Date: September 23, 2011
Venue: Baruch College’s Performance Space (NY)
Concert review by Jim Hoey
This recent night of Indian-American music at Baruch College’s performance space, on Sept. 23rd, is another example of great local talent reaching forward into new territory, and simultaneously upholding the traditional apects of Hindi-inspired Bollywood soundtracks. Two bands, Ravish Momin’s Tarana, and Sameer Gupta’s Namasker, took two different approaches, drawing from the same traditions.
It was incredible to hear Momin on drums in Tarana, with the exquisite accompaniment of Trina Basu on violin, mixing live percussion with trademark electronics. They slowly built up a loose framework for the extensive and soulful improvisations, playing most of the 4 new tracks on the new EP After the Disquiet. The achievement of Tarana is that with even the most traditional of folk-Hindi rhythms as a point of departure, their songs can take subtle turns down different paths to a more Middle-Eastern or Asian sound, then more modern, and can often switch mid-piece without any jarring or noticeable transition point.
