Mike's Oud Forums

Indian music on oud by Japanese group

Chris_Stephens - 2-18-2015 at 04:38 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XNBuAZimKw

I really like cultural crossovers like this! The Indian word is 'jugalbandhi' when there is a 'coming together' such as this. I think it is really special when such different cultures can find common ground and appreciation through music. I think the raga being used is 'Charukeshi' but its a light song so strict raga rules may not be in place. Is there a maqam being followed here?

Jody Stecher - 2-18-2015 at 05:31 PM

Not bad at all. I like that each instrument is playing in what I would call "its own natural way". To be clear, a jugalbandi is when 2 soloists built up a raga performance together. The word has no cross-cultural implication. Since this is composed music and not a cooperative effort of entwining two creative minds as one during performance, it's not really a jugalbandi. Maqam equivalent? Well: Charukeshi is Ajam in the lower jins and Kurd in the upper jins. This performance has one section where the lower jins is Nahawand.

Chris_Stephens - 2-19-2015 at 08:22 PM

Sure, this piece isn't a true jugalbandhi, but this one by the same guys (sans oud) is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zw1xhqqQt5Y

The oud wasn't really made for building up a raga like a sitar. Still, I wonder what the rest of the concert was like, they may have done a true raga. There may not be a cross cultural implication in jugalbandhi, but regardless the same word is used to describe when players from the same gharana play together and when very different musicians (say hindustani and carnatic like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pb-IIud3zA) play together so there can still be a cross cultural aspect within the word jugalbandhi. But yes, i agree, pre written music loses the element of 'playfulness' between the performers. I like that in this case the oud is able to still sound like itself and not a psuedo-sarod.