Strings Of The Soul Volume 2

Strings of the Soul, Volume 2 continues Barun Kumar Pal’s exploration of ragas on the Indian slide guitar, again with Enayet Hossain on tabla.

This volume centres on Raga Jog, a late-evening raga with a haunting, bittersweet colour, heard in a full alap, jor and jhala before the tabla joins for gats in vilambit and drut teental. It closes with Raga Bhairavi, the morning raga that traditionally ends a concert.

Born in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Barun Kumar Pal learned from his father, sitarist Bankim Kumar Pal of the Ustad Enayat Khan gharana. On slide guitar he carries the sitar tradition into a new voice, with long glides that echo the human voice. For listeners curious about how a Western instrument can be fully at home in Indian classical music, the two Strings of the Soul albums are a natural pair. Released by Aimrec in 2010 (AIMCDIM315).