Festivals of Nepal CD - Sur Sudha

Profile:
Folk group from Nepal
Members:
Bijaya Vaidya - Sitar
Prem Rana "Autari" - Flute
Surendra Shrestha - Tabla

Sur Sudha is an ensemble from Nepal that has been researching and performing folk music from the nation for a number of years. The core trio plays flute, sitar, and tabla, and the recording is filled out with the constant presence of a droning tanpura, occasional voices, and some studio effects and programming that at least don't radically mar the sound the group makes. The songs are from traditional sources, but this is not a folkloric recording. This is popular music, made in the studio to create a large sound and attract a broader audience. Sur Sudha and their European producers have heard of Enya and hope they can create a sound that will prove as successful for Asian music. That said, the richness of the acoustic instruments is not buried, and the songs themselves are wonderful, and the performers are skillful arrangers and performers. This recording is not for the purist, but it is a good introduction to a little-known musical territory. It is also a good argument for why popularized folk music should be done by the locals and not by Europeans and Americans who like to sample the sounds but don't understand the source. Sur Sudha's offering is light, but it's the genuine article. --Louis Gibson

Tracklisting:
1 Mangal Dhoon 6:05
2 Basanta 7:20
3 Shiva Ratri 6:19
4 Fagu 6:18
5 Silu 6:35
6 Teej 8:43
7 Bada Dashain 8:07
8 Tihar 3:39