VARIOUS ARTISTS: Murshidi and Sufi Songs
VARIOUS ARTISTS
(Field recordings by Deben Battacharya)
Murshidi and Sufi Songs
ARC Music 2555
This collection of vivacious and colorful field recordings from Bengal and Bangladesh were recorded by Deben Bhattacharya in 2001. The music is played on instruments ranging from the one stringed drone ektara, kartal finger cymbals, ar banshi flute, bangla dhol drum, sarinda or double chested fiddle, and sung by enthusiastic singers. The sound is rich, rhythmic and tuneful in a way that challenges western ears to listen up. The term Murshidi derives from the Arabic word Ershad meaning “to give advice,” though this collection is also one of devotional rites and esoteric poetry. The songs can be traced back to the Persian mystic sect of Sufism.
Urgent bangla dhol beats as well as soaring fiddle and sarinda enhance many of the pieces. “Amar Shonar Torir Ronger Badam” opens the CD with power and energy. A melancholy desire for escape is expressed in this song: “O, my brother boatman, I cannot live in this land! / O boatman, where there is no life and death / Only the easterly wind keeps your boat afloat.” Tales worthy of the “Murder Ballad Monday” blog are also included in here. In “O Nirdoy Bondhurey Amar Kotha Ki Tor Money Porey Na Na Na” we hear the story of an arsonist who burns down the home of his friend. This murshidi seems to be teaching us about betrayal in a vivid, but not unfamiliar, situation. Mystical references to Krishna as the “Dark One” are evoked in “Arey Bondhu Amarey je Rekhey Gelo” with the lyrics: “Playing his flute, the Dark One is my death!” The imagery and magical music of this CD take you on an exotic journey as in “Heila Korey Beila Geilo Boiya.” The tuneful ar banshi flute soars above the lament: “Oh, Adam of this earth, this day has passed in negligence.”
In the tradition of many custodians of folk culture, the ethnomusicologist Deben Bhattacharya (1921-2001) collected and recorded music ranging from Afghani tribal songs to the music of North African and Yemeni Oriental Jews, over his long life. If you want a lively musical and lyrical treat for your senses, check out this recording!
— Rosa Redoz