Banglanatak dot com brings Bengali, Goan musicians together

Just around the curve at Patrocin chapel, Benaulim there’s always music playing. Bengali and Goan music is rehearsed in a small office cum residence. The office is now buzzing with new posters and a CD of a new album. Banglanatak dot com, a Bengal based non-profit organization that works towards development of arts and culture, is all set to release another music album featuring great Goan and Bengali artists.

Kankan J Kharghoria, Resident Representative, banglanatak dot com explains to us how the new album set to release in August comprises four musicians from Bengal and three from Goa.

The band has performed in Malaysia in November 2014 and has performed at various festivals across India including at Sufi Sutra, Goa which is an annual musical evening at Kala Academy.

The team members include Debalina Bhowmick on vocals, Elvis Lobo with his acoustic guitar, famed Carlos Gonsalves  with his percussions including the Darbuka, Kajon, Duff, Steve Francis on his Bass Guitar, Mohan Tati with the flute, Sonatan Das on the dhol, Sumanta Das Baul lending vocals and also with the khamak and dotara.

Bhowmick, one of the lead vocalists explains that East West Local was formed by all of them together. “I am really happy that we are into a second album. I hope we can travel to Europe together soon. I personally love it the most while performing in Goa,” she said. 

Kankan recalls how the first album, Trans Bangla, released at the Annual Music Expo, WOMEX in 2014 at Santiago De Compostella in Spain and was a big hit in the world music scene. It entered the top 30 in the World Music Chart in 2014 which was a great honour for Goans and Bengalis.

This current album set to release has eight tracks includes two instrumentals that comprise of Anandi- a jugalbandi between dotara and darbuka and lahari and an instrumental conversation - khamak, guitar, darbuka, flute, dhol and bass guitar.

“East West Local (EWL) is all about enjoy the journey and spreading love through music,” asserted Amitava Bhattacharya, Founder Director of Banglanatak dot com. Amitava an alumni of IIT Kharagpur and London School of Economics has dedicated his life in his organization to promote art and culture and make people aware of art.

The music album recording was done at Directorate of Art and Culture Studio in Goa from April 25 to27 and mixing-mastering was at Kolkata. The release date is on August 27 in Goa during the upcoming International Conference on Intangible Cultural Heritage to be held in Goa on August 25 to August 27. The album will also be launched internationally at 2016 WOMEX in October at Santiago De Compostela, Spain, an annual world music expo.

Elvis Lobo tells us that he loved playing with the folk music and EWL is like his family.  While percussionist Carlos stated that, “I simply love the approach of EWL and the music. You get a bit of me and a bit of us at the same time, in this music. 

The East West Local will have a very special traditional Baul instrument, Khamak. While the Instrumental part of this album is planned by Carlos, Elvis and Steve and Debalina planned the vocal and accompanying Eastern Instruments.

“All vocal compositions are done by us based on the traditional Bengali folk of various genres including Baul (songs of wandering minstrels spreading love and peace), Jhumur (lifestyle music of tribal communities of Purulia Bankura) and Bhawaiya (lifestyle songs of Rajbanshi communities of North Bengal and Assam),” explains Debalina Bhowmick.