An eclectic mix of roots musicians is set to mesmerise the audience at Jodhpur from October 24 to 28
For the 11th year in a row, the city of Jodhpur and the Mehrangarh Fort will play host to Jodhpur RIFF from October 24 to 28, under the brightest full moon of the year and amid soul-stirring music and earthy charms of groovy performances from Rajasthan and around the world.
Announcing the Jodhpur RIFF 2018 edition, its patron HH Maharaja Gaj Singh II of Marwar-Jodhpur said: “It gives us great joy to have created a modern festival where traditional Rajasthani artists feel at home and their music is showcased and explored and given the space to grow and expand beyond musical and physical boundaries of language and nationality.”
Festival director Divya Bhatia said, “We have an exciting array of world musical traditions at RIFF this year. Our work has given rise to collaborations not just between Rajasthani artistes and international ones, but between Rajasthani artistes themselves. Our training camps will bring forth younger artistes who are learning their traditions and stepping forward to try new paths, new ways of making music and new ways of learning. And more festivals in India are now presenting Rajasthani artistes in their programmes; it is both exciting and humbling to acknowledge that Jodhpur RIFF continues to pioneer and contribute so dramatically to their presence on the music scene.”
Focus will be on music of Kashmir, its rich musical and Sufi heritage. Shafi Sopori (a renowned Kashmiri Sufi singer), Mohammed Muneem (singer-songwriter, poet and composer from the band Alif) and others will give us a glimpse of what music means to Kashmir, of its different musical traditions and how music helps create dialogue when it is needed most.
Kalbeliya artist Suguna Jogi and Dapu Khan, a senior kamaicha maestro from Bhadli village near Jaisalmer, will perform live. For dawn concerts, there will be Hidayat Husain Khan, the youngest son of Ustad Vilayat Khan, rare jugalbandis by master musicians, performances by renowned thumri and dadra singer Vidya Rao, who will be ushering in the dawn with her melodious voice, exploring the nirguni ang of the musical form.
The Round House sessions will see a unique Welsh-Indian collaboration which began at Jodhpur RIFF in 2017 making a comeback. Mesmerising storyteller Angharad Wynne and singer-songwriter Gwilym Morus-Baird will create a tapestry of story and song together with classical sufi singer Smita Bellur, master kamaicha player Darra Khan Manganiyar and percussionist Sawai Khan Manganiyar.
The opening concert on the main stage this year will be presented by Mohini Devi. Hailing from the Jogi community of Dahisar, she is an enthralling singer. She grew up listening to and singing the traditional music of the Jogis. Her voice is uniquely high-pitched as there are very few vocalists who can match pitch with the been (pungi), the instrument which is the hallmark of the Kalbeliya art form.
Renowned Hindustani vocal artiste Shubha Mudgal’s newest work titled Breathing life will debut at Jodhpur RIFF. A unique audio-visual concept that aims to revive the works of some of India’s greatest poets, it is also a tribute to Shubha Mudgal’s prowess as a composer and an artiste.
Winner of many South African Music Awards, a two-time Grammy nominee and winner in 2016, world-renowned flautist and music composer, Wouter Kellerman will be performing with his band. Makan Ashgvari, who refuses to be categorised, will be combining electronica with spoken word, jazz and pop. Get introduced to Fado, a tradition of passionate music from Portugal, characterised by longing and bluesy angst.
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