''A Meeting by the River'' is an album recorded by
Ry Cooder
Ryland Peter "Ry" Cooder (born March 15, 1947) is an American musician, songwriter, film score composer, record producer, and writer. He is a multi-instrumentalist but is best known for his slide guitar work, his interest in traditional music, an ...
and
Vishwa Mohan Bhatt
Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, professionally known as V. M. Bhatt (born 27 July 1950), is an Hindustani classical music instrumentalist who plays the Mohan veena (slide guitar).
Personal life
Bhatt lives in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India, with his wife and ...
; it was recorded in September 1992 and released in April 1993 through the record label
Water Lily Acoustics
Water Lily Acoustics is an American record label in Santa Barbara, California founded in 1985 by Kavichandran Alexander, a Tamil from Sri Lanka. Alexander is a record producer and audio engineer. He named the label after his mother, Lily. The lab ...
.
This improvised, collaborative album features Cooder on
slide guitar
Slide guitar is a technique for playing the guitar that is often used in blues music. It involves playing a guitar while holding a hard object (a slide) against the strings, creating the opportunity for glissando effects and deep vibratos tha ...
and Bhatt on the ''
Mohan veena
Mohan veena refers to either of two distinct plucked string instruments used in Indian classical music, especially Hindustani classical music which is associated with the northern parts of the Indian subcontinent.
The first of these was a mix of ...
'', a stringed instrument created by Bhatt. ''A Meeting by the River'' was
produced by
Kavichandran Alexander
Kavichandran Alexander (born 3 May 1949) is an audio engineer and record producer. He is the founder of the American record label, Water Lily Acoustics. Alexander was the producer and engineer for the 1993 album '' A Meeting by the River'', fe ...
and Jayant Shah,
engineered by Alexander, and
mastered
Mastering, a form of audio post production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device (the master), the source from which all copies will be produced (via meth ...
by Kevin Michael Gray and Paul Stubblebine. It peaked at number four on ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' Top World Music Albums chart, and earned Cooder and Bhatt
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
s for
Best World Music Album
The Grammy Award for Best Global Music Album is an honor presented to recording artists for influential music from around the globe at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. Honors i ...
at the
36th Grammy Awards
The 36th Annual Grammy Awards were held on March 1, 1994. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year. Whitney Houston was the Big Winner winning 3 awards including Record of the Year and Album of the Year while opening th ...
in 1994. The album is included in Tom Moon's 2008 book ''
1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die
Onekama ( ) is a village in Manistee County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 411 at the 2010 census. The village is located on the shores of Portage Lake and is surrounded by Onekama Township. The town's name is derived from "On ...
''.
Composition
![Pt Vishwamohan Bhatt](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/34/Pt_Vishwamohan_Bhatt.jpg)
''A Meeting by the River'' was recorded in September 1992; it features Cooder solely on slide guitar and Bhatt on the ''Mohan veena'', a stringed instrument he created.
[ ]Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
's Daniel Gioffre described the instrument as a hybrid between a guitar and a ''vichitra veena
The ''vichitra veena'' ( sa, विचित्र वीणा) is a stick zither, a plucked string instrument used in Hindustani music. Similar to the Carnatic ''gottuvadhyam'' (chitra vina) it has no frets and is played with a slide.
The s ...
'';[ it is played with a metal slide moving across steel rods along the neck.] Cooder had heard a recording of Hindustani classical music
Hindustani classical music is the classical music of northern regions of the Indian subcontinent. It may also be called North Indian classical music or, in Hindustani, ''shastriya sangeet'' (). It is played in instruments like the violin, sita ...
performed by Bhatt and was impressed by his playing and the "haunting clarity" of the ''Mohan veena''. Cooder and Bhatt met for the first time less than one hour before recording began; they improvised much of the set; the album's liner notes state, "this recording was unplanned and unrehearsed".[ The album was produced by Kavichandran Alexander, founder of ]Water Lily Acoustics
Water Lily Acoustics is an American record label in Santa Barbara, California founded in 1985 by Kavichandran Alexander, a Tamil from Sri Lanka. Alexander is a record producer and audio engineer. He named the label after his mother, Lily. The lab ...
, and Jayant Shah. It was engineered by Alexander, and was mastered by Kevin Michael Gray and Paul Stubblebine. Cooder and Bhatt are accompanied by Cooder's then fourteen-year-old son Joachim on ''dumbek
The goblet drum (also chalice drum, tarabuka, tarabaki, darbuka, darabuka, derbake, debuka, doumbek, dumbec, dumbeg, dumbelek, toumperleki, tumbak, or zerbaghali; arz, دربوكة / Romanized: ) is a single-head membranophone with a goblet- ...
