PA/42/11 4 November 2011
Australian musical extravaganza to mesmerize your soul
The Australian High Commission, in collaboration with the Delhi International Arts Festival, is very proud to present world renowned blues guitarist & singer Jeff Lang and tabla player Bobby Singh who will perform for the first time in Delhi at the 5th Delhi International Arts Festival. The duo will mesmerise audiences with their musical blend of folk, blues and Indian influences on Tuesday, 8th November 2011 from 7:00-8:15 pm at The Amphitheatre, India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi.
These Australian based musicians first met musically through their award-winning world music project ‘Djan Djan’ with Malian kora player, Mamadou Diabate. However, their musical meeting has since extended to a highly acclaimed duo performance at the Adelaide International Guitar festival and now a tour of India.
Their performance will be a true cross-cultural collaboration highlighting how modern composition, song writing and blues/roots infused guitar playing can blend seamlessly with classical Indian music.
Australian High Commissioner to India, Peter Varghese, said today “Jeff Lang and Bobby Singh epitomise Australia’s exciting contemporary music scene: they’re innovative and explore new artistic territory, but their music is rooted in the great musical traditions of the world. Music, and the arts as a whole, challenges boundaries and builds new bonds between people. I strongly encourage you to see Jeff Lang and Bobby Singh play during their first ever tour of India”.
Mr Varghese added “the relationship between Australia and India is growing rapidly, across the spectrum from trade and investment links, to joint scientific research to converging strategic priorities. And the relationship between our people, and our arts communities, is an essential element of the convergence. That is why we're staging a four-month long festival in India next year which will showcase the vibrancy and innovation of Australia’s contemporary culture.”
Jeff Lang, described by Rolling Stone magazine as "Australia's best roots-music artisan", has earned worldwide acclaim as a virtuoso guitarist, a dynamic songwriter and a startlingly unique live performer, defying description and genres. Jeff has to his credit 14 studio albums and has featured at major festivals, pubs, clubs, arts centres and venues internationally for the past decade.
Bobby Singh, renowned in both traditional Indian classical music and cross cultural genres, has been a student of Aneesh Pradhan, one of the most sought after tabla players in the world. Bobby Singh spent much of his childhood in Mumbai studying tabla. Nurtured into a mature, internationally renowned tabla virtuoso, Bobby has played with many of the top musicians in Australia and the world.
In addition to Delhi, Jeff Lang and Bobby Singh will also perform in Bangalore and Chennai for Hindu November Fest and in Udaipur for Eternal Mewar festival. They will also visit Jodhpur to explore future musical collaborations with Rajasthani folk artists.
For more information and interviews with the artists, please contact:
Vartika Bassi Sethi, Program Officer - Media & Advocacy
Australian High Commission, New Delhi
Mobile: 8800092302, Office: 4139 9900 Ext 378, 4149 4478