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Global Blues 13:38
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about

"This outstanding album from two master musicians deserves your attention."
-Ted Gioia

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In the mid-20th century, Hindustani classical musician Vishwa Mohan Bhatt modified a Hawaiian guitar to create an instrument he called the mohan veena. Now, a half-century later, Bhatt’s student, Poly Varghese, has teamed up with Sacramento-based slide guitarist Ross Hammond for Across Oceans, an album that showcases both the breadth and the shared lineage of their approaches to
music.

Hammond and Varghese met when the latter was playing a concert in Sacramento. They decided to record on Varghese’s day off from touring, and made the entire album in three hours.

“I’m a fan of his [Varghese’s] music and his approach to improvisation,” said Hammond, “so I thought we could make some music happen since we’re playing similar instruments and both into creating on the spot. We did everything in one take. No real discussion or anything. Poly is a master and it was a pleasure to play with him.”

From the beginning it’s clear that both musicians bring an appreciation for space and for the feeling of grandeur it can create. That space exists despite the cascades of notes often pouring forth from both instruments, as on the second track, “For Mary Oliver,” a tribute to the late poet, who had just passed at the time of the recording and of whose work Hammond is an admirer.

The album is about “getting rid of any rules and preconceptions and just listening,” said Hammond.

One can imagine how central listening was given that there are 25 strings between the two instruments, and that Hammond and Varghese had never played together before.

The shared vision between the two is perhaps clearest on “Global Blues,” one of two tracks, along with “Rashomon Blues,” that has “blues” in the title. It’s clear in both these performances that the blues is about more than a chord progression or a set of licks. It’s about digging into a musician’s emotional core to find what lies at the heart of their music.

“Global Blues” also hints at Hammond’s belief that music should speak to the social and political conditions that exist.

Said Hammond: “Music is both the reprieve from, and the energy for such issues. Artists have to stay in tune with the world.”

Across Oceans is ultimately an album about bringing two different perspectives in tune with one another. It’s two musicians bridging gaps in background, style and even language to create an art that sounds organic, communal and vital.

credits

released July 5, 2019

Ross Hammond - 12 String Lap Resonator
Poly Varghese - Mohan Veena

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Ross Hammond Sacramento

Sacramento guitarist, coffee drinker, dog owner, hoop coach, husband and Dad. Holla!

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