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Debashish Bhattacharya

Pandit Debashish Bhattacharya is arguably the greatest slide guitarist in the world. He is an undisputed master of the demanding technique and discipline of both Hindustani classical music and modern world fusion. A “virtuoso’s virtuoso,” he has revolutionized a number of technical aspects of performance on the instrument. He also has designed and patented four types of guitar for performing raga music, which he has named Chaturangui, Ghandharvi, Anandi, and Pushpa Veena. These guitars are played lap style, with a small steel bar and finger picks.

Debashish has played extensively around the globe, logging in over 3000 live performances and 27 albums. He has performed both live and on recordings with musical icons such as Ustad Zakir Hussain, John McLaughlin, Jerry Douglas, Derek Trucks, and many other world renowned musicians. In India, he has performed for Pandit Ravi Shankar and also appeared in countless Indian music festivals.

His large body of work has garnered extensive recognition, including two Grammy nominations, the Billboard top 10, Songlines Magazine top 10, Central Asia and Asia pacific world music top 10, Amazon top 100 albums, 2016 Songlines Music Award, 2007 BBC Planet Award, 2005 Asiatic society Gold medal, the 1984 President of India Gold Medal, 2022 World Music Hall of Fame, and is an Empanelled Artist of the Indian government’s Indian Council of Cultural Relations.

His latest recording “The Sound of the Soul” marks his 28th album, featuring Debashish in an intimate setting with the great percussion masters, Pt. Swapan Chaudhuri on tabla and Pt. Akhilesh Gundechha on pakhawaj. The record includes virtuosic performances of four Hindustani classical pieces, ranging in character from breathtaking high tempo to subtle meditative to lyrical folk. The collaboration among these great artists provides a deeply emotional and intellectually satisfying experience.


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Live Review

Live From Old York: Arx Duo, Dr. K Sextet, Debashish Bhattacharya & Derek Gripper

Read "Live From Old York: Arx Duo, Dr. K Sextet, Debashish Bhattacharya & Derek Gripper" reviewed by Martin Longley


Arx Duo The National Centre For Early Music April 30, 2019 The Arx Duo performed “The Harmonic Canon," composed by Dominic Murcott, to celebrate its release on the Nonclassical label. The main instrument used by Mari Yosinaga and Garrett Arney is a half-tonne heavy duty metal bell, conjoined into double-trouble form. First there was a new work by Heather Stephenson, played by its composer/percussionist, using tiny seed-shakers, the audience providing stomach gurgles, ...

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Live Review

Debashish Bhattacharya at Streamside Concerts

Read "Debashish Bhattacharya at Streamside Concerts" reviewed by Mark Sullivan


Debashish Bhattacharya Streamside Concerts Arden, NC October 10, 2015 The intimate house concert setting of Streamside Concerts was a perfect way to experience the playing of the great Hindustani slide guitarist Debashish Bhattacharya. Accompanied by his brother Subhasis on tabla, the pair relied upon the iTablaPro application in place of the traditional tanpura (drone) instrument. Bhattacharya demonstrated the software as he was tuning up: the name sounds like some kind of joke, but it's actually ...

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