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| Suphala's New Album  Indian/American tabla artist Suphala will release her third studio recording, 'Blueprint', this spring. A protégé of the great tabla masters Ustad Allarakha and Ustad Zakir Hussain, Suphala has attracted attention for her deft mix of Indian classical styles with forward thinking songwriting, instrumentation and production. The new album's 10 tracks feature performances by many of her famous admirers, ranging from Edie Brickell to Vernon Reid (Living Color), Rakesh Chaurasia, Harper Simon (son of Paul), King Britt, Furor Thin, Mazz Swift, and Vikter Duplaix.Anchored by her virtuoso tabla artistry and DIY production aesthetic (the album's primary recording was done in Suphala's Brooklyn basement studio) 'Blueprint' takes an expansive approach: Edie Brickell contributes lyrics and vocals to the trancelike, ethereal songs 'Music Like a Memory' and 'I Feel Awake Even Though This Is A Dream'. Harper Simon plays a swirling electric guitar on 'The Blank Page, ' and Furor Thin offers a hip hop counterpoint to Vernon Reid's unmistakable guitar on the King Britt produced 'Auramatic'. The New York Times raves "Suphala is the person who can once again popularize a musical instrument that last had its moment in this country in the late 1960's and early 1970's", and Suphala has drawn a remarkable stable of notable fans ncluding Diane Von Furstenberg (who hosted a record release party/performance at her Greenwich Village private residence in 2005) and author Salman Rushdie. Her previous albums have featured vocals from Norah Jones, Melanie Griffith and Antonio Banderas - the latter two on a Deepak Chopra translation of a poem by Rabindramath Tagore. write your comments about the article :: © 2007 Jazz News :: home page |