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“But at the same time, who would have thought that it would be so intensely satisfying to have your future resolved, to know what you were going to be doing next year and the year after that and so on and so on, until who knows when?…It would be enough; as an alibi for a life, it would do; she would not need to apologize for how she had spent her time on this earth.”  Amitav Ghosh, The Hungry Tide

the british museum is holding a huge exhibition of bengali culture until jan 7th.  i know so little about what that is.  it feels so huge to even begin to understand.  even to go to kalighat to ask about dhak lessons feels like a huge undertaking—to be fair i suppose it is, which anyone who  has been there would know.

i made it.  still jetlagged but happy to be back.  everything is as i remember it, but way more prosperous.  it is obvious that the middle class is growing and has a lot more money.  more noise than i remember as well. 

yesterday there was a concert of folk music from various regions of bengal.  it was really quite amazing, unfortunately i didn’t quite get where everything was from—the bengali was too formal for me to catch everything.  further details available as they come to light.  of particular interest was the chhauu dancing—unbelieveable costumes, music.  backflips.  really.  looking forward to seeing more.

i am avoiding packing.  i keep remembering why i’m going to india.

so i made some music from jaal mala (garland of water) which is a piece on quell that i made about my dad.

listen here.  its my new year’s gift to you.

i feel better.

apologies for the lack of posts.

i’m heading to india on saturday, to put my father’s ashes to rest. not yet sure all that will be involved but the main focus is to go to varanasi to put the ashes in the ganges there.

i will also be doing lots of recording of environmental sound, taking some lessons in dhak (the bengali puja drum), and meeting some sound artists and contemporary art practitioners in kolkata.

i’ll be keeping the blog semi updated during this time.

upcoming for the new year: various projects (audio art, video, net) and woodshedding to create new works. dance performances, school shows, etc. oh yeah, getting married.

finally, there is a new improv uploaded, an outtake from the bad monkey bad bad monkey CD.

happy new year.