'', a Middle Eastern drum, and by Sukhvinder Singh Namdhari on ''tabla
A tabla, bn, তবলা, prs, طبلا, gu, તબલા, hi, तबला, kn, ತಬಲಾ, ml, തബല, mr, तबला, ne, तबला, or, ତବଲା, ps, طبله, pa, ਤਬਲਾ, ta, தபலா, te, తబల ...
''.
The collaboration between Cooder and Bhatt is Alexander's first attempt to record musicians of different cultures together, one of his goals when he founded the record label.[ Author George Plasketes described Bhatt's playing as "highly nuanced" and said, Cooder performs in a more "loose-jointed, slip 'n' slide style".][ According to Gioffre, Cooder and Bhatt use improvisation and "voice-like" phrasing, showing melodic performances in an alternating fashion and in unison.][ The album contains four tracks, three of which are credited to Cooder and Bhatt; tracks range in duration from approximately seven-and-a-half minutes to twelve minutes.][ "Longing" has a structure similar to a '']raga
A ''raga'' or ''raag'' (; also ''raaga'' or ''ragam''; ) is a melodic framework for improvisation in Indian classical music akin to a musical mode, melodic mode. The ''rāga'' is a unique and central feature of the classical Indian music tradit ...
''. Author Tom Moon said Cooder takes the lead on the hymn "Isa Lei
"" is a traditional Fijian farewell song.
Origin
The origin of this song is disputed. One versions holds that Turaga Bale na Tu'i Nayau, Ratu Tevita Uluilakeba composed it in 1916 for Adi Litia Tavanavanua (1900–1983), when she visited Tubou ...
" as Bhatt contributes "elaborate squiggling asides" and "swooping nosedives". In 2011, Bhatt performed "A Meeting by the River" at a music festival in honor of guru
Guru ( sa, गुरु, IAST: ''guru;'' Pali'': garu'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: traditionally, the guru is a reverentia ...
Kelucharan Mohapatra
Kelucharan Mohapatra (8 January 1926 – 7 April 2004) was a legendary Indian classical dancer, guru, and exponent of Odissi dance, who is credited with the revival and popularizing of this classical dance form in the 20th century.
He is ...
. Bhatt said of the song, "Music has no religion and no geographical or linguistic barrier. It speaks a universal language. My composition – 'A Meeting by the River' – aims at explaining this." Bhatt has said he considers working with Cooder his "most special" collaboration.
Reception
Gioffre wrote a positive review of the album and called Cooder and Bhatt "genuine masters" of their respective instruments.[ He described the musical interplay between the musicians as "nothing short of astounding" and the album as a rare instance in which a combination of genres works. Gioffre also wrote, "this album is masterfully recorded; each instrument is clear, distinct, and three-dimensional sounding. ''A Meeting by the River'' is a must-own, a thing of pure, unadulterated beauty, and the strongest record in Cooder's extensive catalog."][ Peter Margasak of the '']Chicago Tribune
The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...
'' awarded the album four stars out of four, describing Cooder's performance as "arresting" and Bhatt's as "haunting". Margasak wrote that the fusion revealed a "rare, often transcendental beauty" as the two artists "gently and intuitively" found common ground.[ '']Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' called the album "fruitful" and awarded it three stars out of five.[
]
Chart performance and recognition
''A Meeting by the River'' reached a peak position of number four on ''Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' Top World Music Albums chart. In 1994
File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...
, the album earned Cooder and Bhatt Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
s for Best World Music Album
The Grammy Award for Best Global Music Album is an honor presented to recording artists for influential music from around the globe at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. Honors i ...
. Bhatt became one of a few Indian musicians to have received a Grammy Award until A. R. Rahman
Allah Rakha Rahman (; born A. S. Dileep Kumar; 6 January 1967) is an Indian music composer, record producer, singer and songwriter, popular for his works in Indian cinema; predominantly in Tamil and Hindi films, with occasional forays in int ...
won at the 52nd Grammy Awards
The 52nd Annual Grammy Awards took place on January 31, 2010, at Staples Center in Los Angeles honoring the best in music for the recording year beginning October 1, 2008 through September 30, 2009. Neil Young was honored as the 2010 MusiCares Pe ...
in 2010. Previous Indian award winners had been recognized jointly with Western artists. The February 25, 1995, issue of ''Billboard'', which featured the annual "Indies Spotlight" and covered independent music between the January 29, 1994, and January 21, 1995, issues of the magazine included ''A Meeting by the River'' at number ten on its list of the "Top Indie World Music Albums". The album is included in Tom Moon's 2008 book ''1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die
Onekama ( ) is a village in Manistee County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 411 at the 2010 census. The village is located on the shores of Portage Lake and is surrounded by Onekama Township. The town's name is derived from "On ...
