The city recently played host to a six-day-long festival celebrating world music. The Wisdom Tree World Music Festival showcased a diverse range of genres including Jazz, Eastern and Western Classical, Ghazal, Thumri, Folk, Rabindrasangeet, Sufi, contemporary, acoustic rock, instrumentals, and much more.
The event opened with a performance by the unrestrained guitarist Dilip Dutt, accompanied by another exceptionally talented guitarist, Aritro Ghosh. Adding to the magic was Prabuddha Banerjee on the harmonica, guitar, and backing vocals. Together, they set the tone for the night with their electrifying performance.
The second day saw an amalgamation of Eastern and Western Music. The performance featured Joy Shankar on folk and Soumya Dasgupta on guitar, blending their distinct styles to create a unique sound that captivated the audience. Especially the guitar playing of Soumya Dasgupta was a class above the lyricism and spontaneity found in traditional playing.
The third evening was special as the performers included Bade Ghulam Ali Khan's great-grandson Atif Ali Khan and Shiladitya Chakraborty, both from the Kasur Gharana on one side and singer-songwriter-composer Prajna Dutta on the other hand. What began with originals by Prajna soon turned into an open jam where classical met contemporary and together they transported the audience to a different level with their originals, bandishes, Ghazals, and Thumris. They were tastefully accompanied on the guitar by Gurmeet Singh.
The next evening saw another standout performance by Rishi Chakraborty and his team of traditional folk instrumentalists who played the Bangla dhol and dotara. The foot-tapping folk music played by Rishi and his team kept the audience thoroughly entertained and they were accompanied by Prajna on Kazoo and guitars and Aritro on guitars. The ghatam-vocal-guitar trio Sourav-Anasmita-Subhra gave a scintillating performance and regaled the audience with a wide range of genres from Sufi to soft rock. Their performance was full of energy, and the audience couldn't help but groove to their beats. Ranjan Prasad continued the entertainment with his mix of folk and other songs. He ended the show by paying tribute to Harry Belafonte with his famous Bengali version of Jamaica Farewell, 'Pother Prante.'
Subharaj Ghosh showcased his jazz improvisations, which were highly appreciated by the audience. Jazz influences were also heard in the instrumentals played by Soumya Dasgupta and his sons Aritra and Ahon, demonstrating the versatility of the performers and their class as exceptional musicians. Samadrita and Chandan took to the stage and sang some of the most popular songs composed by Sudhin Dasgupta, including 'Hoyto tomari jonne' and 'Jibone ki pabo na', accompanied by his son Soumya Dasgupta was a fitting tribute to the lineage of modern Bengali songs.
The festival was a celebration of world music and the diversity of genres on display highlighted the rich cultural heritage of the city. It was a platform for both established and upcoming artists to showcase their talents to a wider audience. And the grand finale of the festival on June 21 saw all the artists come together for a massive jam where all the different genres came alive in harmony. The festival was a testament to the power of music to unite people from different backgrounds and cultures, and it left the audience with a sense of euphoria and a deeper appreciation of the beauty of music.
