New Delhi: Celebrated roots musicians from France, Norway, South Korea, Zimbabwe, Mauritius, Azerbaijan, Canada and Estonia will perform with legends and masters from across India at the 17th edition of Jodhpur RIFF.
The folk music and art festival will be held at the 15th century Mehrangarh Fort from October 16, the organisers announced on Thursday.
The grand celebration of roots music will invite over 280 musicians from across the world and India, including French electronica artist Eric Mouquet, Norwegian Sami music ensemble Gabba, Estonian folk stars Puuluup along with Indian composer-singer Sona Mohapatra, Warsi Brothers from Hyderabad, legendary Rajasthani musician Meherdeen Khan Langa and Koodiyattam maestro Kapila Venu.
"Jodhpur RIFF has been at the forefront of the Indian roots music scene for 17 years now. Our commitment to roots music also means that we think beyond silos such as music. dance, theatre or classical, jazz, folk and ‘Sufi’ and truly explore the wonder that is our collective, living, musical heritage. This year's Jodhpur RIFF aims to do just that," festival director Divya Bhatia said in a statement.
The festival's lineup includes the Manganiyar musicians of Marwar, emerging Rajasthani roots music group SAZ, Hindustani classcial vocalists Anuja Zokarkar and Barnali Chattopadhyay, vocalist Sumitra Das Goswami, called 'the Cuckoo of Rajasthan', and Bhakti singer Kaluram Bamaniya.
Sticking to its founding philosophy, Jodhpur RIFF will present collaborations between different streams of dance, music, and theatre.
One such collaborations is between SAZ, a trio of Rajasthani folk musicians, and kathak exponent Tarini Tripathi.
Other highlights which blend performance forms include Koodiyattam, Dilip Bhatt’s 'Tamasha' from Jaipur, Pavakathakali by the Natanakairali Pavakathakali Ensemble and lead by Guru G Venu) and Lavani by Aditi Bhawat.
Similarly, walls between genres will be scaled this year by performers like Mauritian multi-instrumentalist Emlyn Marimutu, who blends elements from African, Malagasy and Indian music; Louis Mhlanga, who mixes American and Zimbabwean influences; and Gray by Silver from South Korea, a group which finds equal inspiration in contemporary Western classical, indigenous folk song, modern jazz, and new age instrumental.
"Rajasthani folk artists are equal to the best roots musicians in the world. Not just in terms of their musical heritage but also how some of them are reinterpreting and contemporising their legacy for the current generation. Jodhpur RIFF is proof of this. The festival exists to provide an enabling environment and superb platform for folk artists.
"But it also serves to introduce remarkable international performers to our audiences and gives these artists a fantastic opportunity to interact and collaborate with the infinite living treasure that is Rajasthani folk," Maharaja Gaj Singh II of Marwar-Jodhpur, chief patron of Jodhpur RIFF, said.
Congolese drummer Elli Miller-Maboungu, ghatam masters Sukanya Ramgopal and Giridhar Udupa, the Natiq Shirinov 'Rhythm Group', known to be Azerbaijan's most popular wedding percussionists, along with Rajasthani dholak maestros Feroze Khan Manganiyar and Sadik Khan Langa, and leading khartal exponents Devu Khan Manganiyar and Zakir Khan Langa will spread the magic of percussion at Jodhpur RIFF.
The four-day festival will come to a close on October 20.