live and on recordings with musical icons such as Ustad Zakir Hussain, John McLaughlin, Jerry Douglas, Derek Trucks, and many other world-renowned musicians. In India, he has performed for Pandit Ravi Shankar and also appeared in countless Indian music festivals.

His large body of work has garnered extensive recognition, including two Grammy nominations, the Billboard Top 10, Songlines Magazine Top 10, Central Asia and Asia Pacific World Music Top 10, Amazon Top 100 albums, 2016 Songlines Music Award, 2007 BBC Planet Award, 2005 Asiatic society Gold medal, the 1984 President of India Gold Medal, 2022 World Music Hall of Fame, and is an Empaneled Artist of the Indian government’s Indian Council of Cultural Relations.

The Legacy trio featured on this album and on tour includes Debashish’s daughter Anandi, a gifted vocalist and a rising star in her own right, and Debashish’s younger brother Subhasis, who is recognized as one of the greatest percussionists of his generation.As father and daughter moved from town to town, Debashish recalls that the tour assumed a kind of “heartfelt pilgrimage of family, music and connection to nature.”

‘Tempest of The Monsoon Dance Legacy,’ written and performed by Debashish Bhattacharya, accompanied by his daughter Anandi Bhattacharya (Vocal) and his brother, Pandit Subhasis Bhattacharya (tabla). From Legacy.

This was something much more important than the composition alone but a celebration of gratitude and life. The torch was now passed on and the musical bond that had connected the generations of his family was reignited once again. Legacy is a culmination of all those things and a homage to the history of traditional Indian music and the teachings that Debashish has learned throughout his career.