Saxophone and Indian Classical music

                                                                            Jesse Bannister

John Coltrane, one of the leading jazz saxophonists of the 1960s had a kind of ‘spiritual awakening’ that led him to start studying Indian religion and philosophy and even Indian raga music, with Pandit Ravi Shankar as his mentor. He calls it a search for a “multicultural theory of musical transcendence” based on the mystical principles of the spiritual traditions of Indian ragas. That elevated his own western music to greater heights based on these profound realizations.

Jesse Bannister is a unique musician who is respected as the leading Indian saxophonist in Europe. Jesse plays North Indian Classical Music on the saxophone to a professional level. Jesse said, “I was first inspired to play saxophone by listening to saxophonist Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane at the age of 15. I just wanted to play with the energy and direct myself musically towards something and so I saved up the money to buy a saxophone.”

Having arrived in Chennai in 1998, with the singular purpose of learning Carnatic music, Dutch saxophone player, Maarten Visser, stayed on. But in the process, learnt much more than simply the grammar of Carnatic music. Marten said, “As a child I went with my parents to many classical orchestral concerts in Holland. Once we went to a free jazz concert, the saxophonist made a lasting impression, but I was too young to play then, only 5. So, I started learning to play the piano and when I turned 12/13 I switched to saxophone. At that point I was very much attracted to the music of Clarence Clemons (rock saxophonist- played with the E Street Band) and Archie Shepp (free jazz saxophonist).” Today he traverses a strange soundscape: his saxophone solos and compositions swing from conservatory-tinged jazz to a very experimental and often unearthly sound. Visser frequently pushes his saxophone to the limit, coercing “multi-phonics and micro-tonality” from the instrument.

                                                        Maarten Visser

Jesse felt, “Saxophone has grown from being a laughter instrument, played in the circus line to a highly respected classical instrument as well as playing forms of world music throughout the world. I think it has got a certain appeal because of its sonorous quality close to the voice. It will always be seen as a modern instrument.”He adds, “Saxophone is really appropriate for Indian classical music as it has melodious waves imitating the voice using long notes and also getting across the feeling of the music in raga phases, especially the rhythmic aspect and improvisation aspect and it certainly has a place in northern Indian classical music. I have studied both western music and Indian classical music. I have engrossed myself in both traditions.”

Talking about his inspiration behind the compositions, Maarten says, “Behind every composition there is an idea in sound. I often try to find ideas that can be repeated and brought over time towards a turning point or climax. This can be in pitch, volume, intensity etc.

This idea in sound I will try to combine with other ideas in sound, in a way that the ideas clash, complement, or resist each other. I came to this way of working after discarding melody, harmony, rhythm as the building blocks of music. So, pure sound inspires me.”Recently Rooh Music launched Maarten’s album OTO3.

Technology is a great communicator for musicians. Jesse said, “We have released an app called Groove India. This app helps one to play Indo- Jazz. It has got great Indian music ideas for improvisers. It has got some great jazz ideas and it brings those together for using different audio loops the way one can manipulate the sound, change the beats, change the pitch and practice in certain scale and certain rhythms to improve one’s improvisation.”

Jesse said, “Just play from your heart. Begin a strong relationship with your instrument through your whole body and your whole self.” Maarten felt, “A good saxophonist must have thought about and developed his sound on the instrument.

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Yemeni filmmaker tells a powerful story despite threat from extremists

Khadija Al Salami at the kolkata international film festival

Khadija Al Salami, Yemen’s first female filmmaker and producer, was born in the mountain city of Sana’a. Forced into child marriage at the age of ll, she rebelled against her family and existing values, daring to leave her husband and seek a divorce. With determination and courage, Khadija Al Salami gained personal freedom and changed her fate. At the age of l6, she received a grant that allowed her to follow her dreams by studying in the US where she ultimately completed a master’s degree in film production and directing. She has made 25 documentaries on a range of social issues in Yemen, often focussing on the lives of women. She is a recipient of the Legion d’ Honneur. Her film, “I Am Nojoom Age 10 and Divorced” was screened at the Kolkata International Film Festival 2Ol5.

It tells the story of a 10-year-old girl who is forced to marry a man, who is 2O years older than her. Later, the tortured child-bride asks for divorce. Khadija speaks to Abhijit Ganguly about her life and work.

pic courtesy movizonline.com

Movie stills - I Am Nojoom Age 10 and Divorced

You had a difficult childhood. What was your inspiration?

A lot of girls at my primary school got married. I had seen what my mother and my grandmother had to go through and I didn’t want my life to be like that. I thought the only thing that would save me was education. In my country, due to poverty and ignorance girls are denied education and are instead relegated to helping with chores at home.

