Bourbon & Rosewater by V.M. Bhatt and Jerry Douglas
 

This thread is an open invitation for anyone who has a comment or question about this album, which recently won by a FAIR album club poll :-
According to fazstp, MB`s very own V.M.Bhatt expert, this album is better than his more publicised collaboration with Ry Cooder, "A Meeting By The River".
If anyone else has heard both albums, what do you think ?

Wow, this is a fantastic record. I voted for it, not really knowing what to expect, and I'm astonished with it. The combination of guitar (and the addition of a dobro, I think?) and the mohan veena (I'll be honest and say that I had to look up what instrument he was playing and then had to look up what the instrument was period :p:) on the compositions are surprisingly complimentary. I like the idea of the whole East and West fusion with the traditional Indian music and the Southern blues clashing in such a beautiful way. Also, the progression of the songs are great, where they generally start off with a slower bit, sometimes synchronized between the two instruments, sometimes laced with harmonies and chord progressions. After this fades, Bhatt and Douglas speed up and let their fingers fly on scale variations. This interesting idea for fusion has gone horribly right, it gets my vote for excellent.

Highlights of the album are the bookends, "Bourbon & Rosewater" and "Mississippi Mud". They seem to be the more polarized songs on the album, with the former being more Indian based and the latter more blues based. That's not to say that these songs don't have both elements, it's just that they're the most focused on their specified genres. The only song that I dislike on the album is "Overtones & Stained Glass," it just falls flat in comparison to the album as a whole, and it just seems bland to me. The rest of the album is great, though.

I'll definitely check out the Meeting by the River album with Ry Cooder, I haven't heard much of his work, just Safe as Milk and Taj Mahal. If it's anywhere near to how good this album is, then I'm sure I'll be set with a solid piece of work. Thanks for the submission, stp! I'm really glad that I found this album.

I thought this album was a good example of a true 'fusion' of two vastly different styles. On the Ry Cooder album I thought it sounded more like Ry Cooder accompanying V.M.Bhatt but here they really meet in the middle. To hear these musicians play together you would think they had known each other for years. There is also a natural sort of warmth to the album that makes it engaging in a Sunday afternoon sort of way. Well worth a listen.

At first I thought I`d be able to distinguish the Indian Rosewater from the American Bourbon, but that plan only lasted a couple of bars. In any case, the strength of this album, as already mentioned, is the way the different elements are so cleverly blended. Every track sounds like a true collaboration – made me think of listening to an anecdote being told by an affectionate couple, each contributing a detail to help the story along.

As Frownland says, there`s a good balance of tempos, and that`s a neat observation about the "bookend" tracks. I was ok with the Stained Glass track that you mentioned though, Frownland ; to me the weakest song was Bent Notes, with its chirpy little hook, while a favourite was the slower-paced Resurrection which has a touch of cello or something I suspect.

As both musicians were new to me, I checked out how they sounded solo, and was surprised to see how similar their chosen instruments are.


Pt Vishwa Mohan Bhatt at SPICMACAY UCI - YouTube


Little Medley / Jerry Douglas - YouTube

If nothing else, these clips give some indication of why the standard of playing on Bourbon and Rosewater is so high. Another top-quality recommendation from stp ! :clap:

That is pretty impressive. Will have to look into more of his work.

^ Yes, I`m planning to do the same. He seems to be well known on the live bluegrass circuit - fronting a band of his own, playing with Bela Fleck, etc. Let us know what you uncover.