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FYC: RAGAS & WALTZES (BEST CONTEMPORARY INSTRUMENTAL ALBUM)

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Ragas & Waltzes is an ode to the power of nostalgia.

 

Dedicated to Charu's father who died of a sudden heart attack in December, the album pays tribute to both Indian ragas and European waltzes --both which her dad introduced the young composer to while she was growing up in India.  In this album, she reimagines both musical styles through her own voice and lens. Produced and mixed by GRAMMY ®-winning Lonnie Park, the album is her first collaboration with Preservation Hall jazz drummer, Joe Lastie. 

What critics are saying...

Aside from its fascinating aesthetic, Suri’s music tells a personal story. It reflects her years as a traveling piano prodigy and the experiences that she has gathered along the way. That international story continues to be told on her new album, Ragas & Waltzes, produced by Lonnie Park, a GRAMMY ® Award winner. The new full-length offers a tender and stylish marriage between the music of the East and the music of the West.  - JAZZIZ Magazine

What (Charu) does with her fourth album release, Ragas & Waltzes, is to tip her pork pie hat to her father, with a lovely exploration of European and Indian musical traditions. The disc opens with a one-two-three combination of waltzes—"Vienna Waltz," "Verona Waltz" and "Waltz For My Father." These are all Suri originals, with which she creates a mood that is a mix, tune-by-tune, of longing and solemnity, then of a lilting and uplifting beauty, segueing into tender reverence that shifts gear into a segment of lively swing before drifting back to loving respect. And that swing is surely inspired by New Orleans' Preservation Hall Jazz Band's drummer, Joe Lastie, Jr., sitting in the recording session's drummer's chair. -- All About Jazz

Ragas & Waltzes are not your grandmother’s waltzes. These are genre defying blissful combinations that are worlds apart. Your heart and spirit will thank you for the experience. - R J Lannan, Artisan Music Reviews.

Charu Suri: piano/composer

Joe Lastie: Drums

Noshir Mody: Guitar

Denise Fink: Harp

Philip Vaiman: Violin

Al Jewer: Flutes

Justin Lee: Double Bass

Lonnie Park: Producer/Mixing

Tom Eaton: Mastering

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Vienna Waltz

02 - Vienna WaltzCharu Suri
00:00 / 01:56

Verona Waltz

01 - Verona WaltzCharu Suri
00:00 / 04:12

Waltz For My Father

03 - Waltz For My FatherCharu Suri
00:00 / 06:17

Raga Kalyani

04 - Raga KalyaniCharu Suri
00:00 / 06:18

Raga Hemant

05 - Raga HemantCharu Suri
00:00 / 08:31

Farewell Waltz

06 - Farewell WaltzCharu Suri
00:00 / 03:19

NOTES ABOUT THE ALBUM...

This album was composed with great love and reverence for my father. "Waltz For My Father" was actually composed the day after he died. He would always say, one must dance through life.

It is dedicated to him, and to all of us who have struggled with adversity, and want a better future, a future filled with the spirit of dance and great, lyrical beauty. 

 

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