I have set up a small foundation for girls’ education in Yemen and I am currently supporting 500 girls with my resources and the help of friends, to attend school. I have been inspired by some of the young girls whom I am helping who desperately want an education but who struggle because of financial hardship. The problem in Yemen is not only the behavior of the husband or the father, it is above all poverty, illiteracy, and ignorance.

How challenging was it to shoot the film in Yemen?

Yemen doesn't have a movie industry. Therefore, the people of Yemen are not very used to cameras and big lights and other shooting equipment. And since the issue dealt with the movie is very controversial, no one knew why or what exactly we were shooting while the production process was going on. In fact, even the actors were not shown the actual script before the main day of the shooting.

The extremists came to know about the film and within two days from the start of my film’s shooting, they came and deleted all the images from my camera. They stole our generator. One person who was watching the shoot from the terrace fell off in the dark and died. Not a single day passed during my shooting period when I didn’t cry. But I am very happy that the film got released!

Khadija Al Salami at the kolkata international film festival

Do you consider yourself an activist or a filmmaker?

I am a filmmaker first. But issues regarding women and children touch me a lot. Most of my films are based on these issues. Being a woman, I understand what women of my country have to undergo. I speak about their pains through my films.

What is your word of advice for the girls out there who are subjected to such hardships?

When you believe in something don’t be afraid. Trust yourself. Do what you feel is right and what your mind and heart tells you to do.

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One Flute to Rule Them All

ALDOC is the new band led by ex-Gráda frontman and Lord of the Rings soloist Alan Doherty. Produced by his long time collaborator Gerry Paul, “From Tallaght to Halle” was recorded between Germany and New Zealand and the music is driven by the Irish flute, yet lifted brilliantly by settings derived from Doherty and Paul’s love of urban sounds. Recently ALDOC performed at the Kolkata International Music Festival organized by Song of the soul. Abhijit Ganguly spoke to Alan Doherty.The members of Aldoc who performed were- Tobi Schmitt, Kristoffer Rylander, Eddie Van de Ghent,Sjoerd Van der Sanden,Julian Mr-Hff and Martin Moran.

How did your tryst with flute happen?

My father plays music. He plays a little bit of flute as well. The flute was always lying out around our house. I started playing whistle at the age of 7 years. Then I started playing flute at the age of 17. My teacher was Paul McGrattan, Matt Molloy inspires me in Irish music, in Indian music I like Hariprasad Chaurasia, Deepak Ram. Also, Ravi Kullar would be my favourite player to listen to.

How did you gather all the great musicians that appear on your album?

When we made the album we made it in two different countries- Germany and New Zealand. We called upon session musicians who I liked from different albums. Unfortunately, they couldn’t tour as they lived in New Zealand and we were touring in Ireland and Europe. So I had eye on other musicians I liked. I got them together and they had just learned the parts.  When learnt the parts they put down their own interpretations on each track.

To what extent does the other musician have the freedom to add and extend what they want to a piece?

It’s getting better. When we started off it was pretty much copying what the album was.  We are playing for one year now. Maybe we have played about 25 concerts. The musicians are getting more relaxed with the music. They are trying different things.  The problem is we don’t have much opportunity rehears as much as we would like to, as we are in different countries. So when we do tours, we come a couple of days earlier and rehearse. I do all the writing myself in my studio in and pre-production Dublin.

To what extent has technology affected your music?

In our concerts we have two electronic musicians. I would play a note on the flute or song a note and shu shu would change it and make it sound something different. This is exciting!  Another aspect is-Recording an album in Germany and sending the track to Ravi by email and he puts his stuff down and sends it back to me. I think lots of people do this now with the power of the internet.

What are your future plans?

I just finished an album with Ravi Kullar. It’s an Irish and Indian flute album.  We met each other three years back in Germany at a flute festival.  We recorded in Ireland and India.  Hopefully it will be released in 2016. And for ALDOC we have big plans for writing and touring in 2016.

Your word of advice for aspiring musicians?

My advice to the youth is to play along CDs as much you can,  do not be afraid of going   wherever you want with your instrument and you should always be yourself. Create your own individual style and play and practice with everybody with different styles.

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Classical Guitar for everyone

Recently, Samuel T. Klemke and Oegmundur Þór Johannesson visited the classical guitar student community at the Calcutta School of Music for a seminar / workshop. They both founded The Global Guitar Institute (GGI) which provides classical guitar lessons, seminars and concerts rooted in the European tradition of classical music. Samuel T. Klemke is a German classical guitarist. Born into a musical family, he got his first guitar lessons from his father Tobias Klemke when he was four years old. At the age of ten he won his first national competition followed by many more. Talking about his tryst with classical guitar, Samuel says, “I was born into a musical family. My great grandfather was a hobby piano player. My grandmother was a professional opera singer. My father was a professional musician and learnt classical guitar. I often saw him practicing at home. So, it was quite natural for me!”

