Bob Brozman Teams up with Debashish Bhattacharya

San Francisco, USA – Following from the critical acclaim of his albums with both Takashi Hirayasu and Renè Lacaille, American acoustic guitarist Bob Brozman has teamed up with Indian slide guitar master Debashish Bhattacharya to produce Mahima, a unique album of improvisatory guitar innovation.

The distinctive sound of the slide guitar is an intrinsic feature in blues, Hawaiian and Indian music, and on Mahima, these traditions meet in the capable hands of two of the world’s greatest slide guitarists. In the process, the two have created a true hybrid, a spectacular union of guitarists which also showcases the vocal talents of Sutapa Bhattacharya and tabla master Subhashis Bhattacharya.

In order to ensure that his collaborative recordings are imbued with a free-flowing exchange between the musicians, without cultural restrictions, Bob believes total immersion in the project at hand to be
essential. For Mahima, the fact that Debashish’s brother Subhashis and sister Supta would also perform further enhanced the spirit of togetherness that permeates throughout the recording.

Rather than one artist simply embellishing the style of another, both Bob and Debashish were keen to draw upon the other’s sphere of influences, and in the process the two have created a true hybrid, a spectacular union of guitarists. Although from opposite sides of the world, it would seem that Bob Brozman and Debashish Bhattacharya were destined to get together.

The Hawaiian guitar was introduced to India by Bob’s Hawaiian guitar guru Tau Moe. Tau’s star pupil
in India was Garney Nyss, whose leading student Sri Brij Bhusan Kabra would go on to teach Debashish Bhattacharya, who has taken the instrument to new levels. This historical connection served to augment their deep friendship and musical partnership.

Mahima is Bob Brozman’s fourth project for Riverboat Records. The previous three (Jin Jin and Nankura Naisa with Takashi Hirayasu from Okinawa, and Digdig with René Lacaille from La Réunion) were all recorded in a similar manner.