An initiative of Banglanatak dot com,
MusiCal has continually aimed at connecting people through music, while
creating global opportunities for youth. Over the years, it has evolved into a
renowned collaborative effort that has
made a world mark. “Collaboration in our opinion helps to understand other
cultures better, creates openness and more opportunities for the youth and
evolves a new entry to the world of music,” avers Founder Director of
Banglanatak dot com, Amitava Bhattacharya.
MusiCal’s very first collaboration, East
West Local, presenting ‘Trans Bangla’ was the Indian pick of Top World Music
albums (2014). Their second collaboration between Bengal and Bangladesh
musicians,’ Road to Music’ which featured folk music of different genre of
undivided Bengal across various geographies also garnered success. “We created
Sufi Sutra, World Peace Music festival, in 2011 with the same vision of
collaboration, where six International and three national teams participate
each year. I am extremely happy that the festival now also travels to Goa. Such
festivals not only bring fresh perspective to the place but also strengthen
people to people connect through music. For more interaction, we keep daytime
workshops, which was a big hit in Goa in its first edition itself,” elaborates
Bhattacharya. This September, the group
has been invited to the prestigious ‘Music Beyond Borders’ meet at Vama,
Bulgaria.
This follows their innings at Greece in
July to present a talk on Culture and Peace at Alternate Thinkers’ Meeting held
at Corfu. They also had the distinction of presenting the Cultural Heritage of
Bengal at UNESCO in Paris in July as well. They have now set their sights on
the World Music Expo (WOMEX), Budapest in October. They have also initiated a
platform called Art Room, creating a portal for young art practitioners and
connecting them to the global collaborating opportunities in the field of
multi-disciplinary art practices at Kolkata International Performing Art
Festival, to be held in January 2016.
Struck by the melodious sounds of Konkani
music, Bhattacharya was keen to include Konkani vocalists in its album. “The
Herald initiative ‘Goencho Avaz’ contest presented us with the perfect
opportunity and we immediately jumped to it. We feel a Konkani Bengali folk
fusion will be a fantastic presentation,” he avers. Accordingly, Divya Dinesh Naik, Dexter
Furtado and Sarah Fernandes from the land of the Zuari will sing Konkani
numbers while Debalina Bhowmick will do the Bengali honours. Carlos Gonsalves
will accompany on percussions, Cely Fernandis on Keyboard, Tony Fernandis on
Guitar, Selwyn Menezes on violin and Mandolin and Roy Menezes on Saxophone will
all be part of the team,” he elaborates, while pointing out that while Goa has
the best of musicians and also has a huge talent-pool as tourists but doesn’t
have much connect to Konkani vocalists. If Konkani voice gets attention at the
world music scene, then these musicians will certainly be attracted towards it
and will strengthen Goan music,” he envisages. To realise this, the plan is to
introduce the album at WOMEX Budapest, in October 2015. “We also plan to invite
Konkani folk vocalists during workshops at Sufi Sutra 2016 to have more
interactions with World musicians,” Bhattacharya reveals.
Elaborating further on the Ganga-Zuari
collaboration, Bhattacharya points out that it will be a series of musical
experiments. “The first one is just a music album. Next one will be live shows
– which is likely to happen in December across India – and then even other art
forms and other Konkani folk vocalists will also be involved. I always love to
create urban rural, folk contemporary combinations and have seen that it
creates new audience and attracts more people especially youth to its
heritage,” he avers of the recordings which will begin in early September in
Goa with mastering in Kolkata.
