Now for something completely different..! A lofi remix of 'The House in the Woods'. 'Lofi' music uses sounds from the early days of electronic music playback to invoke nostalgia. Some find it relaxing and you'll find copious playlists featuring 'lofi music to study to.'
Raga Poems
Gordon Korstange & Joel Veena
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The embellished notes of a raga and the shimmering words of a poem spring from intuition, both often composed on the spot, both often surprising the maker who accepts such surprises as gifts, one from the “raga-deity,” the other from the muse.
When a musician plays or sings a fresh pattern of notes from a raga, the knowledgeable audience responds
The embellished notes of a raga and the shimmering words of a poem spring from intuition, both often composed on the spot, both often surprising the maker who accepts such surprises as gifts, one from the “raga-deity,” the other from the muse.
When a musician plays or sings a fresh pattern of notes from a raga, the knowledgeable audience responds with voice and gesture. When a poet strings together words in a musical cadence the minds and hearts of listeners too will quicken:
How suddenly the somber comes undone ravished by radiance from the suspended sun
In our raga poems we strive to evoke the elemental emotions or moods which cannot be described but can be experienced as aesthetic phenomenon, in the reactions and anticipations of our own bodies and minds. credits released September 29, 2023
Flute, recitation and poems by Gordon Korstange Indian slide guitar by Joel 'Veena' Eisenkramer
Produced by Joel Eisenkramer & Vidhi Salla Root Cellar Sound 2023 Recorded 11 November 2022 by Vidhi Salla and Joel Eisenkramer at Root Cellar Sound, Guilford, Vermont USA with one AEA R88 stereo ribbon and a Peluso 2247 for the voice. Mastered by Tom Hutten, Bionic Mastering, Vermont USA
Special thanks to Vidhi Salla, Matthew Hall, Jeanne Korstange, Wendy Redlinger, Antti Vahteri, Stu Fuchs, Ongtupqa
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Mango (Raga Mohanam) 4:010:00/4:01
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Never Too Late (For a Shower of Rain) feat. Mir Naqibul Islam
Joel Veena
An original composition in raag Megh, a rainy season raga, in jhaptaal (10 beats divided 2-3-2-3) played on Indian slide guitar and tabla. The title comes from a Jamaican saying I learned from singer NL Dennis that means that a blessing is a blessing, even when delayed; this metaphor fits well with the character of Megh as a late night torrential
An original composition in raag Megh, a rainy season raga, in jhaptaal (10 beats divided 2-3-2-3) played on Indian slide guitar and tabla. The title comes from a Jamaican saying I learned from singer NL Dennis that means that a blessing is a blessing, even when delayed; this metaphor fits well with the character of Megh as a late night torrential downpour, soaking dry ground and nourishing thirsty plants, animals and souls. Mir's thunderous tabla solo midway evokes rolling, heavy dark clouds.
This was recorded in Brooklyn, NY in August 2022. credits released March 4, 2023 Joel 'Veena' Eisenkramer - Indian slide guitar Mir Naqibul Islam - tabla
Composed by Joel 'Veena' Eisenkramer.
Recorded at Rift Studio NYC, New York USA Mixed by Joel Veena, Root Cellar Sound VT USA Mastered by Tom Hutten, Bionic Mastering VT USA
Interior Landscapes
Joel Veena & Amit Singhal
By April of 2022, it had been nearly two years since Amit bhai and I had played together in person. Post-pandemic, my visa was restricted and I had only 28 days to visit family in Mumbai, receive taleem from Guruji in Howrah and meet friends in Delhi. We rented a restored 1920s flat for 3 days in central Delhi and set up microphones around the
By April of 2022, it had been nearly two years since Amit bhai and I had played together in person. Post-pandemic, my visa was restricted and I had only 28 days to visit family in Mumbai, receive taleem from Guruji in Howrah and meet friends in Delhi. We rented a restored 1920s flat for 3 days in central Delhi and set up microphones around the large living room. We sat on the carpet day and night catching up, discussing the state of the world and our plans to live in it, drinking tea and recording alaap in various ragas. Our simple set up yielded a beautiful sound, representative of the calm and thoughtful exploration that was occurring. We played in a gentle way, cautious to try and let the landscapes of our minds and spirits come out from the interior and ring out in the empty hall. These tracks are the music of a previously suppressed and dormant creativity, returning to find the world drastically changed but still thirsting for true music.
