TRUST ME I KNOW WHAT I'm DOING

Once again, thank you for listening to TRUST ME I KNOW WHAT I’m DOING and sharing it with your friends, and for following along on social media. If you’re enjoying these episodes, please take a moment to submit a rating and review, as it’s very much appreciated. So it’s not always obvious, but with art and especially music, there is a great duality of dynamism and stillness, and I’ve found that the masters seem to live and create and perform with a great synchrony and integration of this dynamism and stillness. As a fan of Indian classical music, it’s a joy to see this on stage and experience or listen intently or even casually, especially when the product is simply a pure expression of the authenticity of the artist, and this is probably how many listeners and admirers would describe master vocalist, Kaushiki Chakraborty. Kaushiki has been a devoted student and exponent of Indian classical music since she was a child, and she’s been showcasing this exact authenticity on a journey of ongoing mastery for many years now, with a devotion and truth to her craft and art. Her guru is her father, classical Indian vocalist Pandit Ajoy Chakraborty, and Kaushiki accompanied him on tours as a child, and performed her first solo concert when she was 16. She is also trained in carnatic classical music from Pandit M. Balamurali Krishna, which amazingly has ensured for her an equal command over the various vocal forms that fall under the umbrella of classical Indian music. Kaushiki is a steward of the Patiala gharana, and has widely been considered as a generational master vocalist. Her incredible khayal performances are foundational and her expressions through thumri, dadra, and bhajan offer a true range across the genre. Her performance has been described as a careful blend of lilt and force, powerful and supersonic…yet sweet and soothing. On top of that, Kaushiki’s depth and command, and creativity as a versatile musician and composer are showcased by her numerous projects with films, contemporary and popular music performances, and collaborations. I was lucky enough to catch up with her after a recent US and European tour to chat about it all, from reverance and optimism, to the joy of being a parent and teaching music to her own son. But we started with a very specific July in India topic, about classical music and singing in the rainy monsoon season…