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Bickram Ghosh

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Bickram Ghosh
Bickram Ghosh in Kolkata 2011
Bickram Ghosh in Kolkata 2011
Background information
Born (1966-10-20) 20 October 1966 (age 58)
Kolkata, West Bengal
OriginIndia
GenresIndian classical music, bengali flim music
Occupation(s)Music Composer, Percussionist, Actor
Instrument(s)Tabla, Kanjira,Handsonic, Vocal Percussion.
LabelsFolktronic, Angel, Music Today, Sa Re Ga Ma, Music of the World
WebsiteBickramghosh.com

Pandit Bickram Ghosh (born 20 October 1966) is an Indian music director and classical tabla player who performs Hindustani classical music and fusion music.[1] His music is strongly influenced by thumri and khayal genres of the Patiala gharana.[2] Ghosh is known to experiment and reinterpret music and culture; he dabbles in a vast repertoire of musical genres, from classical, rock, new-age, fusion to film music.[3]

Bickram Ghosh is one of the most well known names in the world of Indo-fusion music. Having performed the world over with the greatest names in classical music (especially Pt. Ravi Shankar with whom he played for over a decade), Bickram went on to form his band Rhythmscape. Bickram played on four albums that were nominated for Grammies including George Harrison's Brainwashed. He played on "Full Circle" with Pandit Ravi Shankar which won Shankar a Grammy. Bickram's subsequent super successful solo albums like Beyond Rhythmscape, Folktail, Drum Invasion. Kingdom of Rhythm, Interface, Electro classical, Transformation etc. have consolidated his position as a pioneer of a new fusion sound.

Bickram has composed for 21 feature films so far including the Mira Nair presented, Sooni Taraporewala directed Little Zizou, Bickram has now teamed up with Bollywood singing star Sonu Nigam and together the duo have just begun their journey as co- composers in Bollywood with three films, the first of which - Jal, recently made headline news with an Oscar contention for the best original score.

Rhythmscape, Bickram’s band has performed throughout the length and breadth of India made its UK debut in 2003 at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, London. In 2004 Rhythmscape performed at the Forum at Barcelona where the band shared the stage with Sting, Phil Collins, Norah Jones and Bob Dylan. In 2005 yet another concert at the Rhythm Sticks Festival in London the band performed to a sold-out house. The press rightly praised Bickram, "Captivating, colourful and charismatic are the words which popped into my head as I sat enthralled by a performance by one of India’s leading artists.

The son of the illustrious tabla maestro Pandit Shankar Ghosh and well known vocalist Sanjukta Ghosh, Bickram also learnt the nuances of Carnatic percussion from the great Maestro of the mridangam Pandit S.Sekhar.

Bickram Ghosh was the brand ambassador for the Indian Election commission in 2011 in West Bengal and his participation led to a record 8.5 percent increase in urban voting. He has over 100 albums to his credit and his albums have won several awards . In 2012 Bickram was awarded the prestigious Banga Bhushan award, the second highest civilian State award in West Bengal and in 2015 the Sangeet Maha Samman, the highest musical recognition in West Bengal.

In 2012 Bickram had recreated the Indian National song Vande Mataram with 22 of India's greatest musical . Bickram has four GIMA(Global Indian Music Award ) awards to his credit. Bickram was the only tabla maestro to perform for the finale of the Commonwealth games in 2010. He was one of the Composer's for the opening of the Indian Super League. This year he added another feather in his cap by composing and presenting an extravaganza with 120 artists for the T20 World Cup finals.

Early life

Ghosh was born in Kolkata, West Bengal to the tabla maestro Pandit Shankar Ghosh and classical vocalist, Sanjukta Ghosh. He studied at La Martiniere Calcutta and graduated in English from St. Xavier's College, Kolkata and Masters in English Literature from Jadavpur University.

He started learning tabla from his father, Pandit Shankar Ghosh, who had played with Ustad Ali Akbar Khan.[4]

Career

Ghosh has performed with well-known performers including Ali Akbar Khan and Pandit Ravi Shankar.[5] He also performed in jugalbandis with his father in some concerts. Ghosh worked with George Harrison just before the ex-Beatle's death.

