jodhpur riff 2010_ festival schedule_main performances

8/8/2019 Jodhpur RIFF 2010_ Festival Schedule_Main Performances

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Rajasthan International Folk Festival (RIFF) 2010Main Programme

Day 1 Thursday 21st October 2010

Thursday 21stOctober 2010Opening Night MaandTraditional Maand with Ali Mohammad, Pt. Chirenji Lal, and Banarasiji(Main Stage, 6.45 pm)RIFF 2010 opens with an evening of Maand, a style of singing that evolved in the thikanassmall princely states of Rajasthan. Musicians would play in traditional evenings of entertainment inthe royal courts.Ali Mohammad is part of the Dhadhicommunity of Bikaner. The Dhadis like the ManganiyarandLanga are amongst the regions top three musician communities. He is considered by many to bethe finest Maandsinger of Bikaner. Ali Mohammad is famous throughout India, as is his family - hisolder brother is now based in Mumbai, working with the best Bollywood producers.Pt. Chirenji Lal is one of the most respected Maandsingers in Rajasthan. Nearly 70-years-old, heis amongst the last original Maand singers who sang for the royal families in pre-IndependenceRajasthan. He is recently retired from the Jawahar Kala Kendra, Jaipurs leading cultural centre.Banarasiji, from the Jodhpur region, works as a senior artist on Jodhpur radio. He comes from agreat tradition of folk plays from the Shekhawati region takhta-tad, now virtually extinct.

Thursday 21st October 2010Ashwini Bhide, Jaipur- Atrauli Khayal Gayaki maestro,(Main Stage, 7.30 pm)Ashwini Bhide is a true renaissance woman; before embarking on a successful career as a classicavocalist she obtained a doctorate in biochemistry. She now travels the world performing herexquisite renditions in the famous JaipurAtrauli Khayal Gayakitradition of Indian classical musicShe is fluent in Sanskrit which allows her to sing devotional songs with extraordinary emotion andher live performances are truly mesmerising. Her performance at RIFF will consist of uniquethumrisand traditional abhangsnot heard of in recent years.


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Thursday 21stOctober 2010Warszawianka - 16 member folk Dance ensemble from Poland(Main Stage, 9.30 pm)As part of RIFFs opening night, we feature Warszawianka, the sensational Folk Dance Ensemble of

Warsaw University from Poland. Warszawianka is made up of almost 100 students and graduates

who perform polkas, mazurkas, obereks, and other famous Polish folk dances. They have toured

widely both in Poland and internationally, and RIFF 10 will see their first ever Indian appearance.

After the performance, the dancers will be happy to share their skills with the audience in will invite

them to join them on stage!

Day 2 Friday 22nd October 2010

Friday 22nd October 2010Dawn Devotional: Jamuna Devi and Mali Devi

(Jaswant Thada, 5 am)Two sisters from Charan Wasi village in Shekhawati, Jamuna Devi and Mali Devi will play theektaraand welcome the dawn with a selection of devotional bhajans.

Friday 22nd October 2010Rajasthani folk forms(Throughout Mehrangarh Museum, 10 am onwards)Rajasthan has a prolific variety of traditional dance and music forms, most of which are livingtraditions an integral part of daily village life. Visitors to the Mehrangarh Museum and RIFF will geta chance to see practitioners performing these forms in every corner of the fort throughout the day,including: Derun, Chatra Kotla and Kachhi Ghodi, Tejaji, Chang, Ger, Kalbeliya. (More

information on these folk forms will be found on the Jodhpur RIFF website shortlywww.jodhpurfolkfestival.org.

Friday 22nd October 2010Interactive Folk Sessions 1 & 2 - Maante and Bhapang(Chokelao Bagh, 11 am and 3 pm)Visitors to RIFF will have the rare opportunity to engage with and chat about some rare folk forms ofRajasthan through demonstrations and interactions with musicians and scholars. More and more ofRajasthan's rich cultural heritage disappears as the new generation turns to other professions seento be more financially rewarding than their music. Long artistic lineages have stalled as they ceaseto be passed on to the next generation.

Over the past seven years JVF one of the key producers of JRIFF - has conducted extensivefieldwork with communities affected by this situation. We have come across many diverse, excitingyet slowly disappearing traditions and art forms to which this platform is dedicated.This year, audiences will hear the Maante, played by the only surviving artists who still perform withthe rare percussion instrument from Shekawati and the Bhapang an equally rare percussioninstrument that is plucked (from Alwar).Also see sessions 3, 4, 5 & 6 below.


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Friday 22nd October 2010Living Legends 1: Rukma, Akla and Dariya Manganiyar(Moti Mahal, 5 pm)Rukma, Akla and Dariya Manganiyar, three female vocalists and who are rare amongst thetraditional artists. Traditionally women of the Manganiyar community have neither sung in front ofmen, or publicly. Earlier in her life Rukmaji Manganiyar was expelled from her community when she

began to sing in public. Her husband left her. But as she began to receive national recognition monetary prizes and certificates of merit in different states of Rajasthan, she inspired her sisterAklaji, and childhood friend Dariyaji with her courage. They too took to the form. Now, these threesenior artists will share songs from their vast and old repertoire of traditional maand, bhajans, andsongs of marriage, birth and death.

