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The Vishwa Mohan Bhatt Chat

Wannabe Ry: I like Western Clasical music and I like all the composers like Beethoven, Mozart , Bach etc. There is no such favourite composer of mine I love alll of them.

Common Chords: To me it depends on the skill of the artist how he can combine his konwledge of Western Music and other forms of music in his work. Axctually they are very othodox and traditional in nature that is why they hesitate to combine with western musicians. I think this prevents them from getting involved with the world music scene. Also they are wprried about their image in the field of Indian classical music, they think if they combine with some western musician they they think the people over here will look at them with a differnt eye and think that they are tampering with Indian classical music. Which is not true.

Samuel Jacob: Exceptions are always there. I also have very good friends ......I have infact friends all over the world . I was also shocked when there was betrayal from my freind.

Raghupati: You mean Ustad Allaudin Khan Saab in your question below to Pt. Bhatt. Panditji, what would you characterize as being an ideal Tabla accompaniment in your recitals ? I find these days playing machine gun soundsat breakneck speeds (the endless and needless use of high speed relas) and doing the customary "Sawaal Jawaab" have become much the routine.

What was it like learning music with Pandit Ravi Shankar? Was he as much of a taskmaster as his guru, Ustad Allaudin Khan?

Do you think there is a vast disparity in what Indian classical artistes like yourself are paid for concerts and what lesser artistes are paid? Why do you think Indian classical music is not evolving as much as it should?

What are your plans for 1997? Any interesting experiments planned?

Panditji, does this mean that genuine experimentation has to be sacrificed because one's image must be preserved in Indian classical music? Isn't this an unfortunate situation that Indian musicians have got into? And can't tradition co-exist with today's music world?

How influenced are you by Western music? When did you decide to have this collaboration with Ry Coder?

Good night, Panditji ( atleast for me ), gotta go for work in the morning. Happy New Year, and best of luck - May the Grammy be yours!!! Khuda-hafis

Panditji, in your opinion, do fusion and new age music have a lasting life, beyond the immediate one ?

Samuel Jacob: I don't agree with this I think most of the Indians know about me in the West and every year I perform in States in about 40 cities and a large number of Indian audience is also persent. I became disciple of Pandit Ravi Shankar in 1983 .

Kevin: Guitar is being taught only in Jaipur in a music college called Sangeeet Sansthan where I was teaching from the year 1986-90 . After that In the year 93-94 my son was teaching there but now both of us are not teaching anymore . I teach few students privately purely on guru- shishya parampara(teacher-disciple relationship).

Angad: There will be an album with Middle East musician Simon Shaheen the oud player. And another album with the chinese lady Jiebing Chan. I'm performing on 6th February in Merkin Concert Hall NY with Simon Shaheen . Inm 19997 I'll be touring Australia and in Europe and some cities in States and Canada. My compositional work Megh Dutam has recently released by Music Today which is in Sanskrit and sung by my friend Hariharan and Kavita Krishna murthy.

How did you work on the Colonial Cousins album? I believe you encountered Hari by accident in London and that's how it came about? What was it like working with these two men? I wish you had got bigger credit though!

Panditji, thank you for your kind response. Where do you think your future lies: as a solo artiste or a composer?

panditji, in indian music there is a range of instruments like sitar, veena, sarangi(so close to rajasthan music) then why did u in particular choose guitar which is a western instrument?

Panditji, any plans on composing music for Ghazals ?

Pavan: This kind of music are recent events, people choice and likes varies from time to time . If it a good musical piece of high standard it will stay . And will be remembered for a long time.

Angad: I like music of every country. I met Ry Coder for the first time in 1992 just before the recording of our album 'A meeting by the river' and just for half an hour we had a conversation about what we are going to work on . And within half an hour we sat with our instruments and I was able to compose te first peice 'A meeting by the river' and three more compositions after that. The whole recording was completed in 5 hours with no retakes and no editing, no equalization .

Bhattji are you excited about being nominated for the grammy's . This could be a major move in your career. Comment.

panditji,despite recognition on international scene & ur huge talent why is it that we find u less on the indian classical scene.Is it that ur experiments are not completely acceptable in the traditional setup?