This is Interior Landscapes.
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Raga Bihag (Evening) 15:590:00/15:59
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Raga Bhimpalasi in Jhaptaal feat. Jasdeep Singh
Joel Veena
This rendition of afternoon raga Bhimpalasi is the first known collaboration between the 20-stringed Indian slide guitar and the jori:
The jorī traces its origins to the 18th-century dukkar baaj (a style of playing developed around the kettle drums used in folk music) and developed further in the Punjab region of south Asia. The drums gained favor
This rendition of afternoon raga Bhimpalasi is the first known collaboration between the 20-stringed Indian slide guitar and the jori:
The jorī traces its origins to the 18th-century dukkar baaj (a style of playing developed around the kettle drums used in folk music) and developed further in the Punjab region of south Asia. The drums gained favor in the royal courts and darbars of maharajas as it was able to effectively accompany a wider array of genres than that of the pakhawaj. The jorī gave birth to what has now become the most popular form of Hindustani percussion, the tabla. Due to the tabla's great versatility and popularity, the jorī has declined in popularity during the modern era to the such a rarity that its intricacies are maintained by only a few artists.
Here, the jori is played by one of today's leading exponents and researchers of the instrument: Jasdeep Singh. Singh has published numerous papers on the history of the drums and their usage (www.jasdeep.co.uk/publications) and also builds the drums himself.
Jasdeep Singh and Joel Veena connected over social media during the end of the year in 2020 and started discussing the possibilities for collaboration. In particular they were inspired by the historic early performances of Pt Vishwa Mohan Bhatt and tabla maestro... more credits released April 7, 2021 Composition in Bhimpalasi by Pt. Alok Lahiri, arranged by Joel 'Veena' Eisenkramer
Indian slide guitar - Joel 'Veena' Eisenkramer Jori - Jasdeep Singh
Recorded by Joel Veena & Jasdeep Singh Mixed by Joel Veena, Root Cellar Sound, Vermont USA Mastered by Tom Hutten, Bionic Mastering, Vermont USA Album art by Sumeru Salla, Design & Story
Milap
Joel Veena & Amit Singhal
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On a sweltering hot April afternoon in Delhi, I met my musical brothers Suraj Nirwan and Amit Singhal at NRAI Studios in Delhi. We had prepared one original piece (Jai Love) and one classical raga (Raga Jog) for recording. Magic happened inside the studio: Amit and my riyaz sessions earlier were given fresh rhythmic direction by Suraj as we
On a sweltering hot April afternoon in Delhi, I met my musical brothers Suraj Nirwan and Amit Singhal at NRAI Studios in Delhi. We had prepared one original piece (Jai Love) and one classical raga (Raga Jog) for recording. Magic happened inside the studio: Amit and my riyaz sessions earlier were given fresh rhythmic direction by Suraj as we arranged the pieces to carry our personalities and show our musicianship. During the session, I asked my friends, "Imagine if we could do this everyday, meet here and record music, what a life that would be..." It was a sentiment that resonated with all three of us and we used it as inspiration and focus to make the best performance possible...because it's not everyday that three good friends can record music together, making a musical message of harmony for the world. We are thankful to be able to share this music with you all.