Icelandic classical guitarist Ögmundur Þór Jóhannesson began studying the classical guitar at the age of 10 and went on to finish his music studies by completing multiple degrees with top honours. Ögmundur says, “I got my first inspiration from my father. He was not a professional musician but was a very multi-talented person. One day I went to my uncle’s place that was playing a classical guitar. It was the best moment! I was totally blown away."

Samuel T. Klemke with Oegmundur Þór Johannesson

Talking about the present scenario of the classical guitar, Samuel feels, “Classical guitar is quite a famous instrument. Lots of students want to learn the classical guitar. It is a respected instrument and most classical guitarists are respected by the players of other instruments. But it is still a niche instrument. Unfortunately, we still have the difficulties in the concert field.”

Ögmundur adds, “In the last two years I have been spending lots of time in Asia, especially mainland China, it is exciting to see the development taking place. However, there are still many improvements to be made. In this age of the YouTube generation, it is so easy to get inspired from the many videos of classical guitarists. It is both a blessing and a curse. In earlier times, one had to go to the library and do lots of research, to find out the best guitarists and to get more knowledge about them. We are working to improve awareness in this area."

Encouraging guitar students to attend the symphony orchestra, string quartet concerts allows them to get inspiration from all classical music opportunities. To make a classical concert more interesting and attract more audience Ögmundur suggests, “Maybe something can be done to ease up the structure of classical music concerts. It becomes way too serious and it’s a challenge for the audience. There is a lot of experimenting, taking place, for instance inside an art café. The concerts need to be shorter. To find a model that could make artists, audience and organization happy. It has to be well organized and respectful to the artists.“ Samuel adds, “If we look at the opera of the olden times, it was just not about listening to music it was more of a modern entertainment; audiences could eat and talk among themselves. Of course I don't want to encourage eating and talking at concerts, but the point is to make concerts an entertaining event again for the broad public again."

Word of advice for aspiring classical guitarists? Ögmundur says, “Listen to other genres, do research, learn about the artists who have made it big, listen to opera, listen to the orchestra, get the feeling. It will give awareness about harmony, musical style, texture and even inspire to compose one’s own music.” Samuel feels “Don’t give up, love the music. The guitar is quite a difficult instrument and takes a long time to learn. Something you, love you don’t give up easily! And more importantly, open to relearn yourself.” The Global Guitar Institute (GGI) just started its activities, this summer with events in Indonesia and the India tour in October / November. There was a first summer camp in Germany attended by about20 people. They are working on setting up a larger camp in Bengal soon as well as other activities throughout India. The first thing in the New Year will be a guitar retreat in Bali for the last two weeks of January. Samuel adds, “ We are also working on a Charity programme  to provide instruments and lessons to underprivileged. So anybody who would like to support our mission in spreading guitar knowledge or helping some kids is happily  invited to contact us."

Biplav Singh  from the Calcutta School of Music felt, " The students had a wonderful experience. The students got to learn many things-technique, phrases, dynamics, finger positioning. They got to learn some interesting finger exercises as well. Both Samuel and Ögmundur spoke about some composition. Anybody who wants to learn or play guitar instrument should take benefit of this. There needs to be more and more such workshops."

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" We wanted to serve the war-affected people. War-affected children need help the most."- Farooq Yaqoobi

Nargis Rahmat with war-hit Afghan kids at RCFC, Kolkata

The last four decades of chaos and warfare have had a devastating effect on Afghanistan. To help in post-war rehabilitation and reintegration, the Cultural and Empowerment Organization for Afghans (CEOA), was established in 2011. It is a develop-oriented, non-partisan, non-profit, body which has focused on its projects in various close and remote provinces of the country apart from Kabul, its capital. Its main activities are promoting human rights; gender mainstreaming and community access to justice; peace building and conflict mediation, training and capacity building; vocational training and income generation activities for both women and youth; education -both civic and basic literacy; agriculture and livestock programmes;  health improvement programmes;  supporting Afghan refugees and IDPs; support and help disabled and Afghan widows. Recently, a group of 18 children, seven girls and 11 boys, was brought by COEA to Kolkata. They were treated at Rehabilitation Centre for Children (RCFC) in Behala. Some of them underwent surgery. Abhijit Ganguly spoke to Farooq Yaqoobi, Director of CEOA about its mission and journey so far.

