Journey Into Electric Ganesha Land

I think it’s been more than a year since Param told me, in the course of one of our many rambling phone conversations, about Electric Ganesha Land, guitarist Prasanna’s masterful tribute to Jimi Hendrix. I vaguely remember him searching for words to describe the amazing music, and promised him that I’d check it out.

I finally did. Today.
And my concepts of Carnatic and Hendrix and everything in between hasn’t been the same since.

I can’t stop listening to it. It is mesmerising, addictive, unlike anything I’ve heard before. It’s like a Frank Zappa meets U Srinivas world. It’s not Ragamalika on steroids, and it’s certainly not Voodoo Child riding on ghatam and kanjira. There are screaming riffs, delicate Carnatic microtonal shakes, rollicking street rythms, sweet melodies, and even a little bit of the bizarre.

The opening  track Eruption in Bangalore sets the stage for what is to follow. And Prasanna just lets it rip in Snakebanger’s Ball, with the quitessential south-Indian street rythms and his tongue firmly in cheek. From the moodiness of Dark Sundae In Triplicane to the liberally distored sound of 9th Stone From The Sum to the wah-wah infused Iguana On A Funky Trail, the album moves from innovative sound to innovative sound, taking you on a ride Hendrix would have been proud of.  Sri Jimi, the actual tribute song from this album is all big riffs, power chords and sweet bends, set at a manic pace. The surprise track though, is Bowling For Peace. The melody just sweeps you off your feet, the rythm flows rather than keeps time, and you’re just left asking for more…

A live version of Sri Jimi performed at a Carnatic concert in Chennai.

How do you react to such innovative music? I’m just glad people haven’t tried to categorize it yet. I’m loath to use the word ‘fusion’, after generations of clueless, though well meaning and highly capable musicians butchered the genre. I firmly believe there should be a law against using the word outside the confines of the world of physics.

Then again, comparisons to the music of John McLaughin and Mahavishnu Orchestra and Shakti will be made. Both have unique approaches to the subject. These bands were essentially star-studded line-ups. Musicians who were wizards on their instruments, working within the confines of their craft and yet creating a sound that blew your mind away with its precision, speed and technical correctness. Prasanna seems to break free of these very confines. Like a brat he revels in breaking all the rules, and he has the skill to do that with elan.
He doesn’t strike a false note, ever, and yet manages to avoid sounding too polished, too perfect or too sharp. He brings in  raw energy, and I don’t say that only because of his liberal use of heavy distortion. It’s that attitude of breaking free of barriers, the attitude that Hendrix personified, that sets Prasanna apart, in my view.

Excerpt of Prasanna’s composition “31″ from a live concert at Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, NY – with the greats – Anthony Jackson on bass and Omar Hakim on drums

Is Prasanna the most innovative sound in guitar that I’ve ever heard? I don’t believe in superlatives in music…it’s all subjective. You either like it or you don’t. But after a day of listening and re-listening to this album, and letting the music grow on me, I think the answer is a resounding Yes!! For now, at least…
“Excuse me while I kiss the sky” said the incomparable Hendrix, and today I’ve been doing just that the whole morning.

“Raga Thodi” – Prasanna performing the traditional Carnatic raga Thodi on guitar – Excerpt from Prasanna’s guitar instructional DVD ‘Ragamorphism’.

P.S. Just discovered, courtesy Wikipedia, that Prasanna has a Bachelor’s degree in Naval Architecture from IIT Chennai, and that he worked as a Software Engineer for a year with CBS, before quitting his job to get a degree in Classical Composition and Jazz Composition from Berklee School of Music.
Just HOW do these guys do it all!!!

~ by Shubho on March 12, 2007.