Mukta

The Mukta adventure. The brainchild of Nantes-based bassist and Indian music enthusiast Simon Mary, Mukta was assembled in 1994, with trumpeter Geoffroy Tamisier, drummer Jean Chevalier, and sitarist Brigitte Menon. Mukta ("pearl" in Sanskrit), impressed fans of unusual musical hybrids everywhere with the release of their debut outing in 1999, "Indian Sitar & World Jazz" through Warner Jazz France (the first French act signed to the label). With its sparkling compositions and unusual arrangements, the album was a success in France, as well as in England, Canada, Greece and Israel.

Pioneers of "Asian Vibe", fusing Indian traditional sounds with jazz, Mukta, with their own brand of world music, defy categorisation and have established themselves at the forefront of the postrock Nantes scene, one of the most active musical environments in Europe.
In 2000 the acoustic "Jade" and the electronic "Dancing On One"s Hands" were released simultaneously. Having been joined in the meantime by percussionist Olivier Congar, who favours Cuban batas as much as African congas and sanzas, Mukta spent the next three years touring the world, performing in the Middle East, Africa, Canada and Eastern Europe. The creation in February 2003 of their "Thousand And One Nights" show, saw the expansion of the band with the arrival of new members; flautist Pascal Vandenbulcke and sitarist / singer Michel Guay, who replaces Brigitte Menon.

The Indian journey
In early November 2003 the band travelled to India for five weeks, rehearsing first with local musicians before immortalising the result of their musical encounters on tape. A series of concerts, acclaimed by media and audiences alike followed in Goa, Bombay, Bengalore, Delhi and Calcutta.
Among the classical Indian musicians that Simon Mary met during his first trip to India a month prior to recording, a special bond was formed with sarod master Biswajit Roy Chowdury. Although a novice in the fusion of Indian and Western music, one listen to Mukta"s work was enough to convince Roy Chowdury to take part in the project, and he invited the great tabla player, Gyan Singh to join them.
Rehearsals took place in the fairy-tale ambience of the inner yard of a magnificent "haveli" (an ancient Indian building, once a caravanserai) in a traditional village in northern India. Day after day musical, cultural and personal exchanges between the band members of Mukta and their two musical guests intensified, and the repertoire developed into 10 self-penned compositions. Most of the compositions came from the "Thousand And One Nights" show, along with two traditional Indian pieces by Biswajit Roy Chowdury.
At the request of the band, Roy Chowdury invited other local musicians (bansuri, sarangi, traditional percussion and tampura) along to the recording sessions, which took place in a Delhi studio. Although conditions were somewhat basic, a little miracle took place and Mukta"s six band members felt that they have reached a new milestone in their musical quest.

The music of Haveli
Inspired by the tales of Aladdin and the legend of Sheherazade, these new compositions have an Eastern quality, with enchanting melodies and voluptuous rhythms. The first few measures of "Haveli" take the listener through a luxurious ritual. The instrumental line-up is enhanced by Pascal Vandenbulke"s flute and the ethereal chanting that Michel Guay adds to his sitar solos.
The Latin percussion of Olivier Congar builds cadenzas with the drums of Jean Chevalier that culminate in "Fraction". Pieces like "Odalisk", "Passing Moon", or "Sunset At Sohna" take new paths, while others like "Belly Dance" invent a new universal folklore. Some of the record"s highlights include the reptilian pulsation of "Kohar", the sensual melodies of "Night Overture", the arabesque "Seven Voyages", and the crescendos of "Magic Horse", punctuated by the mystical trumpet of Geoffroy Tamisier. During these sonic landscapes where tradition and modernity collide, Simon Mary asserts himself more than ever as the discreet leader, his bass both enlightening and supporting the ensemble.
In "Haveli", Mukta use sonic space to perfection. There is a constant sense of improvisation throughout the work, with not a single spare note. The lessons of the masters of Indian music have been assimilated, uniting themselves with the aesthetics of the group which has always been based on the respect of non-an music. Far from cheap cultural tourism, Simon Mary and his band are apostles of an unexplored sonic geography. Generous and modern shamans, talented alchemists, Mukta occupy more than ever a special place on the chessboard of new world music. In the cross between East and West, Mukta's flame is more symbolic than ever : precious and magical, the secret burns within.