Farooq Yaqoobi, Director of CEOA 

What inspired you to start CEOA?

We wanted to serve the war-affected people. Four decades of war in Afghanistan have had a huge impact on our country. We are still highly backward and weak with more than 40% of unemployed people and more than 800,000 of those that are differently-abled. That is why we started CEOA to bring a change in the lives of the people and even if we can help 10 people, it will be a worthwhile effort. We want to alleviate the problems of women and help improve their socio-economic status both inside and outside Afghanistan.

What are the biggest challenges facing the war-torn children of Afghanistan?

Child and infant mortality is high, mostly due to preventable diseases. Routine immunization coverage is low, and there is a chronic shortage of accessible health facilities in rural areas. 54% of Afghan children are stunted and 40% are underweight due to a lack of essential micro nutrients, and limited understanding of caring practices such as breastfeeding. Poor school facilities and the long distance from homes to the nearest formal school result in girls’ primary school attendance of just 40%. Adult illiteracy is 71% with female illiteracy as high as 86%. Poverty and poor economic prospects contribute to up to 25% of primary school age children involved in some form of work.

How do you deal with the trauma of children who have seen the war?

War-affected children need help the most. Our organization tries to help these children and pave the way for them to study and we provide free of cost health service to these children.

Nargis Rahmat with war-hit Afghan kids at RCFC, Kolkata

What are the main issues affecting the Afghan women today? What steps have you taken to empower women?

Early marriage, affecting an estimated 40% of Afghan women, prevents access to education and increases risks to health. More than 50 women die every day from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth. These are linked to limited knowledge of maternal health issues and lack of obstetric care facilities for the community. More than 75% of the population does not have access to safe drinking water. This along with a limited understanding of basic hygiene practices, is a major cause of widespread diarrhea. In addition, illiteracy and lack of job opportunities exist. We have trained more than 350 women in vocational fields such as garment and food processing to enable them to come out of their homes and have a livelihood.

What is the status of Afghanistan’s healthcare infrastructure?

Afghanistan faces a significant challenge to create a functional medical system in a post-conflict setting (although Afghanistan may be considered an intra-conflict setting). A low-income country recovering from decades of strife, the health care system has been in disarray for many years. Rebuilding the health care system in Afghanistan is currently being undertaken by a number of groups, including the Afghan government, several non- governmental organizations (NGOs), and the US government. While some progress has been made, but still there are many things to be done, Developing nations have many challenges to the growth of medical systems. This development in Afghanistan is also complicated by many factors that plague post-conflict countries including an unstable political system, poor economy, poor baseline health indices, and on-going violence. Progress has been made in Afghanistan with the implementation of the Basic Package of Health Service (BPHS) by the Ministry of Public Health in an effort to provide healthcare that would have the most cost-effective impact on common health problems. Trauma and trauma-related disability were both identified as priorities under the BPHS, and efforts have begun to address these problems. Most of the emergency care delivered in Afghanistan is provided by the military sector and non-governmental organizations. Security, lack of infra-structure, economic hardship, difficult access to healthcare facilities, poor healthcare facility conditions, and lack of trained healthcare providers, especially women, are all problems that need to be addressed.

Farooq Yaqoobi

What role can education play in these times of conflict?

Education can play a crucial role in peace building processes (before, during or after conflict) and can help to prevent conflict and contribute to long-term peace. The provision of education during conflict stages can be referred as “emergency education”, which concerns basic child rights and ranges from addressing the psycho-social needs of children and adolescents to the protection of children from harm and the development of skills through education for peace. Education has also been presented as a developmental framework to help inculcate in children affected by war the ethos of a culture of peace.

What are your future plans?

Some of our future plans are provision of or expansion of vocational training to Afghan women, arrangement of out of country internship to female university graduates, treatment of war affected children, literacy training to females, vocational training to the differently-abled, drug prevention programmes, human rights campaigns, and women’s rights advocacy.

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“I hope that with the guitar, I can help contribute back to society by raising funds for good causes and at the same time raise awareness of the classical guitar”-Kevin Loh

Kevin Loh is a UK-based, Singapore classical guitarist and an HSBC Youth Excellence Award Recipient. At the age of twelve, Kevin was talent scouted by The Yehudi Menuhin School via his YouTube Channel
and was awarded a grant by The Rolling Stones to study at the prestigious school. Since then, his extraordinary musicality has won him international accolades and attention. In 2012, Kevin became the first Singaporean to compete and win the first prize at the Guitar Foundation of America’s International Youth Competition. In 2013 he premiered Bernard Tan’s Guitar Concerto with Singapore Symphony Orchestra. Most recently in 2014, he was also awarded the first prize at Andres Segovia International Youth Guitar Competition in Germany, among fifty participants from more than thirty countries.Besides actively performing in Europe and Asia, Kevin is also passionate about community work. He started fund raising through his music at the age of nine, and has since performed in numerous national charity events and helped to raise funds for the Arts Community in Singapore. Abhijit Ganguly spoke to Kevin on the sidelines of CALCUTTA International Classical Guitar Festival & Competition.

