The Third Stream - Sitar and Guitar Jugalbandi

East Meets West Fusion

by Ashwin Batish and David Harnish

About the Artists

Very soulful playing by Ashiwn and David. The music is classical and somewhat jazzy. It does give one the feeling of freshness bringing forth two culturally significant instruments to shake hands and fuse Eastern and Western traditions successfully.

This album follows more of the North Indian classical tradition than the familiar East/West fusion forms. The compositions are based upon traditional ragas, and are made unique by the interaction between the sitar and the guitar – a mixture that is not commonly experimented with in India. The acoustic textures of each instrument complement one another well. David has studied music with Ashwin, and they have performed together regularly. Over the years, he has done well in understanding and complementing Ashwin’s musical style. It is this relationship that makes their “call and response” improvisations spontaneous.
Since this album’s first release, on cassette, in 1981, Ashwin has gone on to release two more fusion albums–Sitar Power I and Sitar Power II, with David accompanying him on the guitar.

This release on CD is brand new and the tracks have been especially enhanced from the original analog reel master to the present Compact Disc format.