The second volume of field recordings from the Indian desert is out now! Released on February 7, 2012, Banko Ghodo (majestic horse in Sindhi) continues the series of recordings that showcase outstanding folk artists from Rajasthan. Banko Ghodo is now available in CD and digital formats at select independent music stores, on iTunes and CDBaby, and right here on our website:

Banko Ghodo: Volume 2 of the Amarrass field recordings from the Indian desert

(Buy online now)

The album has a poignant tale associated with it. Our sense of urgency to capture, preserve and present this music has been reinforced by the passing of Rukma Bai who we recorded in December 2010. Afflicted with polio at an early age, Rukma Bai challenged odds at every stage in her life. One of the few female Manganiyar singers (and unarguably one of the best) she died aged just 50 due to poverty-induced illness and lack of access to basic healthcare. Banko Ghodo is a tribute to Rukma Bai and features two tracks by her. Sadly, perhaps her last recordings. She sings and plays the dhol on both tracks. 

Mangey Khan makes a reappearance on this volume, with the track Challa Challa making you sit up and listen. A recent review (Hindustan Times Feb 3, 2012 edition) states "Mangey's voice needs to be heard to be believed" and we at Amarrass are true believers!

                            Challa Challa-MangeyKhan-BankoGhodo by Amarrass

The Barmer Boys are Mangey Khan (vocals, harmonium), Mangu Khan (dholak), Bhungra Khan (khartal) and Rais Khan (morchang, bhapang). Barely in their 30’s, and yet seasoned performers, they carry forward the centuries-old musical tradition of the Manganiyars and are leading examples of Rajasthani folk and Sufi music.

“Mangey Khan’s voice needs to be heard to be believed” - Hindustan Times
"Their performance and its impact enthralls” - Buzz in Town

We are still recovering from the fabulous performances at last year's Amarrass Desert Music Festival held at Delhi’s Siri Fort Auditorium on November 26 and 27. The festival was a musical journey that spanned the deserts of Rajasthan to Mali in west Africa and brought together the Manganiyars from Rajasthan, with Vieux Farka Toure and Madou Diabate from Mali -- two musical traditions that had never shared a stage before. Over a dozen artists performed over the two days, with the shows culminating in all-star jams both nights.

The evening began with Lakha Khan playing the Sorath on the folk or Sindhi sarangi. Sorath, a raga that belongs to the cold season and is performed in the first quarter of the night, set the mood for the evening and was followed with a devotional song in Raag Bhairavi on Meera, love and longing. Lakha Khan, an acclaimed sarangi musician and craftsman, from village Raneri in district Jodhpur, makes his own sarangis. Perhaps the last of the Manganiyar sindhi sarangi players, he is a magician with the Sarangi. There was pin-drop reverential, even contemplative, silence in the auditorium, as if a magic carpet had transported everyone to the desert dunes of Rajasthan. [Video:Lakha Khan performs Sorath]

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Next on stage was Mamadou (Madou) Diabate, a 71st generation kora player from Bamako, Mali. One of the finest exponents of the versatile and melodious Kora, a 21-string bridge-harp, his performance was perhaps a first for a kora player in Delhi. It was one man with one instrument on stage creating an orchestra of sound. As one of theaudience members put it "a surreal sound that at moments seemed as if twinkling stars were talking to each other". [Video: Madou and the kora]

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Lakha Khan is an acclaimed Sarangi craftsman and musician from the village of Raneri in Jodhpur district of Rajasthan. It takes him ten days labouring away on a single block of wood to just carve out this complex musical instrument - a testament to the decades of craftsmanship, persistence and passion for music.

Speciality: Sarangi. Lakha Khan has four sarangis, each from a previous generation in his family. This instrument is in his blood. Contact us to find out how you can get a Sarangi handcrafted by the master.

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Taga Ram Bheel hails from village Mool Sagar in district Jaisalmer, Rajasthan and is an acclaimed multi-instrumentalist and craftsman who plays the Algoza (or been), morchang (Jew's Harp) and the Ghara (or an earthen pot/water pitcher).

Speciality: Algoza or double flute; the very theatrical matka or ghara (decorated earthen pot, that's played by blowing, tossing and beating. Read more to find out how you can own one of Taga Ram Bheel's matkas or a pair of double flutes.

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Shankara Ram Suthar is a master wood worker and has been crafting Kamancha's for the past 30 years. Hailing from the village of Amira in the interiors of Jaisalmer district in Rajasthan, he continues the long tradition of kamancha making in his family. Ram Suthar's skilled hands take a solid block of wood and convert it into a marvellous stringed instrument in a span of 15 days.

Speciality: Kamancha. This is the instrument that is at the heart of the Manganiyars's music. And Suthar, from the caste of carpenters, as his name suggests is the finest maker of it. All he needs is a block of wood of his choosing. To order this unique instrument, write to us.

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