Your instrument, classical guitar—what specialty made you picks it?

The guitar actually came second in line, after the violin. I had started the violin when I was 4, for three months, before I was kicked out of class because of inattentiveness. Apparently, I was fidgeting a lot in class! I was learning the violin under the Suzuki method at the time, and since then my dad decided to teach me the guitar himself instead, using the contents of the Suzuki method designed for guitar. Initially, the primary view was just to have fun making music with family and bond with each other. Only later, roughly from when I was 9 or 10 years old did I decided to take it seriously, and I have not looked back ever since.

Which prejudice regarding the classical guitar would you put away?

Just because the guitar is a popular instrument, the fact it is ‘classical’ doesn’t make it anyway boring. In fact, once you get the hang of classical guitar technique, you can apply that to other forms of guitar playing. It is the fundamental base which any guitarist would find useful.

How was your experience at the Yehudi Menuhin School?

The Yehudi Menuhin School has been a great experience for me, having the opportunities to expose myself to so many new things and to further improve on the skills that I’ve been working on. The music
side has been great, having met so many other young talented musicians along the way, and to be able to work with them as a family has been a privilege. Also, the professors have really helped us with their
guidance to better understand music, which has changed my approach towards music.

Besides actively performing in Europe and Asia, you are also passionate about community work. What kind of activities you have undertaken? What motivated you to undertake fund raising activities?

At the start, I used to perform a lot of duets as a kid with my father at many charity events all over Singapore, including many small charity shows for local communities, blood donation drives and at elderly care homes. One particular example would be Child Aid Singapore, where talented children get together to perform and raise funds for other less privileged children so that they can pursue and develop their own artistic talents. This is one of my favourite fundraising concerts. Recently, it has started to develop out of Singapore into other countries in Asia. I was in Child Aid Malaysia in2013, and coming up I will be in Child Aid Japan in January 2016. This is a great step forward, as we have the opportunity to work and collaborate with youths from other countries, and together we help raise funds for the communities there. I feel really happy to move across borders and be able to help others from different countries. We were also trying to spread the word more about the classical guitar in Singapore. More recently, I’ve tried to do more outreach work, by performing for many local students in primary/secondary schools, JCs and universities.

For me, I’ve received a lot of support from the community and I hope that with the guitar, I can help contribute back to society by raising funds for good causes and at the same time raise awareness of the classical guitar and bring the standard of playing to a higher level.

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“Most of our songs are meant to honour our ancestors, to connect people or to give advice on good behaviour.” - Layba Diawara

Layba Diawara was born in a family of musiciens in Faranah (Guinea, West Africa) in 1961. He played as a guitarist in different regional and national orchestras before he was asked to join the famous national orchestra “Bembeya Jazz International” in Guinea’s capital Conakry. In 1985 he made his first tour to Europe and the United States. In 1990 he settled in the Netherlands where, till today, he plays different styles of music and instruments with different groups. Recently he performed as a member of Tablatronics at the Kolkata International Music Festival organized by Song of Soul .This world music band from the Netherlands takes you on a journey through the most beautiful African melodies & soulful rhythms blended with state-of-the-art electronic music. “The unusual yet natural meeting of traditional African and modern World music brings together a deeper value of ancient traditions in the here and now, enriched by deep electronic sound-design & groovability. “The other members of Tablatronics who performed were Heiko Dijker (Tabla/Percussion), Igor Bezget (Guitar), Sharat Srivastava (Violin) and Joshua Samson(Hung/Percussion).

How did you start playing kora?

I started playing kora at home, in my family, because we are all musicians. When I was five years old, before going to school, my father started to teach me playing different instruments. Balafon, guitar, kora, ngoni, these are all our traditional instruments. I took my small kora (African harp with 21 strings) to India because this music sounds very much like Indian Sufi music.

Who or what has been your inspiration?

Without any doubt, my family. My grandfather used to play for me, my mother and my father also. They all gave me the passion for music and helped me to find my way in the rich repertoire of Djali music.

 

What is your opinion regarding experimenting kora with modern western instruments?

