JOEL HARRISON & ANUPAM SHOBHAKAR "MULTIPLICITY"

Leave the Door Open is the debut album from Multiplicity, a multi-cultural, genre-defying collaboration between Guggenheim Fellow and world-renowned American guitarist Joel Harrison and North Indian-native, virtuoso classical Sarodist and composer Anupam Shobhakar. The album beams with an amalgamation of styles influenced from the worlds of Indian Classical, jazz, blues and roots music, featuring a stellar cast of some of the finest contemporary creative musicians in the world: Gary Versace (piano, B-3 organ, accordion), Dan Weiss (drums and tables), Hans Glawischnig (acoustic & electric bass), as well as special guests David Binney (alto saxophone), Todd Isler (percussion), Bonnie Chakraborty and Chandrashekar Vase (vocals).The music was cooperatively developed and composed by the two leaders between 2010 and 2012 as a result of Shobhakar being featured in a multi-movement work Harrison composed for sarode, classical percussion quartet and jazz quintet. The two developed an immediate rapport, sharing an eagerness to learn about and experience as much music as possible. And it’s a natural pairing, as each leader has been involved with a remarkable amount of diverse music over the years: Harrison has released 15 albums to date, has won multiple awards for composition and is known for being a restless soul who is no stranger to taking risks with his music, while Shobhakar hails from the Maihar Gharana, a family whose contribution to the world of Indian instrumental music is unparalleled. Shobhakar’s ability to operate so far outside the usual confines of his instrument is remarkable, and he is known for his wide-ranging compositional palette as well, which has been influenced by his experiences performing in rock bands just as much as classical Indian music.Harrison explains, “We both added components to each other’s compositions and worked hard to figure out how to reconcile our different backgrounds. We felt strongly that we should include a ‘folk’ element, adding straight-to-the-heart simplicity with the thornier jazz pieces. As principles of Indian music slowly work their way into the jazz lexicon, alliances such as ours are becoming less rare. It’s a fascinating journey to be taking part in.” JOEL HARRISON & ANUPAM SHOBHAKAR