: A Listener's Life List''.[
]
Track listing
All tracks by Ry Cooder
Ryland Peter "Ry" Cooder (born March 15, 1947) is an American musician, songwriter, film score composer, record producer, and writer. He is a multi-instrumentalist but is best known for his slide guitar work, his interest in traditional music, an ...
and Vishwa Mohan Bhatt
Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, professionally known as V. M. Bhatt (born 27 July 1950), is an Hindustani classical music instrumentalist who plays the Mohan veena (slide guitar).
Personal life
Bhatt lives in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India, with his wife and ...
unless noted otherwise.
# "A Meeting by the River" – 10:03
# "Longing" – 11:56
# "Ganges Delta Blues" – 9:57
# "Isa Lei
"" is a traditional Fijian farewell song.
Origin
The origin of this song is disputed. One versions holds that Turaga Bale na Tu'i Nayau, Ratu Tevita Uluilakeba composed it in 1916 for Adi Litia Tavanavanua (1900–1983), when she visited Tubou ...
" (Caten) – 7:39
Track listing adapted from Allmusic.[
]
Personnel
* Kavichandran Alexander
Kavichandran Alexander (born 3 May 1949) is an audio engineer and record producer. He is the founder of the American record label, Water Lily Acoustics. Alexander was the producer and engineer for the 1993 album '' A Meeting by the River'', fe ...
– engineer
Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...
, liner notes
Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes.
Origin
Liner notes are desce ...
, producer
* Vishwa Mohan Bhatt
Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, professionally known as V. M. Bhatt (born 27 July 1950), is an Hindustani classical music instrumentalist who plays the Mohan veena (slide guitar).
Personal life
Bhatt lives in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India, with his wife and ...
– Mohan veena
Mohan veena refers to either of two distinct plucked string instruments used in Indian classical music, especially Hindustani classical music which is associated with the northern parts of the Indian subcontinent.
The first of these was a mix of ...
, performer, slide guitar
Slide guitar is a technique for playing the guitar that is often used in blues music. It involves playing a guitar while holding a hard object (a slide) against the strings, creating the opportunity for glissando effects and deep vibratos tha ...
* Joachim Cooder
Joachim Herbert Cooder (born August 23, 1978) is a drummer, percussionist, composer, and keyboardist best known for his collaborations with his father, Ry Cooder.
Early life
Cooder began to play drums at the age of 5, inspired by Jim Keltner. Co ...
– dumbek
The goblet drum (also chalice drum, tarabuka, tarabaki, darbuka, darabuka, derbake, debuka, doumbek, dumbec, dumbeg, dumbelek, toumperleki, tumbak, or zerbaghali; arz, دربوكة / Romanized: ) is a single-head membranophone with a goblet- ...
* Ry Cooder
Ryland Peter "Ry" Cooder (born March 15, 1947) is an American musician, songwriter, film score composer, record producer, and writer. He is a multi-instrumentalist but is best known for his slide guitar work, his interest in traditional music, an ...
– bottleneck guitar, guitar
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...
, performer
* Tim de Paravicini – technical consultant
* Kevin Michael Gray – mastering
* Sukhvinder Singh Namdhari – tabla
A tabla, bn, তবলা, prs, طبلا, gu, તબલા, hi, तबला, kn, ತಬಲಾ, ml, തബല, mr, तबला, ne, तबला, or, ତବଲା, ps, طبله, pa, ਤਬਲਾ, ta, தபலா, te, తబల ...
* Rumi – liner notes, quotes
* Mike Sexton – cover photo, photography
* Jayant Shah – producer
* Leslie Shirack – art direction
Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film and television, the Internet, and video games.
It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and unify the visi ...
* Gus Skinas – authoring
* Paul Stubblebine – digital mastering
* Susan Titelman – photography
Credits adapted from Allmusic.[
]
References
External links
Jazz.com review by Ted Gioia
(2008)
a 2009 ''Stereophile
''Stereophile'' is a monthly American audiophile magazine which reviews high-end audio equipment, such as loudspeakers and amplifiers, and audio-related news.
History
Founded in 1962 by J. Gordon Holt. ''Stereophile'' is the highest-circulation ...
'' article featuring ''A Meeting by the River''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Meeting By The River
1993 albums
Blues albums by American artists
Blues albums by Indian artists
Collaborative albums
Grammy Award for Best World Music Album
Hindustani classical music albums
Instrumental albums
New-age albums by American artists
New-age albums by Indian artists
Pop rock albums by American artists
Pop rock albums by Indian artists
Ry Cooder albums
Water Lily Acoustics albums
World music albums by American artists
World music albums by Indian artists