Teaming up with Queen of rock ‘n’ roll
By: Ashwin Khan
This Indian classical singer not only cut an album with pop and rock diva Tina Turner, but is also part of the group that features the legendary singer
Classical singer Sawani Shende-Sathaye’s trip to Switzerland last year proved to be a fruitful one. She was there to perform in a series of concerts when she met Regula Curti, a Swiss musician, who was looking for an Indian singer — a vocalist with a clear diction and well-versed in Sanskrit. “She attended one of my concerts in Switzerland and was convinced I fit the bill,” says Pune-based Shende, who was in for an even bigger surprise. Little did she know that Tina Turner, pop diva of the 1980s, would also be a part of the record, titled Love Within. “There was no question of saying no after that,” Shende says. Turner, 74, and married for the second time now, lives in Switzerland.
Shende struck a chord with Turner during the studio recording and was inspired by her confession, “I have been in rock ‘n’ roll, I have been in pop and my life has been a battle, but now, I don’t want to sing for the masses.” Shende says Turner, who’s excited about little things in life, is keen to come to India to learn Indian classical music and she’s been commissioned to find a good guru for her. “Turner still has a powerful voice with no falsetto while singing in a high octave. She has no airs and was a warm person to work with.”
In keeping with the album’s spirit, Shende composed hymns in praise of goddess Parvati. Likewise, Dechen sang praises to Tara, who appears as a female Buddha. “Nothing was recorded on track. I just had a tanpura as an accompaniment. Since I have the knack of experimenting and improvising, I was able to adapt to other styles of singing.”
After the recording early this year, the best sections from the sessions were featured in Love Within. Later, music composer Avinash Chandrachud added music to the tracks using Indian musical instruments. The album was launched in Australia, England and Russia early this year, although it’s yet to release in India. As part of the launch, Shende performed live in Berlin, Munich and Zurich. “The audience loved our concerts. Some people were hearing Hindu shlokas for the first time. As I was allowed to improvise, they enjoyed my taan and sargam patterns.”
Now that Shende is officially a part of the group Beyond, featuring Turner, Curti and Dechen, she is excited about what the future has in store for her. Shende’s next overture with Beyond may take a while, but for now she is happy with the relationship she has forged. The group hopes to take Beyond places. With the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll on board, anything is possible.
This Indian classical singer not only cut an album with pop and rock diva Tina Turner, but is also part of the group that features the legendary singer
Classical singer Sawani Shende-Sathaye’s trip to Switzerland last year proved to be a fruitful one. She was there to perform in a series of concerts when she met Regula Curti, a Swiss musician, who was looking for an Indian singer — a vocalist with a clear diction and well-versed in Sanskrit. “She attended one of my concerts in Switzerland and was convinced I fit the bill,” says Pune-based Shende, who was in for an even bigger surprise. Little did she know that Tina Turner, pop diva of the 1980s, would also be a part of the record, titled Love Within. “There was no question of saying no after that,” Shende says. Turner, 74, and married for the second time now, lives in Switzerland.
Shende was impressed by the album’s concept, which celebrates womanhood. The project’s uniqueness lay in drawing inspiration from different religions. Apart from Shende and Turner, Curti and Dechen Shar-Dagsay, who specialises in rendering traditional Tibetan Buddhist mantras in contemporary melodies, too lent their voices for Love Within. So while Tina chants Baptist prayers, Dechen sings Buddhist mantras, Curti, Christian prayers and Shende, Sanskrit shlokas.
Shende struck a chord with Turner during the studio recording and was inspired by her confession, “I have been in rock ‘n’ roll, I have been in pop and my life has been a battle, but now, I don’t want to sing for the masses.” Shende says Turner, who’s excited about little things in life, is keen to come to India to learn Indian classical music and she’s been commissioned to find a good guru for her. “Turner still has a powerful voice with no falsetto while singing in a high octave. She has no airs and was a warm person to work with.”
In keeping with the album’s spirit, Shende composed hymns in praise of goddess Parvati. Likewise, Dechen sang praises to Tara, who appears as a female Buddha. “Nothing was recorded on track. I just had a tanpura as an accompaniment. Since I have the knack of experimenting and improvising, I was able to adapt to other styles of singing.”
After the recording early this year, the best sections from the sessions were featured in Love Within. Later, music composer Avinash Chandrachud added music to the tracks using Indian musical instruments. The album was launched in Australia, England and Russia early this year, although it’s yet to release in India. As part of the launch, Shende performed live in Berlin, Munich and Zurich. “The audience loved our concerts. Some people were hearing Hindu shlokas for the first time. As I was allowed to improvise, they enjoyed my taan and sargam patterns.”
Now that Shende is officially a part of the group Beyond, featuring Turner, Curti and Dechen, she is excited about what the future has in store for her. Shende’s next overture with Beyond may take a while, but for now she is happy with the relationship she has forged. The group hopes to take Beyond places. With the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll on board, anything is possible.