Equally rare are two sisters from the Charanwasi village in Shekhawati, Jamuna Devi and MalDevi - coming from a tradition where young widows lived a life of devotion and prayer, using theektara(literally one wire) instrument and singing a selection of age old devotional bhajans.

Friday 22nd October 2010

Sunset Devotional Concert: The Meghwals of Mewar(Jaswanth Thada, 6 pm)More information to follow

Friday 22nd October 2010Darbar Morchang Party(Main Stage, 7.30 pm)Gazi Khan is a well-known Manganiyar musician/ producer who has traveled extensivelythroughout the world. This performance, curated by Gazi and currently touring worldwide, is anexposition of a typical folk instrument of Rajasthan - the morchang the jews-harp-like instrumen

that has come to the fore as an instrument in its own right in recent years. Featuring Gazi Khan onkhartal, Firoz Khan on dholak, and Chugga Khan, Kheta Khan and Firoz Khan on morchangthis performance promises to be a celebration of Manganiyar musicianship like none other!

Friday 22nd October 2010Collaboration 1: Susheela Raman and Rajasthani folk musicians(Main Stage, 8.30pm)Susheela Raman's spellbindingly beautiful vocals have connected with millions of music loversfrom all over the world.For ten days before RIFF 2010, the Festival is providing a platform to her and guitarist/ producer

Sam Mills to develop connections with gifted Rajasthani musicians and to work with practitioners of

the region's rarest and most ancient instruments, including the nadand nagara. As a composerarranger and interpreter, Susheela has forged her own unique, inclusive sound to immense criticaacclaim. She has made four extremely popular albums and also known and loved for her intenseand compelling live performances.We invite you to share a ground -breaking encounter between world- renowned Susheela RamanSam Mills, Nathoo Solanki, Kutle Khan, Chugee Khan and some of Rajasthan's most unusuatalent.


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Friday 22nd October 2010Sufi Rock with Mekaal Hassan Band(Club Mehran, 11 pm)Jodhpur RIFF is delighted to present Mekaal Hassan Band a flamboyant mix of eastern classicaragas and modern western progressions, and the most critically acclaimed independent band tocome out of Pakistan. Blending cool jazzwith the deep spirituality of the Sufi tradition,the band

swept onto the Pakistani music scene in 2004 with its debut album Sampooran, a record thatintegrates old and new music with Islamic poetry. In 2009 they released their second albumfeaturing the work of mystic poet Bulleh Shah, Shah Hussain and the poetess Amrita PretamSaptak.

Day 3 Saturday 23rd October 2010

Saturday 23rd October 2010

The Bauls of Bengal(Jaswant Thada, 5 am)Baul and Fakiri songs are part of a rich tradition of folk music in Bengal, carrying influences of theHindu Bhakti movement and of Sufism. Bauls and Fakirs are wandering minstrels who sing abouthumanism and brotherhood.Playing in the first sunrise of RIFF 2010, we are honoured to present the extremely talentedSasthidas Baul, initially mentored by his father, and later initiated into the Baul-Fakiri way underShri Anudas (Swapan Biswas); Khejmat Fakir, a veteran and legendary Fakiri singer, KhaibarFakir who has written a number of songs of various veteran artists and votaries and plays a numberof instruments, and Nikhil Biswas, a young and talented artist trained under veteran singers DulaChandra Acharya and Narayan Fakir.

Saturday 23rd October 2010Rajasthani folk forms(Throughout Mehrangarh Museum, 10 am onwards)Rajasthan has a prolific variety of traditional dance and music forms, most of which are livingtraditions an integral part of daily village life. Visitors to the Mehrangarh Museum and RIFF will geta chance to see practitioners performing these forms in every corner of the fort throughout the day.Including: Derun, Chatra Kotla and Kachhi Ghodi, Tejaji, Chang, Ger, Kalbeliya. (Moreinformation on these folk forms will be found on the Jodhpur RIFF website shortlywww.jodhpurfolkfestival.org.

Saturday 23rd

October 2010Interactive Folk Sessions 3 & 4 Nagara and Jogiya Sarangi(Chokelao Bagh, 11am and 3pm)Much of what is found in the classical tablafinds its origin in the nagara, one of Rajasthans oldestformsof percussion. And the rare string instrument, thejogiya sarangi, is almost extinct today.Learn about theses rare folk forms of Rajasthan through demonstrations and interactions withmusicians and scholars.


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baile funk and jungle ragga to dub, grime and dubstep with flares of samba, rai, bhangra, cumbia,skewed electronic beats and loudspeaker jitter.His DJ night at RIFF 2010 promises a hybrid mix of DJ set and live PA, mixing diverse sounds

culled from pirate cassettes bought on the street in various parts of the world, MP3s from theinternet, obscure vinyl found in underground shops, original beats, unreleased remixes andexclusive tracks. We cant wait!

