Hindol Deb, sitar and compositions
Christoph Hillmann, drums
Christian Ramond, double bass
Clemens Orth, piano
Essence of Duality explores and crosses the boundaries of jazz and Indian classical music, making aesthetic connections between the two. The music is a sincere attempt to get out of the exotic yet stereotypical image of the Sitar, the main instrument of the album, in the West and Indo-Jazz fusion in particular. The album is the logical result of moving to Germany in 2015, in search of new sounds and compositional styles. An immediate impact was to be confronted with a new culture and so also a challenge for Hindol Deb, to overcome both the cultural and musical differences, finally merging both perspectives and making the connection.
Hindol Deb’s formal study of jazz, his experience in collaborative music making, and his developed insight into Western culture, coupled with his background in Indian classical music, inspired him to experiment with a ‘bold’ new style of composition while striving to keep the two genres on par. The biggest challenge was finding a convincing role for an instrument as traditional as the Sitar, without losing context.
The compositions have a strong polyrhythmic aspect, which makes them both interesting and challenging for the band members. Indian modes have been broken up and adapted to the jazz harmonies in the compositions. Except for the sitar, the quartet has a typical jazz instrumentation.
Clemens Orth, a virtuoso jazz pianist with New York jazz background and also arranger, colours the compositions with interesting harmonies.
Christoph Hillmann on drums and Christian Ramond on double bass, both highly acclaimed musicians give a strong rhythmic stability enabling a complex rhythmic exchange. The compositions have polyrhythmic structures and modes while using the language of jazz in the instrumentation, harmonization and improvisation. Though one can’t directly assign the music as European or Indian because of a new compositional style, one can still identify with the music and enjoy thoroughly.
