INDIAN FUSION WITH SWARMANDAL, TABLA & FLUTE

In 2022, I had the pleasure of recording three tracks with artists Alexandre Calori and Silvio Pierotti for the Raga da Hora project. Both have decades of experience in the music scene, and these recording sessions became unforgettable days, full of learning, inspiration, and new musical horizons.

I played the swarmandal. Alexandre Calori is deeply immersed in the traditions of tabla and raga, while Silvio Pierotti is an absolute master of the transverse flute. During a break, Silvio played an (Jethro Tull) Ian Anderson's solo completely from memory (I think it was from the album Thick as a Brick, although I'm not sure now), note for note, with the same spirit and intensity of the band. It was a long solo, and for a moment I really felt like Ian Anderson was right there in front of me. An incredible experience, especially considering that the first time I heard Jethro Tull was in the late 70s.

I was truly honored by their invitation. I would cross the city on a crowded bus during rush hour just to be there with those guys, immersed in that atmosphere. My role was to play the foundation of the songs using only the four bass strings of the swarmandal (which has over twenty strings) repeating hypnotic loops throughout the tracks. And believe me: it's much, much harder than it sounds.