Day 4 Sunday 24th October 2010

Sunday 24th October 2010Dawn Devotional: Ustad Bahauddin Khan Dagar(Jaswant Thada, 5 am)More information to follow

Sunday 24th October 2010Rajasthani folk forms(Throughout Mehrangarh Museum, 10 am onwards)

Rajasthan has a prolific variety of traditional dance and music forms, most of which are livingtraditions an integral part of daily village life. Visitors to the Mehrangarh Museum and RIFF will geta chance to see practitioners performing these forms in every corner of the fort throughout the day.Including: Derun, Chatra Kotla and Kachhi Ghodi, Tejaji, Chang, Ger, Kalbeliya. (Moreinformation on these folk forms will be found on the Jodhpur RIFF website shortlywww.jodhpurfolkfestival.org.

Sunday 24th October 2010Interactive Folk Sessions 5 & 6 Bahrupiya, Dhol and Mashak(Chokelao Bagh, 11 am and 3 pm)While the Mashak is Rajasthans uniquely-own bagpipe, the Dhol is far better known throughvarious Asian performers in the western world.And an unusual encounter with the infamous tradition of the Bahrupiya or bahroopia theimpersonator-multi-faced-conman performer, particular to villages all over North IndiaLearn about rare folk forms of Rajasthan through demonstrations and interactions with musiciansand scholars.

Sunday 24th October 2010Living Legends 3: Chanan Khan and Chanan Khan(Moti Mahal, 5 pm)One of the senior-most artists of the Manganiyar community, (the first) Chanan Khan is one of very

few artists keeping alive the tradition of the Kamayacha, a stringed instrument. He lives in Bissuvillage and has been a prolific performer nationally and internationally, whilst being very active in hishome village.

Chanan Khan, from Kannoi village, is one of the few remaining practitioners of the surmandal, aninstrument unique to Rajasthan. Though he has played nationally and internationally, and featuressignificantly in Paula Fouces recent film Song of the Dunes, his performance at RIFF 2010 is thefirst in many years. His instrument is so unknown that it is frequently overlooked. This performance


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on the Living Legends stage is intended to give this rare and beautiful instrument, and a very skilledmusician, the space and time to be fully appreciated.http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/30060/

Sunday 24th October 2010The world famous Zawose Family (Tanzania)(Main Stage, 7.30 pm)The Zawose Family, from Tanzania, continues the legacy of the late Hukwe Zawose, one of World

Musics biggest stars. Since his death the group has had to overcome many struggles, yet is nowback, stronger than ever. They have toured the world bringing their heartfelt, joyful sounds, rhythmand dance to a huge audience. Described by The Guardian newspaper (UK) as mesmerising anduplifting, we are delighted and honoured to host the Zawose Family at this years RIFF.www.youtube.com/watch#!v=2M7-_hFAEDY&feature=related

Sunday 24th October 2010CassioModarelli Concert with Langa and Manganiyar artists; Italy with a flavour ofRajasthan

(Main Stage, 8.30 pm)Francesca Cassio (vocalist) and Giuliano Modarelli (classicalguitar) are both Italians trained inWestern and Indian music. In this special performance for RIFF 2010, they will perform traditionacompositions based on a combination of Italian folk tunes and Indian melodies from RajasthanTraditional oral improvisation will be a very fundamental part of the interpretation.

Most of the Italian repertoire was originally connected to village rituals and dance forms; an exampleof this is a composition that is considered to be part of a healing ritual after the bite of a legendaryspider, the Tarantella. The duo, accompanied by Indian musicians from the local ManganiyarandLangacommunities, will lead the audience into a state of musical ecstasy, illustrating the fusion oftwo old cultures.

Supporting their performance will be Dilshan Khan on Sarangi, and various artists (to be

confirmed) on khartals, dholak, morchang and vocals.

Sunday 24th October 2010Collaboration 2: World percussionist Pete Lockett (UK)/ Rajasthani musicians

(Main Stage, 9.30 pm)Pete Lockett is a multi-percussionist from the UK who is master of more Indian percussioninstruments than most people knew existed. He has worked with myriads of stars including BjorkPeter Gabriel, AR Rahman and Nitin Sawhney, and has arranged and recorded the percussion forvarious major Hollywood and Bollywood hits. Inspired by the variety and quality of the musicians hemet in Rajasthan in February this year, Lockett resolved to create a sensational finale for RIFF

2010. Dancers and musicians from all over the state will meet on the Main Stage, for an evening ogroove and voice, haunting flute melodies and atmospheric trance. Mehrangarh Fort will shake toits foundations with the rhythms of Rajasthan.

Sunday 24th October 2010RIFF Rustle with Pete Lockett, Rajasthani artists, beatboxer Jason Singh and Latin harpistDiego Laverde

(Club Mehran, 11pm) (more to come)


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jodhpur riff 2010_ festival schedule_main performances

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