Special thanks to: Our Gurus: Pt. Alok Lahiri, Pt. Subhash Nirwan and Shri Harsh Wardhan also Vidhi Salla, Puraskar Nirwan, Rohit Kullu, Sumeru Salla, our loving and supportive families. credits released September 2, 2019
Joel 'Veena' Eisenkramer - Indian slide guitar Amit Singhal - Bansuri Suraj Nirwan - Tabla
Recorded at NRAI Studios, Delhi by Rohit Kullu Mixed by Joel 'Veena' Eisenkramer, Root Cellar Sound, Vermont USA Mastered by Tom Hutten, Bionic Mastering, Vermont USA Produced by Joel 'Veena' Eisenkramer Photography by Vidhi Salla Graphic design by Sumeru Salla, Design & Story
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Raga Jog - Alap 13:440:00/13:44
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0:00/18:07
Sacred Groves: Live in Europe
Joel Veena & Kees van Boxtel
In April of 2019, Kees van Boxtel, Shabbir Hussein and I loaded up a small hatchback car and took off for a whirlwind tour of Europe. We played in small, humble and beautiful venues in Netherlands, Belgium, Austria and Germany while being hosted by friends and music lovers throughout the journey. Thanks to Kees’ ambition, we recorded just about
In April of 2019, Kees van Boxtel, Shabbir Hussein and I loaded up a small hatchback car and took off for a whirlwind tour of Europe. We played in small, humble and beautiful venues in Netherlands, Belgium, Austria and Germany while being hosted by friends and music lovers throughout the journey. Thanks to Kees’ ambition, we recorded just about every concert. Now I’m happy to share with you a collection of those recordings in our album ‘Sacred Groves - Live in Europe'. We attempted to make the album follow a similar structure as our performances. In Europe, I learned, it is typical for concerts to have a ‘pause’ half way through or even just 40 minutes in. First we would play a full Raga (on the album, we selected Raga Yaman with alap, jhaptaal (10 beats) and teental (16 beats). Then we would take a pause, followed by some lighter pieces: Kees’ beautiful dhun in Raga Hamsadhwani and guruji Pt Alok Lahiri’s dhun in Mishra Bhairavi to close. credits released August 16, 2019
Joel 'Veena' Eisenkramer - Indian slide guitar Kees van Boxtel - Bansuri Shabbir Hussain - Tabla
Recorded by Kees van Boxtel during our concert at Tao Sangha Zentrum in Dornbirn, Austria on April 13, 2019.
Mixed by Joel Eisenkramer, Root Cellar Sound, in Vermont USA.
Special thanks to all our wonderful hosts throughout the tour: Roopa ji, Frans at Art Base, Hannah, and Rolf.
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Raga Yaman Alap 22:220:00/22:22
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Chintan
Joel Veena & Amit Singhal
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Chintan is a jugalbandi (or duet, literally translated as 'entwined twins') between Indian slide guitarist Joel Veena (USA) and Bansuri artist Amit Singhal (INDIA). Joel and Amit met in 2016 by chance at a sarod concert in Delhi. After several missed connections, they finally sat down to play together in the winter of 2018 in Amit's home in
Chintan is a jugalbandi (or duet, literally translated as 'entwined twins') between Indian slide guitarist Joel Veena (USA) and Bansuri artist Amit Singhal (INDIA). Joel and Amit met in 2016 by chance at a sarod concert in Delhi. After several missed connections, they finally sat down to play together in the winter of 2018 in Amit's home in Chandni Chowk, Delhi. They quickly found a brilliant chemistry while playing together, held three days of practice sessions and then headed to Satish Babbar Studio to record this album. What has emerged is an exciting, fresh rendition of Raga Bhimpalasi by two young artists exploring their collaborative potential. Also, a studio rendition of Joel Veena's original song, 'Jai Love', often performed at his concerts.
