Sarathy Korwar - Day To Day; Day To Day Remixes '2016

Tracks list

The extraordinary debut album from percussionist, drummer and producer Sarathy
Korwar – “Day To Day” – fuses traditional folk music
of the Sidi community in India (combining East African, Sufi and Indian
influences) with jazz and electronics. It’s a collaborative release by
Ninja Tune with The Steve Reid Foundation – a charitable trust
established by Brownswood / Gilles Peterson with the dual objective of helping
musicians in crisis and also supporting emerging talent. Sarathy is an alumnus
of the Foundation’s development program, mentored by Four Tet, Emanative,
Floating Points, Koreless and Gilles Peterson – all trustees of the
foundation. 

“Sarathy instantly caught my attention when he said he wanted to make an
album that embraced both Indian folk music and jazz - two worlds that have had a
big influence on me. His album succeeds in bringing these things together in an
elegant way, but it’s his own style and ideas that come through the most
in the music. Refreshingly different, this is a deep and powerful listening
experience.” Four Tet 

The Steve Reid Foundation commemorates the life and legacy of legendary
percussionist/drummer Steve Reid. It is fitting that Sarathy’s album
follows the lineage and spirit of Reid who himself left New York and took on a
spiritual pilgrimage through Africa in the mid-1960s. For three years he
journeyed through West Africa, playing with people along the way, including Fela
Kuti, Guy Warren and Randy Weston. The musical roots and routes of the Black
Atlantic have been discussed and documented extensively, but Sarathy is
highlighting a different dispersal of people in the other direction, from East
Africa to India. The Sidis travelled to India from Africa as merchants, sailors,
indentured servants and mercenaries from as far back as 628 AD and have settled
in India ever since. 

Conceived on an extended trip to rural Gujarat, followed by sessions at Dawn
Studios in Pune, Sarathy made field recordings of The Sidi Troupe of Ratanpur
whose vocals and percussion form the backbone of “Day To Day”. The
troupe features five drummers – their polyrhythms reflect their African
heritage, in contrast to traditional Indian drummers who play in unison.
Likewise, the Malunga bows (there are only 4 or 5 players in India) bear a
striking resemblance to those found in Africa. 

“The record is about how we individually and collectively live from day to
day. The everyday rituals and tasks that bind us together, it’s a
celebration of the trivial and mundane,” explains Sarathy. The colourful
handmade rag quilts that the Sidis make using everyday fabrics serve as a
perfect metaphor for the record: “The Sidi women make these amazing
collages of colour using everyday rags,” he says. “That’s how
I see this album”. 

Born in the US, Sarathy Korwar grew up in Ahmedabad and Chennai in India. He
began playing tabla aged 10 but was also drawn to the American music that he
heard on the radio and that leaked through the doorway of his local jazz music
shop, Ahmad Jamal and John Coltrane were early discoveries. At 17, Sarathy moved
to Pune to study for a degree in Environmental Science, but instead dedicated
his time to music: practicing tabla under the tutelage of Rajeev Devasthali,
translating his skills to the Western drumkit and playing as a session musician.
Finishing his studies, Sarathy began to think about pursuing a career in music
and moved to London, where he trained as a classical tabla player under the
guidance of Sanju Sahai and graduated with a MMus in Performance from SOAS
(School of Oriental and African Studies) focusing on the adaptation of Indian
classical rhythmic material to non-Indian percussion instruments. 

Working the angles in London’s jazz scene, Sarathy connected with Shabaka
Hutchings (Sons of Kemet, The Comet is Coming), Cara Stacey (Kit Records) and
played with clarinettist Arun Ghosh. He was, however, itching to create under
his own name and he started researching and formulating the concept for
“Day To Day” and planning a trip to India to record the Sidis. It
was late in 2014 when Sarathy heard about the Steve Reid Foundation. He applied
with a three-minute video explaining his vision for the record and was accepted
onto the project to be mentored by the foundation’s patrons: Four Tet,
Floating Points, Gilles Peterson, Koreless and Emanative (aka Nick Woodmansey
who mixed the album). 

“’Day To Day’ is an exceptional debut by this
multi-percussive artist fusing jazz, electronic and Indian harmonics.” 
Gilles Peterson 

2016 Day To Day 24-44,1 Hi-Res
01. Sarathy Korwar - Bhajan (4:43)
02. Sarathy Korwar - Bismillah (8:05)
03. Sarathy Korwar - Dreaming (4:35)
04. Sarathy Korwar - Eyes Closed (3:31)
05. Sarathy Korwar - Hail (3:49)
06. Sarathy Korwar - Indefinite Leave To Remain (5:50)
07. Sarathy Korwar - Karam (5:36)
08. Sarathy Korwar - Lost Parade (1:13)
09. Sarathy Korwar - Mawra (Transcendence) (4:58)

2016 Day To Day Remixes 16-44,1 FLAC
01. Sarathy Korwar - Dreaming (Tenderlonious Remix) (5:29)
02. Sarathy Korwar - Bismillah (Photay Remix) (6:50)
03. Sarathy Korwar - Mawra (Transcendence) (Emanative Remix) (4:09)

Related artists