Date: Wed Feb 16, 2005
Subject: Best of ESL 2004 now on website

Hi folks,

My website and email server were down for a few days recently (Feb 13-15),
so if you sent me any mail during that time I wouldn't have received it.
Please send again if that's the case.

News from India: Since last writing I've arrived and settled in in Varanasi.
Daily lessons with my guru-bhai and good friend Manishankar are going on, as
is plenty of hard practice.  Plans are well underway for the big memorial
concert on March 17.  The feature artists will be one of my favourite sitar
players, Debu Chaudhury and tabla solo by a very senior tabla player in
Varanasi, Ramji Misra.  As well as dance, vocal and sarod, I will be
performing with Setsuo "Jimi" Miyashita, a wonderful santoor player from
Japan.  It's a big chance for me but I'm starting to get nervous...

Last month I spent a week in Kolkata attending super-duper concerts.  First
the four-night (all-night) Dover Lane Music Conference featuring such
luminaries as Amjad Ali Khan, Pandit Jasraj, Hariprasad Chaurasia (that was
the first night), Rashid Khan, Shahid Parvez, Kaushiki Chakraborty
(fantastic young female vocalist) and Shiv Kumar Sharma.  If you
don't know those names I recommend trying to find some music by any of them.
After the Dover Lane endurance test everyone in Kolkata was off to see
Remember Shakti at the huge Science City auditorium.  John McLaughlin
(electric guitar), Zakir Hussain (tabla/percussion), U Shrinivas (mandolin),
V. Selvaganesh (South Indian percussion), Shankar Mahadevan (vocal) and
guest artist Debashish Bhattacharya (slide guitar).  Fantastic.  The Kolkata
audience loved it - lots of raised hands at the exciting moments.

Please visit my website and have a listen to the "Best of EthnoSuperLounge
2004" (info below).

Love to all
Shen
Aum Mani Padme Hum

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NEW - Best of EthnoSuperLounge 2004 - Concert samples at
www.ethnosuperlounge.com/music.htm/esl2004.htm
ALSO EthnoSuperLounge Radio -
www.ethnosuperlounge.com/EthnoSuperLoungeRadio.htm

2004 was quite a year for me, moving from India to Japan to Australia, back
to Japan (all via Bangkok), short side trip to Guam for visa purposes (best
forgotten), and now full circle back to India again.  Along the way there
were some great sessions, the best of which are now on the ESL website:

JUL/AUG - Home Concerts and a Tabla Solo in Brisbane
  It was my first time in Australia for almost 3 years and I brought various
old friends together in my living room in Highgate Hill for a series of
divine home concerts.  What can I say, it was special.  3 (or more)
musicians, no divisive sound system, 30 (or 60!) guests snuggling together
on wintry Sunday evenings to really SHARE the musical experience.  The
audience (and some special members) joined the music each week and we all
remembered what music is all about.  Selected tracks feature flamenco
guitar, Persian santoor, mbira, Tibetan singing bowls, Turkish, Indian, jazz
and audience vocals (and tabla).  Also while in Brisbane I performed a Tabla
Solo accompanied by my guru-sister Liz Campbell on harmonium, dedicated to
my Late Guru-ji.

SELECTED TRACKS: Tabla Solo, Bain-Douches (Flamenco tangos), Santoor Jam and
excerpts of Chaminuka, Singing Bowl Jam and Turkish Flamenco  (I'm waiting
on correct/better titles for a few of these)

NOV/DEC - IndoJazz 4tet and Kora+Bansuri in Tokyo
  I'd been in Japan since August and after a few months of life in Tokyo I
started to get the chance to bring people together across genres as I'd been
doing with EthnoSuperLounge in Australia.  Firstly, IndoJazz 4tet brought
together a jazz double bass player and guitar player with Indian bansuri
(bamboo flute) and myself on tabla.  The sound system and recording weren't
very good, especially on the tabla but it was still a very cool session.
Secondly, the first official EthnoSuperLounge gig in Japan was quite a
healing event, with kora and bansuri providing some very soothing sounds to
Shibuya (central Tokyo).  There was a lot of excellent Indian classical
music action too but I haven't put a raga online yet - hopefully soon.

SELECTED TRACKS: Wossamatta, IndoJazz 4tet Light Song, Kora/Bansuri Jam (a
couple of wonky titles there too)

Please visit www.ethnosuperlounge.com/music.htm#recent a selection of these
concerts (requires RealPlayer).

ALSO - At www.ethnosuperlounge.com/EthnoSuperLoungeRadio.htm listen to a
random selection of the best of ESL 2004 and tracks from the
EthnoSuperLounge Live CD Jay Asu Babu.

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Shen Flindell
Aum Mani Padme Hum