Despite the quickness with which this album came together, a good many hours were spent in planning their improvisations and how to make an effective recording even without tabla accompaniment. Hence Amit came up with the title 'Chintan' or 'thought and meditation.' credits released April 30, 2018
Joel 'Veena' Eisenkramer - Indian slide guitar Amit Singhal - Bansuri
Recorded at Satish Babbar Studios, Delhi by Manku Gurpreet Mixed by Joel Eisenkramer, Root Cellar Sound Mastered by Tom Hutten, Bionic Mastering
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Bhimpalasi - Alap 12:440:00/12:44
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Bhimpalasi - Jod & Jhala 18:290:00/18:29
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The Peacock (feat. Suraj Nirwan)
Joel Veena
Original composition by Joel Veena, livicated to dear friend Jon Harms and performed live at House Concerts Delhi featuring Suraj Nirwan's impeccable tabla playing.
This track was re-mastered in January 2020 by Tom Hutten, Bionic Mastering - if you downloaded it before then, please be sure to download the new version. Tom did beautiful work.
Original composition by Joel Veena, livicated to dear friend Jon Harms and performed live at House Concerts Delhi featuring Suraj Nirwan's impeccable tabla playing.
This track was re-mastered in January 2020 by Tom Hutten, Bionic Mastering - if you downloaded it before then, please be sure to download the new version. Tom did beautiful work. credits released June 12, 2017 Indian Slide Guitar - Joel 'Veena' Eisenkramer Tabla - Suraj Nirwan Composition by Joel 'Veena' Eisenkramer
Recorded by House Concerts Delhi Mixed by Joel Eisenkramer for Root Cellar Sound in Brattleboro, Vermont USA Mastered by Tom Hutten, Bionic Mastering, Vermont USA
Unexpected Blessings
Joel Veena
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This album is dedicated to tabla maestro Pt. Subhash Nirwan, whose magical appearance in my life opened the doors to Indian music by providing me with my teacher, Dr. Ranjan Kumar, and some of my closest musical companions.
Here, the Indian slide guitar is presented in many different settings; from traditional, to fusion and beyond. In no other
This album is dedicated to tabla maestro Pt. Subhash Nirwan, whose magical appearance in my life opened the doors to Indian music by providing me with my teacher, Dr. Ranjan Kumar, and some of my closest musical companions.
Here, the Indian slide guitar is presented in many different settings; from traditional, to fusion and beyond. In no other recording will you hear the slide guitar playing a duet with the handpan, used as the carrier with a vocoder or in a fusion of Carnatic South Indian music and middle eastern drumming. It is a labor of love, recorded in India and in the US with world class musicians from around the globe.
Please accept my musical offering, play it far and wide, may it bring you peace, joy, strength and inspiration in all that you do. credits released February 15, 2017
Tracks 1, 3, and 6 were recorded and mixed by Matt Hall at Guilford Sound in Guilford, Vermont USA.
Track 2 was recorded at the Red Velvet Recording Room by Varun Gupta in Gurgaon, India. It was mixed by Matt Hall at Guilford Sound.
Track 4 was recorded live at Gratitude Heritage Home by Kees van Boxtel in Pondicherry, India. Kees mixed the track at Bless U Studio in Haarlem, Netherlands.
Track 5 was recorded and mixed at Root Cellar Sound by Joel 'Veena' Eisenkramer in Brattleboro, Vermont USA.
The album was mastered by Tom Hutten at Bionic Mastering in Chester, Vermont USA
The album art is by ESK Evan Wilson, Instagram: @evaneskwilson
Special thanks to all who helped to make this album possible, including... Marcia Hylan, Peter Eisenkramer, Dan DeWalt, Vidhi Salla, Suraj Nirwan, Puraskar Nirwan, Matt Hall, Jed Blume, Kees van Boxtel, Gordon Korstange, Jeanne Korstange, Dylan & Megan Richardson, Matt DiLuzio, David Snyder, Todd Roach, Virginia Soukoup, Ranjan Kumar, Tom Hutten, Paul Eisenkramer, and Bhaba Sindhu Biswas and his team for making the instrument I play on this recording.
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Shell 4:220:00/4:22
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