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Combining musical ideas and instruments from around the globe,
this Asheville-based world fusion trio celebrates the release
of their debut CD New
Bedouin Dance. The ensemble began performing in 2001 with
the shared vision of three multi-instrumentalist exploring
the infinite and seamless relationships between musical cultures
through the universal language of sound. Not only have they
firmly established themselves on the stages and studios of
Asheville's rich local music scene, but individually they
have performed around the world with such groups as The Paul
Winter Consort, Omar
Faruk Tekbilek, BBC
Concert Orchestra, Sophie
B. Hawkins, David
Wilcox, Judy
Collins and Glen
Velez, Mark
Levine, John
Mayer, Shawn
Mullins, Nickel
Creek, John
Gorka and Tom
Rush; and have appeared on well over 200 recordings.
Free
Planet Radio consists of Chris
Rosser on Indian dotar, Turkish cumbus, guitars, piano,
and melodica; River
Guerguerian on Middle Eastern frame drums and doumbek,
cajon, drumset, and other world percussion instruments; and
Eliot Wadopian on electric and string basses.
(River Guerguerian leading the Groove, Grey Eagle Music Hall Asheville, NC 2005)
You can check out New
Bedouin Dance by clicking this link and following the
link to CD/Sounds.
Here
is a sample of some of my work on New Bedouin Dance. This
is a composition I call Alap for Parshuram. This composition
combines the techniques learned on the sarangi which is a
bowed Indian string instrument with 39 strings, four of which
are melody strings. The rest enhance the sound of this most
ethereal of string instruments. My attempt here is to apply
to the string bass, sarangi like melodic ideas and musical
approach to a very western instrument. I had a good bit of
encouragement from my from my great friend and teacher Parshuram
Bhandari who is the sarangi master from the Nepali group Shringara
Nepal (this link takes you to a site of Nepali musicians
and their albums). I think he liked hearing India type melodies
on the big bass. This part of the alap is primarily improvised.
The last half of this composition is a liturgical piece from
the Gregorian Chant “For The Beauty of the Earth”
which is sung during the Earth Mass (Missa Guia) at the Cathedral
Saint John the Divine in New York every St. Francis Day in
early October. This mass was collaborative work by Paul Winter,
Dorival Caymmi, Oscar Castro-Neves and Paul Halley. My inspiration
here comes for my great friend, colleague and teacher Eugene
Friesen, cellist who is the élan vital of string playing
for me.
Free
Planet Radio is an exciting group that I am thrilled to
be involved with. I cannot say enough about my colleagues
River and Chris and I encourage you to check out their individual
sites.
Enjoy!
Free Planet Radio, Grey Eagle Music Hall Asheville, NC 2005
(photo by Lisa Shenouda)
Free Planet Radio in performance at Sacramento State University. Sacramento, CA 2006
Chris Rosser, Eliot, guest tabla master Daniel Kennedy and River Guerguerian. Elementary school clinic Sacramento, CA
Chris Rosser song stylist extordinair. Free Planet Radio, Grey Eagle Music Hall Asheville, NC 2005
Dig Deep!
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