Though a large number of attendees at the All About Music 2024 conference held from August 6 to 8 were more interested in networking, many were lucky to attend some insightful panel discussions and one-on-one conversations. As expected, there was a packed attendance at sessions by stars like A.R. Rahman, Shaan and Shankar Mahadevan, or when the flavour of the season, Kerala-born rapper Hanumankind, spoke to Universal Music India chief Devraj Sanyal about the chart success of his new song Big Dawgs.
With so much happening, many visitors at the Grand Hyatt. Santa Cruz East, may have missed out on the shorter, non-celeb sessions. Such segments were included in good number, but one wonders how many members of the ‘industry think-tank’ sat through them. Let’s revisit two such presentations, which though only 10 minutes long, showcased some really innovative music. These were on Jaadoo Bastar, involving the Mumbai art-rock band Daira, and the Nimad project.
The common thing is that both projects involve the fusion of contemporary music with rural folk forms of central India. Put simply, they represent the folk-fusion genre. Bastar is a district in Chhattisgarh state known for different tribal communities. Nimad is a region in Madhya Pradesh. And though they are over 700 km apart, they have a unique folk music culture. In both projects, musicians from Mumbai discovered local sounds, and came up with different ways to spread the music. While Jaadoo Bastar did it through a documentary and music videos, Nimad has done it through live performance.
One got a chance to see Nimad in October last year, when they had their premiere show at the St Andrew’s Auditorium in Bandra. Directed by Warren De Sylva, it featured musicians Jayesh Malani and Bharat Chandore, who collaborated with folk musicians from the region. The group Bombay Brass, led by saxophonist Rhys Sebastian, made a collaborative appearance.
The Nimad story began when Chandore was in the area during the lockdown in 2021. This was where he discovered different folk sounds, and once things became better, he reached out to Malani. Over three months, they shortlisted eight acts, and then settled down in the town of Chichli for 25 days, recording songs in a makeshift studio in a mud hut. The folk musicians were initially skeptical about the idea but adapted soon.
Once the songs were in place, Chandore and Malani approached De Sylva who conceptualised the live show, which would incorporate documentary-style footage shot by Keerthi Raju, LED screens and animation. Besides the St Andrews show, the musicians performed at the Serendipity Arts Festival in Goa in December. The tunes range from Kabir verse and qawwali-inspired melody to prayer and percussion bursts. To get a taste, three songs — Pyaro Pyaro, Harbola Blues and Chichli Dhol — are available on the streaming platforms.
If Nimad followed the live route, Daira went the documentary way to showcase Jaadoo Bastar. The project kicked off when the band members met local musicians, and decided to record five songs in three dialects – Gondi, Bhatri and Halbi. By adding Hindi lyrics written by Alok Ranjan Srivastava, they capture stories and the lifestyle of the tribals. While Piyush Kapoor sings the Hindi parts, the folk lines feature Lakheshwar Khudaram, with Ablesh Kumar and Vineeta Pandey doing a duet on Laal Pungaad.
The music blends Chattisgarhi folk with rock and jazz. Guitar, bass, bansuri and trumpet are prominent, and there are folk instruments like the todi and mohri. The songs are available on the streaming platforms, with live videos on YouTube. To top it all, YouTube has a 54-minute documentary directed by Shivajee Biswanath and Fahad Sheikh. The story behind the songs is fascinating.
Both Nimad and Jaadoo Bastar are attempts to discover folk sounds from newer regions, and present them in ways more accessible to the broader audience. Such projects need the efforts of sponsors and event managers for better exposure. Those networking in the All About Music corridors could have spent some time checking out such innovative concepts.
.png)