Ghosh performs in various avatars. His long-standing band, Rhythmscape, which performs neo-fusion music, celebrated their 10th anniversary in 2011. To celebrate the occasion Rhythmscape collaborated with Greg Ellis to perform in Kolkata and Mumbai, an event organized by Folktronic.[6] The band also released their second album, Transformation, which went on to win the Best Fusion Album at the Indian Recording Arts Awards 2012.[7] Ghosh performs within Troikala with Assamese folk/indie singer Papon and Scottish singer-songwriter Rachel Sermanni. Troikala was curated and organized by British Council in association with Folktronic.[8] He performed as part of fusion Sufi act, "Sufusion" with vocalists Ambarish Das and Parvati Kumar, keyboardist Indrajit Dey, and drummer Arun Kumar.[9][10]

Ghosh collaborated with Sonu Nigam to compose the music for the film Jal.[11] Ghosh has also scored music for many movies including the Mira Nair production, Little Zizou.[12]

Ghosh launched his music company, Melting Pot Productions, in October 2010.[13]

Recent activities

Ghosh performing fusion music during 2nd Guwahati International Music Festival.

On 1 October 2012, Bickram Ghosh won the 2012 Global Indian Music Academy (GIMA) Awards in the Best Pop/Rock Single category for his composition, Vande Mataram, featuring a host of artists across India, including Sonu Nigam, Shankar Mahadevan and Sunidhi Chauhan.[14] In June 2012, Ghosh performed a concert "One World Fusion Extravaganza" at Shilpakala Vedika auditorium in Hyderabad to mark World Music Day.[15][16] He appeared in an episode of MTV Roots.[17] Ghosh taught a percussion course entitled "Repercussion" for Ace Open University via online streaming.

Personal life

He married actress Jaya Seal in 2004.[18]

Discography

Ghosh performing in 2011

New-age experimental

Year Album Record Label
2001 Drums of India: Father and Son Biswas
2003 Definitive Collection- Rhythm & Zen Sony Music
2003 Best of Swar Utsav Music Today
2003 Rhythmscape Navras
2007 Pulsating Drums (with Zakir Hussain, Taufiq Qureshi) Music Today/Living Media
2007 Drum Invasion Music Today
2007 Beyond Rhythmscape Sagarika Music
2008 Interface (with Rahul Sharma) Thoughtify
2008 Folktail Thoughtify
2009 The Kingdom of Rhythm (with Pete Lockett) Saregama
2009 Journey with the Master Percussionists of India Drumzine
2009 Decade of Great Fusion 2000-2009 EMI Virgin
2009 Electro Classical Sony BMG
2009 White Note Sony BMG
2010 Tablasphere Veecon Music & Entertainment
2011 Blazing Drums Times Music
2011 Talking Drums: Masters of Percussion Music Today
2011 Tagore Lounge Veecon Music & Entertainment
2011 Transformation Sony Music
2013 Nazrulaana Times Music
2014 The Music Room Times Music

Collaborations

Year Album Record Label
1997 Chants of India- Ravi Shankar/ George Harrison EMI Angel
1997 Nomad Christmas Nomad/Music of the World
2000 Cello- Barry Phillips Gourd
2000 India: Jewels of the Subcontinent Latitudes/Music of the World
2001/2002 The Afro-Indian Project: Travels with the African Arc Music
2002 Kora So Far- Ravi (J.P. Freeman) Terra Nova
2002 Axiom of Choice- Unfolding Narada
2002 Brain Washed- George Harrison Capitol/EMI
2008 One- Bickram Ghosh and the Mezcal Jazz Unit Saregama

Classical solo

Year Album Record Label
1996 Talking Tabla Music of the World
1998 Language of Rhythm: Drumming From North & South India Music of the World
2004 Tabla Odyssey Music Today
2006 Drumscape [DVD] Saregama
2008 Pride of Bengal- Pandit Shankar Ghosh and Bickram Ghosh RPG

Classical accompaniment

Year Album Main Artist Record Label
1995 Mukundarasam: Songs of Lord Krishna Dr. Balamurali Krishna Chhanda Dhara
1995 Twilight Melodies Ajoy Chakrabarty Chhanda Dhara
1996 Thumris Ajoy Chakraborty India Archives
1996 Kirvani Tarun Bhattacharya Music of the World
1998 Anoushka Anoushka Shankar EMI Angel
1999 Raga Mala (Sitar Concerto No. 2) Ravi Shankar EMI Classics
2000 Mental Bliss Tarun Bhattacharya Mind of Light
2000 Anourag Anoushka Shankar EMI Angel
2001 Vairagya Ajoy Chakraborty Navras Records
2001 Live at Carnegie Hall Anoushka Shankar EMI Angel
2001 Full Circle: Carnegie Hall (Grammy winning title)[19] Ravi Shankar EMI Angel
2001 Hypnotic Santoor Tarun Bhattacharya Biswas
2002 In Portrait Ravi Shankar Naxos
2002 Raga Basant Mukhari Tarun Bhattacharya India Archives
2004 Raga Rasa: That Which Colors The Mind Kartik Seshadri Traditional Crossroads
2005 A Spiritual Journey Tarun Bhattacharya Universal Music
2005 Rise Anoushka Shankar Angel Records
2006 Raag Rageshri Tarun Bhattacharya Universal Music
2008 Musical Horizon Tarun Bhattacharya Horizon
2010 Crossroads Tejendra Narayan Majumdar Indya
2011 The Very Best of Ravi Shankar Ravi Shankar EMI Classics

