JFG 2015: Top drawer music in magical setting (Review)

Jodhpur, April 6 (IANS) From entrancing displays by international flamenco artists like El Bola, Javier Colina and Berk Gurman to enthralling Indian performances by Desert Strings, Footprints of The Desert, Rajasthan Roots and Sounds of the Sanda -- the second edition of Jodhpur Flamenco & Gypsy festival 2015 witnessed a mix of top drawer music, extravagant acoustic atmosphere and magical folk aura.

The three-day festival, which concluded on Sunday, took place at the mystical and regal Mehrangarh Fort.

Jointly organised by the Mehrangarh Museum Trust and CRN Productions, the festival showcased the power of true blue gypsy music, bringing the locations alive with the rendition of mesmerising gypsy and folk tunes along with flamenco dance moves.

This year, performers from across the globe presented eclectic melodies, celebrating awe-inspiring flamenco and gypsy culture. An effort to preserve the local Rajasthani music, the festival also provided an opportunity for well known artists from different countries to create a collaborative environment.

The idea of the festival this year was to "develop a new definition of folk music and help create a fusion that has the essence of gypsy culture of Rajasthan at its core", said Roberto Nieddu, the managing and artistic director of the fest. He was satisfied with the response to the festival this time.

"From the last year, the festival was a little different this time in terms of the number of instruments used. We had much more instruments used this time and this is what I am going to do every year -- make different music and include different instruments. This year was little more jazz.

"Next year I am thinking of doing more of a Latin edition, but I am not deciding anything yet," he said post the closing act at the festival.

He has received a positive response from the attendees.

"People come here and they sit with Rajasthani folk artists and create music...this is what made the majority of gigs amazing," he added.

The festival witnessed performances by flamenco legends like Chano Dominguez, Karen Lugo, Naike Ponce, Victor Guadiana, Israel Varela, El Bola, El Indio, Pablo Dominguez, Javier Colina and Daniel Navarro.

Also present were Turkish Gypsy music legends Berk Gurman, Gurkan Ozkan, Serdar Pazarcioglu, Onur Gugul and Alaattin Kabaci, performing along with local Rajasthani talent like Desert Strings, Footprints of the Desert, Sounds of the Sands, and Kalbelia dancers and gypsy musicians.

With live music at its core, the whole idea of this year's performance was to showcase the evolution of flamenco and gypsy traditions and blend them with local folk music.

Many international artists were impressed by the Indian dance forms. Smitten by India's rich diversity in music, dance, food and landscape and mesmerised by Indian ragas and mudras, Mexico-born flamenco dancer Karen Lugo shared her love for Indian dance form Odissi and explained how she tried to inculcate the 'eye work' in her performances.

"When I saw dances like kathak and Odissi for the first time, I noticed the eye work. So when I dance, I try to be very conscious about my eyes. I feel that detail in indian dances are very clear and clean, so for the first time, little by little, I became more confident about the detail in my style," she said.

There were artists from Spain, Italy and Turkey who came to perform at the festival and for some, it was like homecoming. Turkish percussionist Gurkan Ozkan shared how he almost had tears in his eyes upon landing in Rajasthan, where the globally popular gypsy culture has its roots.

All in all, it was a festival worth attending for all music lovers.

(The writer's trip is at the invitation of the festival's organisers. Nivedita can be contacted at [email protected].)

Copyright  IANS

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