This is not a new direction in the way we play our traditional instruments. Playing music is like speaking an international language: you listen, you adapt and you gradually and surely come together. Without understanding Hindi, I am able to understand your music because we all search to know each other. In our music there are no borders that prevent us from exploring the unknown. In each music you will find something familiar.

 

Are the young generations taking interest in kora?

Yes, both my daughters want to learn to play the kora. And the young generation of musicians in Guinea also combines classical kora with modern rap. Before the kora was exclusively played for kings and high authorities, but today the kora has been set free and can be played in all contexts.

 

What is the basic theme of the songs you sing?

In each song I have a different theme but most of our songs are meant to honour our ancestors, to connect people or to give advice on good behaviour.

 

How was your experience performing in India?

I really liked playing my instrument with Indian musicians. I also liked the very positive feedback the Indian audience gave me. I liked the open attitude of the audience and their curiosity to learn about my instrument. I felt they also have no borders in music. I really hope I will have another occasion to play with Indian musicians to explore our common grounds and to see where our ensemble will take us.

 

What is your word of advice for aspiring kora player? 

What helped me a lot was that my family always told me to play with others, in different orchestras, and to search for new experiences. So my advice would be: first put your own love into your instrument and then take it into world to explore your possibilities. Be open and sociable and accept what others may give you.

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“It’s really not that difficult for people to appreciate classical guitar music, we just need to create awareness and expose people to it".- Ramoncito ‘Monching’ Carpio

Filipino guitarist Ramoncito Carpio started to play guitar at age 12. He decided to study guitar formally at age 17 at the extension program of the University of the Philippines (UP) College of Music. He earned his Bachelor of Music degree at the UP College of Music, Master of Music degree at Philippine Women’s University (PWU) where is currently pursuing his Doctor of Philosophy in Music degree under the tutelage of Dr. Angelito Agcaoili.

In 2012, he won 1st prize in the Asia International Guitar Competition in Thailand and 2nd prize in the Taiwan International Guitar Competition. His other awards include 1st Prize in the Philippine International Guitar Competition (2011), 3rd Prize at the Singapore International Guitar Competition (2011), 3rd Prize Bangkok International Guitar Competition (2010) and 2nd Prize at the NAMCYA Guitar Category C held at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (2009).

He is very active in promoting the clacssical guitar not only by performing but also through organizing events. In 2014, he organized the first ever PWU Classical Guitar Competition and was one of the directors of the 2014 and 2015 PWU Guitar Festival. He is part of the guitar faculty at the Philippine Women’s University and St.Scholastica’s Colege, Manila. Monching also writes music for the guitar and stage plays. Monching speaks to Abhijit Ganguly on the sidelines of CALCUTTA International Classical Guitar Festival & Competition.

What is it that drew you to the classical guitar and what do you love about the instrument?

It was really an accident how I came to be a classical guitarist. I used to be in a heavy metal band when I was younger, it was not until I was 17 years old that I learned that a music conservatory exists. The main reason I wanted to study music was because I want to be good in playing in the electric guitar. Since classical music is not very popular in the Philippines, I was quite shocked to know that they only teach classical music/guitar in the conservatory, I found it very interesting so I pursued it anyway.

I really like the complexity of the instrument. I love how it is able to play the melody, harmony and basses all at the same time. I also love the sound it produces, and it’s a very “romantic” instrument.

What are your influences in classical music in general?

I listen to lot of Bach, Sor and Giuliani when I was just starting. Later on, I discovered the music of Barrios, Brouwer and Piazzolla. I think Piazzolla’s music greatly influenced me in terms of how I interpret/ perform music.

You have graduated from the University of the Philippines (UP) College of Music. What are your best remembrances during that tenure?

During my years in the university, I did a lot of concerts, as a soloist and with an ensemble. Since it’s a state university, the diversity of students is quite big which enabled me to view things in a wider perspective.

Are you experiencing many younger people coming to your concerts?

I think the classical guitar following in the Philippines is gradually improving. With the help of social media and a lot of guitar aficionados/enthusiast which also helps in promoting events, it’s easier now to let people know of the happenings in the guitar and music scene. Hopefully in the future, we could see the results of all these efforts so that the younger generation of guitarists would have a better situation than the one we had before.

In an era where people are so into electronics and driving, mechanistic beats, is it difficult for people to slow down and sink into the subtlety and nuance of the guitar?

It’s is quite surprising that a lot of people I meet enjoys listening to classical guitar music.  The classical guitar market is small but I think it’s slowly growing. It’s really not that difficult for people to appreciate classical guitar music, we just need to create awareness and expose people to it.

