COMPOSERS: Bob Brozman,Debashish Bhattacharya
LABELS: Riverboat/World Music Network
WORKS: Mahima
PERFORMER: Debashish Bhattacharya, Bob Brozman (guitars)
CATALOGUE NO: TUGCD 1029
American slide guitarist BOB BROZMAN’s numerous collaborations tend to be shorter-term, but his work with Indian counterpart DEBASHISH BHATTACHARYA goes back some way.
As such, the results are very thought-through and, for all the largely upbeat and entertaining ambience, full of learned references to other styles, from Assam folk dance to the international career of the slide guitar itself, popularised in India 60 years ago by a Hawaiian player who also influenced Brozman.
Bhattacharya’s solos are brilliantly sparky (his solo albums should be easier to obtain). Brozman’s are playful: he can get carried away on his own ground, but his compositions are idiomatic for both – you can’t easily tell who wrote which number.