Bridge Music Publication launches music textbooks

In order to encourage musical talent among youth across the country, Bridge Music Publications has published music books in India, which includes original scores of composers, music textbooks for schools, method books for rhythm and ear training by various musicians and authors.

The publication has published a series of music textbooks titled 'Bridge to Music’. Present at the launch of the books were famous jazz musician Louis Banks and Bridge Music Private Limited director Ritesh Khokhar, at the ICCR, Azad Bhawan, New Delhi.

‘Bridge to Music’aims is to help young children between 6-10 years of age to learn music through detailed yet easy explanations and beautiful illustrations aimed at understanding and appreciation of music.

It is a first-of-a-kind textbooks developed to assist a structured and progressive music education in public schools. The textbooks aim to provide professional guidance in musical concepts to students. The series of international standard include books based on theory of music, ear training, composition and harmony presented in fun ways for instinctive and easy understanding of the young learners.    

Full report here Radioandmusic

Money and mithai

Namita Devidayal's latest book Aftertaste takes readers into the fascinating world of the Marwari business community, where money is king

It's about food, family, money, mithai and manipulation… Namita Devidayal's second novel, Aftertaste, the deliciously wicked saga of a Baniya family, is very different from her much-acclaimed debut novel “The Music Room”, set in the stately world of Hindustani classical music.

And not everyone is happy about that.

“It's a problem in our country with slotting — either you're a ‘serious writer' writing about classical music, or you're a ‘light writer' in the mould of Chetan Bhagat,” she said at the launch of Aftertaste in Landmark recently. “Now people expect me to write another book on the classical arts, but I just wanted to have fun with this book, and wanted readers to have fun as well.”

Aftertaste takes you into the fascinating world of the Marwari business community, where money is king. “This is a unique world one has no access to, a world where the currency of all emotion and exchange is money,” said Namita, a Mumbai-based journalist. “To me it's as amazing as the world of Indian classical music.”

Full report here Hindu

Israel to India, Sufi to Rajasthani Funk

Bouncing along in a brightly painted cab or breathing the sweet sanctity of a Sufi shrine, melodies come unbidden to musician and composer Shye Ben-Tzur. And they burst into full blossom on Shoshan (EarthSynch, distributed by White Swan; September 16, 2010), a funky filigree of unexpected trans-cultural devotional songs encompassing the soaring sounds of Rajastan, the literary cadences of Hebrew, and the pulse of a rock bass line.

The seemingly quirky juxtapositions--devotional qawwali music with Hebrew poetry, Indian classical vocals with rocking bass and Spanish guitar--flow from Ben-Tzur's decade-long love affair with India and his striking life experience. A published poet in his native Israel, he grew up studying music and playing in rock bands, until one fateful evening.

Ben-Tzur went to a concert given by two Indian classical masters, bansuri (flute) player Hariprasad Chaurasia and tabla player Zakir Hussain. He was so entranced by what he heard that he was soon packing his bags and heading to India, for what he thought would be a fairly short trip.

Full report here All About Jazz