Do you have any new experimental music ideas that you wish to pursue with your guitar?

Not really experimental but I would like to write music for guitar based on the music of ethnic groups in the Philippines. It’s my way of promoting the traditional Filipino music that is slowly getting forgotten by the younger generation.

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“For me it's always very important that I can be myself and that I am honest.”- Marleen Slot

After working for many years as a producer at Lemming Film, Marleen Slot founded Viking Film in 2011. Marleen studied Communication Science at the University of Amsterdam and specialised in Media Entertainment. In 2007 she attended the EAVE producer’s training and in 2009 she participated in ACE, the workshop and network of European producers. Besides this, she was president of the NFTVM (Association of New Film and Television Makers) from 2008 until 2010 and presently she is a member of the Board of ACE and of the Film Producers Netherlands association. In 2013 she was selected Producer on the Movie during the Cannes Film Festival.  Recently the movie Zurich, directed by Sacha Polak produced by Marleen was screened at the Kolkata International Film Festival. Zurich is a unique, artfully-constructed and narratively-complex road movie. After his death, Nina discovers that her great love, truck driver Boris, had been leading a double life. Struggling with her feelings she commits an almost unforgivable deed and flees. She goes to ground in the anonymous world of motorways and service stations. Once again, she finds herself in a long-distance lorry driver’s bed. He even introduces her to his children, before she ends up back on the road, a woman alone with her grief and unable to express herself — except when she sings. Abhijit Ganguly spoke to Marleen about her journey.

Please tell us about Viking film. What motivated you to start it?

I worked in a bigger production company (Lemming Film) for seven years and felt the time was right to start my own company. I wanted to take more risk and responsibility.

What kind of work/projects are you most interested in?

I am interested in three different kinds of films, on the one hand Arthouse films like Zurich, that have a certain crossover potential and are made not only in the Netherlands but also in the international market. Besides that, I also produce children's films. In the Netherlands there is a big industry for this. And I am also producing animated films, especially stop motion animation. 

What has been the most memorable moment for you so far?

The premiere of ZURICH at the Berlinale was really great.

Did you face any challenges being women in this field?

In the Netherlands it is quite common to be a female producer, but sometimes people think I am a bit young and that can be a challenge.

Marleen at the  Kolkata International Film Festival

What sort of advice would you give a young girl that is interested in following in your footsteps?

I have learned a lot from working in the bigger company and assisting the two producers from that company for a long time. For me it worked very well to take little steps at the time. Starting as an intern and in the end developing myself as a producer. And for me, it's always very important that I can be myself and that I'm involved and honest. I think that is something that will bring you far in life.

What projects are you currently working on?

I am working on a new film with director Sacha Polak, called JADE. And furthermore, I have just shot the feature film MONK.

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‘Laban movement analysis leads to the freedom of the artist’ - Martine Kaisserlian

MARTINE KAISSERLIAN - World renowned Contemporary dancer, teacher, and choreographer

After many years of training in France, Martine gained a scholarship from the British Council of Arts for the LABAN Centre in London, which made it possible for her to meet and work with great masters such as  Merce Cunningham, Aaron Osborne as well as Karin Waehner,  and many others. Constantly trying to deepen her knowledge and understanding of these techniques, Martine Kaisserlian developed a work based on fluidity, sensitivity and awareness of the body. She speaks to Abhijit Ganguly during a workshop organized by Rhythmosaic school & dance institute which is affiliated to OFFJAZZ DANCE ACADEMY (Centre de formation professionnelle et d’études supérieures en danse Nice France).

What is movement analysis?

Movement analysis has to do with the body awareness. Dancers are really concerned with the body is the first person to have a direct interest in it. But it can be also part of a therapy for children, disabled adults, through psychosomatic education. The body is the tool for the dancer, and the principal nonverbal communication through movement, gesture and expression.

Movement analysis is like a window opened on the gesture, a lecture of the body for any kind of dance. It came with the first theories and studies led by François Delsarte, Emile Jaques Dalcroze and Rudolf Laban. All of them having new considerations of the dancing body, giving a large part of the torso and the spine, the rhythm, the space, the weight and flow. When Laban began with movement studies, he considered all movements, not only dance: we were in the 1930’s with different gymnastic methods, “a natural movement in a healthy body” (they danced nude in countries and expressed themselves in collective dances with freedom in an open space).

Actually, we use the fundamentals of these methods in contemporary dance: bare feet, free movements, use of the weight through gravity, the dancer is the center of the space, torso and spine being the main points of the movement, all including the relationship or non relationship to music, into a flow which characterizes the dynamic of the dance.

