Bengali infused pop to sufi qawwals: Dalrymple on his favourite music at JLF

By Shreya Ila Anasuya

It is January, and the five-day literary extravaganza that is the Jaipur Literature Festival is almost upon us. But festival co-director William Dalrymple is equally enthused about the line-up of music that has been an integral part of the festival since its inception.

One of the things he’s proudest about is the festival getting picked by Songlines editor Simon Broughton as one of the finest music events in India today.

“It’s slightly sad to see the separation of the literary and the musical at the festival, especially since we’ve grown and the music venue has been shifted to the Clark’s Amer. I think that going for a drink and dancing to some fabulous music is a great complement to concentrating on serious talks all day long,” he says.

In a freewheeling chat, we spoke about some of his favourite acts at the festival down the years. Even a cursory glance will reveal the celebrated writer’s fascination with fusion and world music, which he says is a real treat to bring to Jaipur every year, as a reward for a full year’s worth of hard work of writing books.

1.The celebrated folk musician Paban Das Baul has made several appearances at the festival over the years. An enthusiastic collaborator, he is at the forefront of moulding Bengali music with Western pop, through his work with Sam Mills.

Dalrymple’s pick: Dil ki doya (from Real Sugar, 1997)

2. Susheela Raman is a Carnatic-trained British Asian musician, who has collaborated with a variety of musicians from India and Pakistan, including Sufi qawwals and Rajasthani singers. She’s even toured with Dalrymple and Paban Das Baul, with whom she performed at the festival.

Dalrymple’s pick: Nagumomo (from Salt Rain, 2001)

Bonus: This is a part of what Dalrymple calls “the hair-tingling appearance of Paban and Susheela at the first Jaipur music stage back in 2009”:

3. Dub Colossus combines traditional Ethiopian musical styles with dub reggae and jazz. This year’s highlight is their new album, Addis to Omega, of which attendees of this year’s festival are sure to get a taste.

Dalrymple’s pick: Azmari Dub (from A Town Called Addis, 2008)

4. Dalrymple calls Transglobal Underground his number one favourite. This ’ethno techno’ band, with their signature mix of African, Asian and western music, will present their collaboration with Albanian brass band Fanfara Tirana at the festival this year.

Dalrymple’s pick: Shimmer (Run Devils and Demons, 2009)

5. 1 Giant Leap is Duncan Bridgeman and Jamie Catto’s electronica act. Dalrymple’s favourite track by them, featuring the former REM frontman Michael Stipe and Asha Bhonsle, is what he calls “the most unlikely collaboration ever.” “It’s piercingly beautiful,” he says.

Dalrymple’s pick: The way you dream (from 1 Giant Leap, 2001)

6. The Grammy-winning Tinariwen are true world music stars. A band made up of Tuareg blues musicians from Mali, they closed the festival last year with their haunting desert blues. Dalrymple is charmed by their duet with Kiran Ahluwalia, especially their rendition of ‘Mustt mustt’.

Dalrymple’s pick: Cler Achel (from Aman Iman: L’eau c’est la vie,2006)

7. Talvin Singh is a British tabla player and DJ, renowned for creating a fusion of drum’n’bass with Indian Classical music. He has collaborated with everyone from Björk to Madonna.

Dalrymple’s pick: Jaan (from Anokha - Soundz of the Asian Underground, 1997)

8. Badmarsh and Shri are a trip-hop duo based in London, with two successful albums to their credit. They mix jazz, drum n bass, hip hop, and funk to create an irresistible dance-worthy cocktail.

Dalrymple’s pick: Day by day (from Signs, 2001)

9. Sain Zahoor is a famed Pakistani Sufi musician, who spent many years performing in shrines. Word-of-mouth acclaim soon made him a star, and he was nominated for the BBC World Music awards.

Dalrymple’s pick: Allah hoo

10. Kiran Ahluwalia performs her own compositions of Indian and Pakistani music, especially ghazals, which are influenced by Western and African styles.

Dalrymple’s pick: Vo Kuch (from Beyond Bounaries,2003)

11. Karsh Kale is the genre-bending composer and producer who wowed audiences at the festival last year in his appearance with the Midival Punditz. His previous appearance at Jaipur was with Anoushka Shankar.

Dalrymple’s pick: Longing (Realize, 2001)

12. Cheb-I-Sabbah was the festival DJ for five years, until he became ill and passed away in 2013. The 2014 music program was dedicated to the Algerian musician whom Dalrymple has called “a huge genius and an inspiration for many of the other musicians who attend.”

Dalrymple’s pick: Kese kese (from Shri Durga, 1999)