Window to the Ashram

by Kinsmen

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Album nominated for the 2018 South African Music Awards (Best Classical / Instrumental Album)
and the Mzantzi Jazz Awards 2018 (Best Newcomer & Best Album)

Plastic wrapped high-quality digipak sleeve with artwork by Mongezi Nchapayi.

Includes unlimited streaming of Window to the Ashram via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

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1.	The Calling 05:07	buy track
2.	J 10:42	buy track
3.	Unsung Hymn 02:23	buy track
4.	Daydream 08:06	buy track
5.	Vilambit Resolution 04:00	buy track
6.	Water 14:18	buy track
7.	Ideally Suited 11:33	buy track
8.	Praise 04:08	buy track

about

'Window to the Ashram' is a collection of narratives, poetically woven together with the creative use of space afforded by their trio.

The band was founded by Dhruv Sodha (Sitar), Shailesh Pillay (Tabla) and Muhammad Dawjee (Tenor Saxophone), all originally from Laudium – an Indian Apartheid Group Area on the Western outskirts of Pretoria, South Africa.

"Kinsmen’s album leads the listener on a journey that takes in the lushly romantic, the controlled and meditative (unsung hymn), some remarkably catchy melodic hooks, and intricate rhythms."  Gwen Ansell (sisgwenjazz.wordpress.com)

Their work explores the intersection of culture, tradition and modernity through composition and improvised music.

“These themes run parallel to our lived experience as (4th Generation) South Africans of Indian descent in a country that is intensely undergoing the realisation and unpacking of internalised forms of racism and segregation. Our music expresses a desire for a meaningful creative dialogue with this continent that is mostly inexistent in our community.”

The language of Kinsmen draws on influences including: Indian Classical, Jazz /Avant-garde and South African Jazz. The blend of instrumentation is an innovative leap away from traditional forms of ‘Indian’ music currently promoted and exhibited in South Africa. It is an experimental rebellion through a sonic re-appropriation and reinterpretation of the music of a local predominantly traditionalist Indian culture.

The work inspires possibilities for extensions and re-readings of the role and relevance of cultural identity, its limitations and the meaning of cultural artefacts for people of Indian descent living within the country today.

credits

released June 16, 2017

Dhruv Sodha - Sitar & Synths
Shailesh Pillay - Tabla
Muhammad Dawjee - Tenor Saxophone

All tunes composed & arranged by Kinsmen,
except 'Unsung Hymn' by Muhammad Dawjee
& 'Vilambit Resolution' by Shailesh Pillay.

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about

Kinsmen Johannesburg, South Africa

Founded by Dhruv Sodha (sitar), Shailesh Pillay (tabla) & Muhammad Dawjee (tenor saxophone). Kinsmen explores the intersection of culture, tradition and modernity through improvised music drawing on: Indian Classical, Jazz /Avant-garde and South African Jazz. ... more

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