  

What are the benefits of Laban movement analysis?

Laban studies are based upon two main directions: movement analysis leading to fundamentals for modern dance and labanotation which is a notation system which helps to have written choreographies.

I would not say that only Laban movement analysis is enough, but it is very precise and opened to every kind of context. I studied at Laban Centre and I always use the Laban studies for movement in the teaching, as well as in the transmission of choreography. But in order to have a wider approach, I also had experiences through Feldenkrais, Alexander, Body Mind Centering etc. These techniques are necessary to build a real dialogue between the inside, interiority, and the movement which the dancer gives us to watch.

The body awareness has to deal with space, levels, music and rhythm, gravity, flow, but also with the tension and release of the muscles, the breathing, all to access to a dance with no effort, expressive and leading to the freedom of the artist. 

Does it help in connecting and communicating with the audience better?

We can read the « text » on the bodies. It is also this aspect which is the most important for therapists. For the dance, the group becomes stronger and the audience receives their real involvement.

Can it be applied to Indian dance?

It can be a serious support for increasing the quality, the dynamic, the control of the body, the inside energy and to have a real pleasure to dance, to share with the audience. With Rhythmosaic school and the institute, we try to cross our professional experiences to bring something new.

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Mountaineering teaches perspective

Alan Tees, Former  President of Mountaineering, Ireland

Alan is an ex-national President of Mountaineering Ireland. He has done first ascents of numerous rock climbs in Ireland and edited the 2001 rock climbing guide to Donegal. Recently, he was in Kolkata as a guest speaker for the second Sujal Mukherjee Memorial Lecture. Abhijit Ganguly speaks to him.

What has changed from the mountaineering experience, then to how it is now?

Well, the mountains do not change much, except for increased erosion on the more popular peaks, caused by the greater numbers of people using the mountains these days. The commercialization of our sport has resulted in much more specialized equipment and clothing, better on the mountains, but this has also spread to the high street where well known outdoor brands of clothing have become fashionable. The mountain experience will, I hope, continue to be timeless, but there is no doubt that after many years in the mountain ranges of the world, the ‘wow’ factor is more difficult to achieve. Strangely, it can happen somewhere locally, as easily as in one of the places considered the most spectacular on the planet.

Could you share your most memorable incident and the scariest one?

Climbing the Matterhorn, and my first unclimbed peak in the Garwal, both with my son, was special, but the most memorable incidents tend to have been when things didn’t go to plan, and this is when your metal as a mountaineer is tested. Making the right decisions is crucial, to go on, go back, or stay? Usually these situations are caused by weather conditions, or bad planning, but more frequently, a combination of both. One such incident was a retreat from Craig Meagaidh in Scotland, through a band of corniced cliffs in a blizzard (with no visibility whatsoever). The weather was obviously the main problem, but this was compounded by the fact that we had decided not to bring a rope, so the leader would almost certainly die, should our compass bearing be even slightly out! Business, similarly, is subject to external forces, but it is all about making the right decisions, and having the right tools to deal with the situation, that ensures survival in adverse conditions.

What lessons has mountaineering taught you that you apply to other areas of your life?

Mountaineering teaches perspective. We are very small, very temporary creatures. When you are in an exposed situation, with the strong possibility of death, or serious injury, should you make a mistake, all other worries such as job, family relationships, etc., become relatively inconsequential, and you can view them more objectively when you return to your real everyday life.

From the corporate point of view, does adventure travel help with team building skill development and leadership quality enhancement?

Thankfully, the daft idea that putting corporate managers into an alien and hostile environment to aid team building seems to have been finally exposed as a cynical con by a few outdoor providers on a largely gullible commercial sector. Some of our best accountants and managers, superb in the boardroom, are totally unsuited to the wilds, and to force them into that situation seems to me to be a form of abuse, almost worthy of legal action. It may work for certain individuals, but cause irreparable damage to others.

As an international ambassador for mountaineering is there one thing that you want people to know about mountain climbing?

Mountaineering should be enjoyable. It is a very broad sport encompassing many differing activities, and it should be fun. If it isn’t, try something else, or alternatively, you should be able to find something else within the sport to suit you better. And as the years pass, so do your needs and abilities. It is a lifetime sport, and people commonly migrate from rock climbing, or alpinism, to hiking.

I think mountaineering is primarily about people, and the mountain environment provides the canvas on which we paint our shared adventures. It is not about conquering the mountain for personal ego, more that we allow the mountain to conquer us, understanding that the mountain must be respected, protected, and never underestimated. As a businessman, I found the spiritual, non competitive nature of mountaineering a welcome escape from the combative commercial market place.

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