Interactive Poll: Sounds of Asia

I will have fun with this one!

Starting with Indian music, first up (and my nomination for now) is a band based in Tampa, Florida. I used to live down there, and one night, I was driving around, running errands, and listening to a local community radio station and the DJ (Ray Villadonga) was playing an assortment of jazz rock fusion, psychedelic, space, and prog rock. One of the tracks was from a band that he cofounded and played bass for, Wahh World Fusion Band. The band primarily consists of a tabla player/vocalist, bassist, guitarist, e-sitarist, and drummer. I couldn’t find any individual tracks from their first album on Youtube, so this one is from their second album, called “Brother Ray,” in honor of Ray. Ray passed away from cancer in 2017 prior to the release of this album and he only played on a few of the tracks. I don’t think he is on this one. The end of the track has some konnakol.

Wahh  World Fusion Band – Desire on Fire

If interested, their first album “Liberation” is available as a free MP3 download from their website. Click on the “get album” link on the page.

Second up, the primary listed artist is one I have mentioned before in these polls, fusion bass player Jonas Hellborg. He is on PA and has collaborated with many artists. My previous nomination from him was a collaboration with guitarist Buckethead and drummer Michael Shrieve. This one has him collaborating with guitarist Shawn Lane and Indian musicians (and brothers) V. Umashankar (ghatam and konnakol), V. Selvaganesh (kanjira and konnakol), and V. Umamahesh (vocals). 

Jonas Hellborg / Shawn Lane / V. Umashankar / V. Selvaganesh / V. Umamahesh – Anchor

ghatam: 

kanjira:

Next, we go to Burma with Kyaw Kyaw Naing and the contemporary classical ensemble Bang on the Can All Stars. Naing plays the Burmese percussion instrument pat waing, which are 21 drums arranged in a horseshoe shape. He collaborated with Bang on the Can All-Stars for the album this track is from, “Bang on a Can meets Kyaw Kyaw Naing.”

Kyaw Kyaw Naing / Bang on the Can All-Stars – Sein Chit Tee A Mhat Ta Ya

Video showing Kyaw Kyaw Naing playing the pat waing.

Link to biography: https://cantaloupemusic.com/artists/kyaw-kyaw-naing

And finally, Japan. I have nominated previously, a couple of different artists with the shamisen, Waggakki Band – Senbonzakura and Tokyo Groove Jyoshi – What Is Hip. So, one more possibility with the Yoshida Brothers.

Yoshida Brothers – Rising