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Celebrate the multi-hued flavours of music at the Rajasthan International Folk Festival (RIFF) 21-25 OCTOBER 2010 in Jodhpur - Mehrangarh Fort

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Celebrate the multi-hued flavours of music at the Rajasthan International Folk Festival (RIFF) 21-25 OCTOBER 2010 in Jodhpur - Mehrangarh Fort

Bangalore, August 23, 2010: Jodhpur RIFF, recently ranked among the top 25 international music festivals in the world is back again to enchant music lovers at the magnificent Mehrangarh Fort in Jodhpur from 21-25 October 2010. In its fourth year, the five-day festival has been carefully designed to present to its patrons the exceptional traditional music of Rajasthan, as well as unique collaborations between Indian and International performers. The festival is in an amalgamation that breaks all conventions and has a unique global appeal.

The passes for the festival can be booked online on the festival website www.jodhpurfolkfestival.org.

The five-day long festival has a packed programme in various stunning settings, including headline artists on the Main Stage; parties at Club Mehran; Dawn and Dusk devotional concerts performed at sunrise and sunset with the atmospheric fort as a stunning backdrop; Living Legends Stage dedicated to the most experienced performers of specific genres is a true celebration of roots music; Interactive Folk sessions, which will offer the audience the chance to learn more about rare traditional art forms from the musicians themselves.

Announcing the 2010 edition of the Jodhpur RIFF, HH Maharaja Gaj Singh II of Jodhpur-Marwar and Patron of the Festival said, "It gives me great pleasure once again to bring Jodhpur RIFF to music patrons across the world. Music is pure and truly universal and it is this reality that inspires us year after year to use the festival as a platform to showcase the talent and legacy of Rajasthani artists. Audiences see that music is not limited to its traditional forms - it can get a new life when thoughtfully teamed up with international artists. We are sincerely grateful to our partners and our audiences for all the appreciation we have received and hope we succeed in keeping alive our traditional music legacies."

The festival is scheduled to open with traditional Maand by Ali Mohammed (Shekawati), Pt. Chirenji Lal (Jaipur) and Banarasi ji (Jodhpur).

Vocalist Ashwini Bhide, maestro of the Jaipur Atrauli Khayal Gayaki then takes the stage for an evening of traditional abhangs and thumri.

The Jodhpur RIFF, which is now a highlight of the international festival calendar, will showcase the lesser known traditional forms of Rajasthan - nirguna bhajans by Jamuna Devi and Mali Devi (on the Ektara); a Rudra Veena performance by Ustad Bahauddin Dagar; a recital by Pt. Chandra Prakash, acclaimed exponent of the haveli sangeet, Nathdwara temple tradition.

Audiences at the RIFF are in for a rare experience when British Tamil singer Susheela Raman, of Salt Rain fame takes the stage with Rajasthani traditional musicians. Susheela and guitarist/ producer Sam Mills have been working with talented musicians Nathoo Solanki, Kutle Khan and Chugee Khan, from Rajasthan. The collaboration will feature practitioners of the region's rarest and most ancient instruments to create an exceptional performance.

Pete Lockett, voted the world's best percussionist, will also be presenting his own collaboration with 14 Rajasthani traditional musicians. This would be a first for Pete, who has never played with Rajasthani artists before. One of the most versatile and prolific percussionists in the world, Lockett is known to promote traditional music and for his own amazing ability to play just about any traditional percussion instrument - not surprising then that he is the ethnic percussionist one hears on the last five Bond film soundtracks!

Other performances include Sona Mohapatra, India's sensational desi soul vocalist (of INXS afterglow fame); the Lahore based sufi rock band Mekaal Hasan Band; 16-member world famous Warszawianka folk dance ensemble from Poland; DJ Maga Bo from Brazil; an Italian traditional music collaboration with Rajasthani artists; Zawose Family from Tanzania; virtuoso Flamenco gypsy-jazz guitarist, Augustin Carbonell 'El Bola' and a special Flamenco-Kalbeliya dance collaboration.

"The beauty of the Jodhpur RIFF is that while its texture and strength remains traditional and Rajasthani, its flavor and resonance is truly contemporary and global." Says Mr. Divya Bhatia - Festival director, Jodhpur RIFF.

Note to Editors
Jodhpur RIFF is a partnership project involving two of India's leading heritage trusts: Mehrangarh Museum Trust and Jaipur Virasat Foundation. The festival has been endorsed by UNESCO as a "Peoples' Platform for Creativity and Sustainable Development". For the fourth year in a row, this year's Principal Partner of Jodhpur RIFF is Taj Hotels, Resorts and Palaces, one of Asia's largest and finest group of hotels, and a consistent champion of the cause of promoting rural art and artisans.

About Jodhpur RIFF
Jodhpur RIFF (Rajasthan International Folk Festival) is Indian's leading international traditional music festival. For five days in October each year, the festival brings together more than 150 Musicians and performing artists from across Rajasthan and around the world to celebrate their musical heritage and create new sounds through innovative collaborations as well as interactive daytime sessions for school children, their families and visitors, staged against the breath taking backdrop of the Fort. Jodhpur RIFF includes performances by master musicians from local Rajasthan communities, sensational headline acts showcased each night on Main Stage, and cutting-edge global dance grooves that will keep the party going late into the night at Club Mehran.

Timed to coincide with "Sharad Purnima" the brightest full moon of the year in north India, Jodhpur RIFF features a series of spectacular concerts and events based in and around Mehrangarh Fort - voted "Asia's Best Fortess" by Times Magazine.

For further information on Jodhpur RIFF, please visit www.jodhpurfolkfestival.org

For further information, please contact:
Parimala-parimala.n@hanmermsl.com
Ph: 43409500