Maithree

Description: 
The Music of Friendship
Composers: 
Turlough O’ Carolan
Nirmala Rajasekar
Thanjavur K. Murugaboopathi
Pat O’Keefe
Vasant Desai
Haydar Tatlıyay
Sri Annamacharya
Michelle Kinney
Peter Linman
Performers: 
Nirmala Rajasekar
Thanjavur K. Murugaboopathi
Michelle Kinney
Pat O’Keefe
Tim O’Keefe
Catalog Number: 
#987
Genre: 
world
Collection: 
India
cello
percussion
Turkey
fusion
music for dance
soundtrack
women
Location: 

Minneapolis, MN

Price: 
$15.00
Release Date: 
Oct 26, 2018
Liner Notes: 
View
1 CD
One Sheet: 

Music forges strong bonds of camaraderie among its creators, performers, and listeners. Maithree: The Music of Friendship does exactly that in proposing a harmonious coexistence between players from different cultures who share a common global dream of enthusiastic diversity. As the album’s co-producer Gary Hines (leader of the Grammy-winning Sounds of Blackness) says:

These are more than just songs. They are a rhythmic, melodic & harmonic convergence of many diverse souls & spirits into one expressive creation. What comes from the heart reaches the heart. The Maithree experience makes our hearts beat together as one.

Maithree, the ensemble, was formed when Nirmala Rajasekar, Indian veena virtuoso, invited some friends to play music together. With visiting South Indian drum guru Boopathi, cellist Michelle Kinney, and brothers Pat (clarinet) and Tim O’Keefe (world percussion), this is Minnesota-grown idealism at its finest, where no barriers to musical or social concord get in the way. Maithree, the similarly-named album, features original music, along with new arrangements of Indian, Irish, and Turkish tunes. Maithree, the composition, was originally written for a 1966 concert at the United Nations, bringing a message of world peace and friendship across borders. What could be more timely?

Maithree is a testament to Rajasekar's belief in the power of the arts to build community — a message as important as it is joyful:

Now, more than ever, we need music to bring us together, to remember what we have in common while celebrating what makes us different.

Rajasekar has an international four-decade career as one of the leading veena players in the world. A trailblazer in the Carnatic tradition, she is an active collaborator. Her career highlights include the NAACP Image Award for World Music Album with Sounds of Blackness and a Carnegie Hall performance with Butterfly.

Reviews: 

SONGLINES

"This album deserves wide attention for both its beautiful music and message." - Garth Cartwright

STAR TRIBUNE - Minnesota master of Indian Carnatic music is one of world's top veena players

MINN POST

"this is music played among friends...it’s warm, joyous and upbeat...its message one of world peace and friendship across borders." [FULL ARTICLE] - Pamela Espeland

JAZZ WEEKLY

"Sublime clarinet teams with Indian strings and melcy on  “Mallari” with much of the material digging into deep rooves as on “Paentatonic” and the mourning “Nihavent Oyun Havasi.” A nice intercontinental journey." [FULL ARTICLE] - George Harris

BLOGFOOLK

 "Maithree, the music of friendship" is an astonishing debut for the formation, rich and balanced, daring and reckless. An unprecedented fusion project, which leaves hope for future developments and even more courageous collaborations." [FULL ARTICLE] - Edoardo Marcarini

KATHODIK

"Listening to these songs gives us an intense, positive, heady, invigorating experience: it is really about friendship music" [FULL ARTICLE] - Filippo Focosi

ARTS & CULTURE MAVEN

"The results are lively and compelling, with a mesmerizing quality that is fueled by the emphasis on percussion. The addition of clarinet and cello creates some truly intriguing musical fabric" [FULL ARTICLE]