About Lehera
LEHERA brings together their roots in North and South Indian classical music and Western musical forms to create a genre – tripping vibe both energetic and contemplative. Vocals in English and Classical Indian styles intertwine with Hindustani slide guitar, violin, bamboo flutes and vocal harmonics and are driven by exciting Ghatam (Clay pot drum), Konnakol(Carnatic drum language) and world percussion peppered with funky and bluesy guitaring.
“[Lehera] …has given fusion a different dimension, mixing classical [Indian] with funk and jazz.”
- The Deccan Herald, India.
“I firmly believe in the Lehera project. It has a lot of energy and is well played!”
– Dave King, bassist ( Dizzy Gillespie, Bobby McFerrin, Laurie Anderson, Jimmy Smith, Shirley Bassey, Tina Turner Billy Cobham, Elton John etc).
“Though the artists are from different traditions, their performance was unique and outstanding”
- Ms. Ramamani, Karnataka College of Percussion.
“The band has expertly blended everything from konnakol to blues and jazz guitaring to vocal harmonics”
- The Hindu, Bangalore.
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HOW WE GOT TOGETHER
In March of 2005, a few weeks after experiencing the tsunami (which hit while I was playing guitar with the bhajan group in the temple at the ashram of Mata Amritanandamayi on the coast of Kerala,) and by circumstance, being involved in some of the relief activities, I proceeded to Bolpur in Bengal where I lived, studied and played with Baul musicians
Nitya and Sandya ( Nitya recorded on Real World artist, Paban Das’ Inner Knowledge Cd). From Calcutta, after a ten hour bus ride mostly over potholes(well maybe not mostly), I arrived in Bangladesh. I spent three weeks there guesting on several recording projects of producer Feisal Siddiqui. Bidding farewell to the troubled land of my childhood, I returned to Calcutta and embarked on the 36 or so hour train ride to Bangalore. I finally met with some of my favourite musicians and in my opinion pioneers of the most successful Indo-jazz fusion, T.A.S. Mani and R.A.Ramamani, principals of the Karnataka College of percussion.
One thing led to another and I was referred to Hindustani slide guitarist, Prakash Sontakke. We met, spoke, drank chai and played music, and within hours of meeting, felt as if, in Prakash’s words, “we had known each other musically for years.I could complement everything Prashant did in Hindustani, without distorting any of it.” Then came the question of a percussionist. As both of us preferred at the time to keep this project an acoustic and organic one, the natural choice was a close friend and musical colleague of Prakash’s, Karthik
Mani, who, it turned out, was the son of Mr. and Ms. Mani mentioned above.
Three days before I was to return to Canada, we rehearsed and spent a day in a Bangalore studio recording five pieces of music that I used to get us a small tour in British Columbia, Canada in 2006. We hope to enjoy exploring the possibilities of playing music not limited by culture and genre and that flows naturally from us. Inspired as we are by the variety of great music, how can we not want to include influences from any or all.
Stay well.
Peace – Prashant
