Less than a week after his collaborative work with Midival Punditz for Shekhar Kapur was put up online, Indian American fusion artist Karsh Kale has made the first single from his upcoming album Cinema, Mallika Jam, available for free download on his bandcamp page. For an album that is said to be drawing inspiration from film music, Mallika Jam is a surprise though, coming across as rather un-filmy in its arrangement (assuming Kale was talking of Indian film scores). Ok may be filmy in accordance with the made-for-discotheques remix-y tracks, but not the kind of cinematic that I was expecting. In fact barring the konnakol that exists throughout the song sotto voce, the heavy-on-percussion song is majorly just electronica till about halfway. It is then that the sarod kicks in and some brilliant classical fusion happens Kale-style. Kale chooses a wonderful vocalist in the Danish R&B singer Anne Rani who does her part perfectly. Unfortunately the sarod player credits I could not find online. Splendid playing by him! All in all, an excellent fusion track delivered the quintessential Karsh Kale way.
You can download the song here.
A million thanks for posting this ionfrmaiotn.