New York City (New York), USA – Kronos Quartet pays tribute to Burman, Bollywood
films’ foremost composer. His wife, the legendary
Asha
Bhosle, sings on eight tracks.
You’ve Stolen My Heart: Songs from R.D. Burman’s Bollywood (Nonesuch
Records) features Kronos members playing vintage electronic instruments, among
other departures. The world’s largest film industry by far (nearly doubling Hollywood’s annual
output), India’s Bollywood is famed for its musical extravaganzas, and Rahul Dev
“R.D.” Burman was Bollywood’s pre-eminent film composer from the 1960s-80s. His
more than 300 scores complemented the films’ effervescent visuals with an
unpredictable range of musical styles: Indian classical and folk music, swing
jazz, psychedelic rock, circus music, mariachi, and more.
The voice heard in many of Burman’s best loved songs was that of his wife, the
iconic Bollywood “playback singer” Asha Bhosle. With more than 1,000 films and
13,000 recorded tracks to her credit, Bhosle is widely considered the most
recorded vocalist in the world.
“Kronos has explored the marriage of music and film for many years, so
immersing ourselves in the music of R.D. Burman’s Bollywood was natural,” says Kronos Quartet violinist and Artistic Director David Harrington. “Burman’s
music transcends any categories of ‘Bollywood’ or ‘film music.’ To me, it stands
on its own as some of the most inventive, far-reaching, and fun music of the
late 20th century. In working with Asha Bhosle on You’ve Stolen My Heart, our
first album with a lead singer, Kronos has experienced not only Burman’s living
legacy, but also one of the most talented and generous artists I know of. Asha
truly is the Queen of Bollywood.”
Inspired by Burman and Bhosle, Kronos ventured into novel instrumental territory
on You’ve Stolen My Heart, augmenting its acoustic sound with keyboards,
percussion, and other instruments, all played by the Quartet members. Longtime
collaborators Zakir Hussain (tabla and a variety of other percussion
instruments) and Wu Man (Chinese pipa and other stringed instruments) also lend
their virtuosity.
The Kronos Quartet will be joined by Asha Bhosle for a series of performances
next season:
September 22 and 23, 2005 in San Francisco (Yerba Buena Center for the Arts)
September 24, 2005 in Los Angeles (UCLA Live, Royce Hall)
October 7, 2005 in London (Barbican)
and April 8, 2006 in New York’s Carnegie Hall (Isaac Stem Auditorium) as part of
the six-concert Kronos: Live Mix Festival. Wu Man and Zakir Hussain will join
the group at Carnegie Hall.
[Buy
You’ve Stolen My Heart ].
Author: World Music Central News Room
World music news from the editors at World Music Central