Experimental accompaniment

Year Album Main Artist Record Label
1992 Songs of Nature Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Tarun Bhattacharya, Ronu Majumdar Original Music Impressions
1993 Travellers Tale Ronu Majumdar Magnasound/ OMI
2005 Spirits U. Rajesh, Pete Lockett Living Media India/ Music Today
2006 Golden Krithis Vol. 3 – Beginning of the Beginning A. Sivamani, Anoor Ananthakrishna Sharma, Bickram Ghosh, Kalaimamani M.K.S. Siva, Vishwa Mohan Bhatt Fontana India
2008 Monsoon Melodies U. Rajesh Kosmik

Filmography

Actor :

Music director (Bengali films) :

Year Film
2004 Iti Srikanta
2005 Devaki
2008 Neel Rajar Deshe
2009 Piyalir Password
2009 Risk
2012 Nobel Chor
2013 Aborto
2015 Kadambari
2015 Ebar Shabor
2015 Har Har Byomkesh
2015 Swade Ahlade
2016 Eagoler Chokh

Composer (Hindi films) :

Year Film Notes
2009 Little Zizou {With Giuliano Modarelli}
2010 Gumshuda
2013 Sooper Se Ooper
2014 Jal
2016 Chowky {Promotional song}
2016 Happy Anniversary
2016 Band of Maharajas

Reportedly,he recently is working as a music supervisor in a musical short film called Dawshodishi Kore Aalo.

References

  1. ^ Mahaldar, Manisha (3 January 2008). "Fusion king Bikram Ghosh drums a new beat". CNN-IBN. Retrieved 3 April 2009.
  2. ^ Chaudhuri, Dibyajyoti (22 June 2012). "Musicians Set to Reinvent Fusion". The Times of India.
  3. ^ Nandy, Priyadarshini (14 July 2011). "I Have Personality Disorder: Bickram Ghosh". DNA.
  4. ^ Sengupta, Ratnottama (22 May 2012). "Can We Equate Seniors and Juniors, Wonder Musicians". The Times of India.
  5. ^ * Arnold, Alison, ed. (2000). The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music: South Asia : the Indian subcontinent (Volume 5). New York: Garland Publishing. p. 63. ISBN 0-8240-4946-2.
  6. ^ "Rhythmscape Celebrates 10yrs of Neo Fusion Music". Indian Music Talks. Archived from the original on 24 January 2013. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
  7. ^ Chaudhuri, Dibyajyoti (4 June 2012). "Bickram Wins Award". The Times of India.
  8. ^ "Troikala - the Art within a Trio: Bickram Ghosh, Papon and Rachel Sermanni". Music Aloud (Blog). 28 December 2011. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
  9. ^ Chaudhuri, Dibyajyoti (5 June 2012). "Bickram Ghosh Concert in Kolkata". The Times of India.
  10. ^ "Sufusion". Live in Concert. 2 June 2012. Archived from the original on 8 July 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
  11. ^ "Bickram Ghosh-Sonu Nigam Team Up, Combine Marwah-Purva With Armenian Duduk!". Planet Bollywood. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
  12. ^ Arora, Chandna (10 March 2008). "Bickram Ghosh Tells All..." The Times of India.
  13. ^ "On the Beaten Track- Interview with Tabla Maestro Bickram Ghosh". Music Aloud (Blog). 8 September 2010. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
  14. ^ "GIMA Awards 2012 - Winners". Global India Music Academy. Retrieved 8 October 2012.
  15. ^ "Bickram Ghosh to Rock Hyderabad on World Music Day". Radio and Music. 20 June 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
  16. ^ Salvadore, Sarah (23 June 2012). "World Music Day concert at Shilpakala Vedika organised by the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Department". The Times of India.
  17. ^ "MTV - Roots - Artist - Bickram Ghosh". MTV India. Archived from the original on 26 September 2011. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
  18. ^ Wynne-Peters, Janine (30 October 2004). "Making Sweet Music". The Telegraph. Calcutta, India.
  19. ^ Suhasini, Lalitha (4 October 2005). "Percussionist Bikram Ghosh revisits his roots in the folk fusion album called Folktail". Mumbai Newsline. The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 22 February 2006. Retrieved 3 April 2009.
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