Moving my blog over to shawnmativetsky.com

Dear friends,

With the recent update of my website, I now have the ability to integrate the blog directly into the website, so that is what I am doing; it just makes sense. I will no longer be posting updates here. Thank you to all of you for your interest in my musical adventures. Please click along to my website for the continuation of this blog in the future! If you would like to update your RSS subscription, this is the new RSS URL: http://shawnmativetsky.com/blogs/blog.atom

I hope to see you over at shawnmativetsky.com!

Shawn

Tuesday 23 April 2013

Ragleela in the Studio

This past January, Ragleela went into the studio to record the group's third album (my first with the group), Third Ear, which will be released this fall. On the album is Uwe on sitar and sansa, Jean-Marc on 7-string guitar, Eric on percussion, Cédric on contrabass, Guillaume on clarinet and bass-clarinet, and with myself on tabla and some other percussion as well.

We recorded at Studio Frisson (Montreal), with Don on sound and Michel producing. I have recorded at Frisson numerous times in the past, with composers Nicole Lizée and Ram Borcar, but this was my first time at the new Frisson space in the east-end of the city. It's an old church that has been converted; very spacious!

Everything was recorded live, with everyone in the same space. Dividers were placed between us in order to isolate the sound of each instrument as much as possible.

Since the album won't be out for quite a while (patience, patience...), here are some photos in the meantime! :)

Cedric, deep in concentration.
Percussionists on lunch break!
Creative discussions in progress!
Jean-Marc in the hot seat.




Percussive exchanges!



Thanks to Caroline for the photos!

Sunday 14 April 2013

Saturday Matinee with Ragleela

Yesterday, Ragleela performed an afternoon concert at the Salle de Diffusion Parc-Extension in Montreal. We didn't know what to expect from a concert at 4pm, but the hall was completely full to capacity (overflowing, in fact)! I suppose it helps that the concert was free. :)

As some of you may have seen in previous posts, the Ragleela ensemble is somewhat variable in instrumentation. For this concert, the group was made up of Uwe on sitar (and sansa), Jean-Marc on guitar (his custom 7-string, and gourd guitar), Cédric on contrabass, Guillaume on clarinet (and bass-clarinet), and myself on tabla (with my new tabla-percussion kit that includes two Tablatones and a couple of cymbals).

Aside from the opening tune, View of the Green Valley, all the pieces we played were from Ragleela's upcoming CD. This was also the concert premiere of Open Horizons and Sansala, both of which were composed mainly by Jean-Marc, making them oddities in our repertoire (most of Ragleela's music is principally composed by sitarist Uwe). Open Horizons is in drut Teentaal, and features some lovely melodies, and virtuosic solos exchanges between the sitar and the guitar. Sansala features some haunting melodies on bass clarinet, with the tabla and sansa providing a relentless groove in three. Unfortunately, I can't post any samples until the CD is released!







The next Ragleela concerts are set for July 21 in Sainte-Therese, and August 18 in Vercheres. The new album should be out this fall!


Thank you to Caroline for capturing these musical moments.