Research Catalog

Title

Paris to Calcutta : men and music on the desert road / Deben Bhattacharya ; with an introduction by Jharna Bose Bhattacharya ; produced and edited by Robert Millis.

Publication

• Seattle, WA : Sublime Frequencies, [2018]
• ©2018

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Additional Authors

• Bhattacharya, Deben
• Bose, Jharna
• Millis, Robert

Description

4 audio discs; 4 3/4 in. +

Summary

"Never before published, Men and music on the desert road is an impressionistic travelogue written in 1955 by musicologist and field-recordist Deben Bhattacharya (1921-2001) to supplement his much heralded and influential LP of the same name (released by Angel Records in 1956). A first hand account of a 1955 journey overland from France to India collecting and exploring music along the way from Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, India, Bedouin camps, and more. Men and music on the desert road features four CDs with over four hours of recordings, Deben's travelogue, photographs, recording notes, and musical notations. Including unedited versions of the material from the original Music on the desert road LP and much much more. An amazing glimpse into a time long gone and essential listening for anyone interested in folk and world music traditions. --

Alternative Title

Men and music on the desert road

Subject

• Folk music > Middle East
• Folk music > South Asia
• Live sound recordings
• World music
• India

Genre/Form

• Folk music.
• Field recordings.

Note

• Title from container.

Language (note)

• Vocal selections in various languages.

