Debashish Bhattacharya and Subhasis Bhattacharya

“Debashish Bhattacharya is the master of the slide guitar…he has no equal.” — John McLaughlin

We are delighted to present a unique and soulful musical performance by Pandit Debashish Bhattacharya, the foremost slide guitarist of our time, and his brother Subhasis Bhattacharya, considered to be among the greatest percussionists of his generation. Together, they will be performing a mesmerizing blend of strings and tabla that is sure to leave you awe-struck.

When you think of slide guitar, most likely, it’s the blues that comes to mind—Elmore James, Ry Cooder, Robert Johnson, Derek Trucks and their brethren. Or maybe dobro playing in bluegrass, like Tut Taylor or Jerry Douglas. Debashish Bhattacharya set that convention on its ear decades ago, however, applying the slide technique to traditional Hindustani music via the Chaturangui, a 24-stringed hybrid instrument of his own design (one of three self-created instruments he routinely uses). This instrument has three extra sets of strings - two drone strings and 14 resonating strings on the bass side and two rhythm strings on the treble side - making it ideally suited to the fusion projects for which Bhattacharya has become famed. He plays this instrument (which resembles an archtop guitar) Hawaiian-style, laying it in his lap, picking strings with the right hand and using a metal bar that he slides around with his left hand. The music produced by Bhattacharya is exceptionally rich and engulfing, exotic yet oddly familiar.

Pandit Debashish Bhattacharya is a world-renowned musician who has enriched the world of Indian and global music with his astonishing virtuosity and innovative creations of elegant slide guitars. He has received numerous awards and accolades, whose highlights include the President of India Gold Medal in 1994, a Grammy nomination, Billboard Magazine’s Top 10 world music recordings, Songlines Magazine’s Top 10 recordings and the BBC Planet Award. His 2018 album “Hawaii to Kolkata: a Tribute to Tau Mo” was #3 in “50 Greatest World Music Albums of the Last Five Years” published by Songlines Magazine in the UK. In addition to his recordings of Indian music, he has occasionally collaborated with American blues and folk musicians on various projects, blending the American blues/country influence with his own style of playing. He has played with everyone from kora star Ballaké Sissoko to that unique ukulele exponent Benny Chong and showed off more of his global influences on 2013's Beyond the Ragasphere record, alongside the celebrated dobro player Jerry Douglas and the remarkable guitarist John Mclaughlin

Debashish’s devotees and recording collaborators include John McLaughlin, Jerry Douglas, Derek Trucks, Ballake Sissoko, Lulo Reinhardt, Martin Simpson, Bob Brozman, and Zakir Hussain.

Pandit Subhasis Bhattacharya of Kolkata is one of the most in-demand percussionists in world music. He is also a successful singer, composer, and arranger. An exponent of a variety of percussion instruments such as dholak, kanjira, mridanga, djembe and dumbek, Subhasis has composed music for many contemporary Indian albums as well as for numerous films and TV serials. He is a BBC Award winner and a Grammy nominee. He has performed extensively around the world, including engagements at the Royal Albert Hall in London and Carnegie Hall in New York.

The duo will be performing a captivating mix of traditional and contemporary music that showcases their unmatched musical skills and creativity, all with a deep, intuitive connection and improvisational interplay that only brothers can achieve. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to see this amazing music in at Magnetic Sound Studios in Durham, live, in-person, in a warm and intimate setting, with some of the finest acoustics in North Carolina.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/siqSHxA-jFU

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Magnetic Sound Studios, 2020 Chapel Hill Road, Durham, United States