Nanda Banerjee at Ovations- The Houston-based Indian classical vocalist was joined by local jazz musicians Paul English, Max Dyer, Ray Dillard and Stuart Hinds for an enchanting evening of East-West fusion, ancient to the future. Why not try an album of this stuff.
” Her confident opening of raag Puriya Dhanashri on the gandhaar note with a precise glide from teevra madhyam – the grace note – captured at once, the attention of the audience.”
“Nanda’s khyals – due to her perfect command over technical nuances – acquire a rare blend of expertise and aesthetic grace, while her casual and lively disposition enhances her process of communication with listeners of varying kinds. Her melodious voice, her mastery over the notes and her composure about the taals make her raag-vistaar enormously involving.”
“Nanda’s thumri succeeded in stirring the listeners’ emotion. The patches of spiral patterns of melody in the style of tappa and the rhythmic variations, known as laggi, were rendered with remarkable skill and artistry.”
“Nanda Banerjee is Hounton’s recent acquisition to the exclusive realm of fine arts and has own many an adoring heart with her superb mastery of the hindustani classical style of music. she has a powerful rich voice which seems to know no bounds and she transports her listener through intricately woven tapestries of exquisitely sublime spontaneous note patterns.”
“Undoubtedly, years of long hard hours of voice training or riyaz, have paid rich dividends by way of the accolades Nanda commands from fans and press alike. She has the tremendously rare distinction of having her music prevail for posterity at the Archives of the San Francisco Art Museum- truly a fitting tribute and honour to a remarkable musician who is relentless in her search for the ultimate musical truth.”