Contents

• Book contents: Foreword / W.G. Archer -- Introduction / Jharna Bose Bhattacharya -- Introduction / Robert Millis -- Notes from the 1956 LP Music on the desert road -- Paris to Calcutta : men and music on the desert road / Deben Bhattacharya -- Paris to Calcutta : photographs -- Appendix -- CD track listings.
• Disc 1. Dance of Jerissos (Ierissos) (Students of the Salonica Quaker Girl's School) (recorded in Ierissos, Halkidiki, Greece) -- Çiftetelli : gazel (Saban Akdao, cümbüş) (recorded in Kaseri, Turkey) -- Untitled (Hasan Sayin, singer ; Reza Argin, zurna ; Jumma Ali, dhavul) (recorded on the side of the road in Turkey) -- Mahlo : song of the highway men (Vakkas Kaplan, zurna ; Feizi Kaplan, dhavul) (recorded in Gaziantep, Turkey) -- Karacaoğlan (Hüseyin Eroğlu, vocals, cura saz) (recorded in Gaizntep, Turkey) -- Karayilan = Black snake (Raif Karsligil, unaccompanied vocals) (recorded in Gaziantep, Turkey) -- Mevludin nebevi = The Prophet's birth) (Iama and congregation of the mosque at Kilis) (recorded near the Turkish border with Syria) -- Folksong from Outebeh) (Performer unknown (vocals and rababa) (recorded on the Turkish border with Syria) -- Bedouin melody (Performer unknown (shebbabeh (flute) and darabuka (drum)) (recorded in Neshabieh, Syria) -- Bedouin dance from Katana (Performer unknown) (recorded in Katana, Syria) -- Maqām rasd (in praise of the Prophet) (Dervish worshippers in the house of Sheikh Saud Mawlawi) (recorded in Damascus, Syria) -- Sabah (Performer unknown (ney (flute))) (recorded in Damascus, Syria) -- Suite in maqām rasd (Nour Hanbali, qanun ; Antone Noweh, oud ; Doureid Laham, darabuka) (recorded in Damascus, Syria).
• Disc 2. Taqsim (improvisation) on violin (Performer unknown) (recorded in Damascus, Syria) -- Ballad of the Shahlaan family (Hazim, rebab (bowed spike fiddle)) (recorded at a Bedouin, camp on the border of Iraq and Jordan) -- Bedouin coffee grinding beats (Unidentified coffee grinders) (recorded at a Bedouin camp on the border of Iraq and Jordan) -- Hijeni (Suleiman and friends, accompanied by rebab) (recorded at a Bedouin camp on the border of Iraq and Jordan) -- Sharqi dokah (Love song) / (Al-Haj Hashim Mohammad, santoor (hammered dulcimer) ; Shu'aid Ibrahim, joza (Iranian rebab) ; Abdul-Karim Al Azawi, dumbuk) (recorded in Baghdad, Iraq) -- Taqsim in maqām ajam (Shu'aib Ibrahim, joza) (recorded in Baghdad, Iraq) -- Maqām hadidi (Al-Haj Hashim Mohammad, santoor (hammered dulcimer) ; Shu'aid Ibrahim, joza (Iranian rebab) ; Abdul-Karim Al Azawi, dumbuk) (recorded in Baghdad, Iraq) -- Kasam-e-Meru (excerpt from a 25-minute piece) (Khalil Akrawi, vocals, spoons) (recorded in Baghdad, Iraq) -- Tar solo in humayun dastgāh (Ostad Zareen Panje Bel) (recorded in Tehran, Iran).
• Disc 3. Train rhythm imitation (Gulfa-e-Ghani and Zareef, zarb) (recorded in Tehran, Iran) -- Setar improvisation in mahour dastgāh (Ostad Abol-Hassan Saba) (recorded in Tehran, Iran) -- Shahnama (by 9th century Persian poet Ferdowsi) (Sher Khoda, zarb) (recorded in Tehran, Iran) -- Santoor solo in isfahan dastgāh (Darioosh Sefvat) (recorded in Tehran, Iran) -- Baba Karam (Hamedanian, zarb) (recorded in Tehran, Iran) -- Tar solo in isfahan dastgāh (Shapoor Delshadi, tar) (recorded in Tehran, Iran) -- Humayun (Eskandare Ebrahimi and orchestra) (recorded at Meshed, Iran).
• Disc 4. Setar improvisaion in mahour dastgāh (Eskandare Ebrahimi) (recorded in Meshed, Iran) -- Atan (dance song) (Muhammad Hussein, zurna (horn) ; Dost Muhammad, dhol (kettle drum)) (recorded in Kabul, Afghanistan) -- Battle rhythm (Dost Muhammad, dhol) (recorded in Southern Kabul, Afghanistan) -- Love song from Herat (sung in Persian) (Abdul Kader, solo voice) (recorded in Kabul, Afghanistan) -- Nose flute improvisation (Performer unknown) (recorded on roadside, Afghanistan) -- Sikh song on Hindu/Moslem unity (Performer unknown, harmonium, tabla) (recorded at the Golden Temple, Amritsar, Punjab, India) -- Simla folk song (sung in Pahari) (Saroj Narang) (recorded in Punjab, India) -- Raga zila (Jyotsih CH. Choudhury, sitar) (recorded in Benares, India) -- Methosur (rural folk song) (Kalipada Das, flute ; unknown, anandalahari (friction drum)) (recorded in West Bengal, India) -- Improvisation on film tune (Unknown performers, clarinet and drum) (recorded in the street, Benares, India) -- Raga kafi (Bhona, sitar ; Mangal Mukerjee, ghara (claypot drum)) (recorded in West Bengal, India) -- Bhajan (devotional song) sung in Gujarati) (Jai Chand Bhagat and Babu, vocals, cymbals) (recorded in Andheri, Bombay, India) -- Bhajan (Jai Chand Bhagat and Babu) (recorded in Andheri, Bombay, India) -- Temple bells and drums (recorded at Coochbehar Kali Temple, Benares, India).

Call Number

*LDC 53969

OCLC

1079059080

Title

Paris to Calcutta : men and music on the desert road / Deben Bhattacharya ; with an introduction by Jharna Bose Bhattacharya ; produced and edited by Robert Millis.

Publisher

Seattle, WA : Sublime Frequencies, [2018]

Copyright Date

©2018

Type of Content

performed music

text

Type of Medium

audio

unmediated

Type of Carrier

audio disc

volume

Digital File Characteristics

CDs audio file

CDs CD audio

Performer

Various performers.

Event

Recorded at various locations in 1955.

Language

Vocal selections in various languages.

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Added Author

Bhattacharya, Deben, author, recordist.

Bose, Jharna, writer of introduction.

Millis, Robert, editor, producer.

Publisher No.

SF112 Sublime Frequencies

Research Call Number

*LDC 53969 [CD]

*LE 18-6855 [Text]