It’s a festive Friday evening in December and at one of Belgium’s great musical institutions, the Royal Conservatory in Ghent, one musician is being far from conservative.
Marco Bardoscia clambers across his double bass and stretches perilously low to wobble a single string and emulate an eastern drone instrument while also trying not to drop his spectacles. It’s quite a sight.
Even more intriguing than that precarious pose is the band’s overall sound.
Ragini Trio are a jazz act who only perform interpretations of Indian classical music and their work is winning friends across the world. Nathan Daems, a saxophonist who channels the sound of Indian flutes, is the founder.
“It’s a concept that we didn’t really premeditate,” says Daems after that rapturously received performance, part of Ghent’s annual Glimps festival. “I transcribe the melodies for myself and that’s the only thing I bring to a rehearsal. Usually the drummer and bass player don’t even listen to the original.”
Ragini Trio began three years ago as a music-school project. Daems had been encouraged to actively explore different genres and decided to combine his prime musical passions.
“I was studying jazz but listening to a lot of Indian classical music,” he says. “Indian classical is mainly about improvisation, just like jazz; they just have different parameters. So I took existing Indian melodies, some recent, some very old, some we don’t know exactly how old, and we started playing them, messing them up a little bit.”
He recruited another local enthusiast, Lander Gyselinck, a prolific young jazz drummer keen to explore Indian percussion, who was also familiar with previous Belgian/Indian jazz crossovers.
“This is something the Belgian scene was already quite known for,” says Gyselinck, “but Ragini Trio take it in a very different way.”
They certainly push their instruments in new directions, particularly the aforementioned double bassist. Bardoscia is “quite a big name” in his native Italy, according to Daems, but having relocated to Brussels he was looking for a new challenge. Ragini Trio stretches him musically and physically.
“I said yes because I’m always excited to do new things,” Bardoscia says, “but I didn’t know anything about Indian music before this collaboration and it took me a while to get in the mood. There is no double bass in the Indian classical repertoire, so I had to invent my role in it. It was kind of interesting to find my own way to approach it.”
The trio's live show spans various areas and eras, from the Hindustani anthem Raga Jog, famously performed by Ravi Shankar, to a traditional finale, the Carnatic Tillana.
Added atmosphere is achieved via their unofficial fourth member: a tanpura box, which drones throughout.
“It’s a recording of the instrument, the tanpura: you just switch it on and you don’t touch it,” says the saxophonist. “It’s the sound that we instantly relate to Indian music.”
That hybrid sound is travelling far beyond Belgium. The band will start recording their second album soon, with an international jazz figure pencilled in as producer, while responses from the Indian classical community have been positive.
Early last year the trio collaborated with the legendary singer Madhup Mudgal, and his compositions also now feature in the band’s repertoire.
“It’s nice to see how Indian musicians enjoy our music,” says Daems. “They appreciate it because they couldn’t play it our way, like we cannot play it exactly their way. Not unless we go to live there for 20 years.”
That might be inconvenient, as the trio play in other bands too, exploring everything from electronica to Ethiopian melodies. No sound is off limits.
“I don’t think of music as ‘genres’,” says Bardoscia. “As Duke Ellington said, there are only two kinds of music: good and bad.”
artslife@thenational.ae
The years Ramadan fell in May
The five new places of worship
Church of South Indian Parish
St Andrew's Church Mussaffah branch
St Andrew's Church Al Ain branch
St John's Baptist Church, Ruwais
Church of the Virgin Mary and St Paul the Apostle, Ruwais
'Shakuntala Devi'
Starring: Vidya Balan, Sanya Malhotra
Director: Anu Menon
Rating: Three out of five stars
India cancels school-leaving examinations
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
A new relationship with the old country
Treaty of Friendship between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates
The United kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates; Considering that the United Arab Emirates has assumed full responsibility as a sovereign and independent State; Determined that the long-standing and traditional relations of close friendship and cooperation between their peoples shall continue; Desiring to give expression to this intention in the form of a Treaty Friendship; Have agreed as follows:
ARTICLE 1 The relations between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates shall be governed by a spirit of close friendship. In recognition of this, the Contracting Parties, conscious of their common interest in the peace and stability of the region, shall: (a) consult together on matters of mutual concern in time of need; (b) settle all their disputes by peaceful means in conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.
ARTICLE 2 The Contracting Parties shall encourage education, scientific and cultural cooperation between the two States in accordance with arrangements to be agreed. Such arrangements shall cover among other things: (a) the promotion of mutual understanding of their respective cultures, civilisations and languages, the promotion of contacts among professional bodies, universities and cultural institutions; (c) the encouragement of technical, scientific and cultural exchanges.
ARTICLE 3 The Contracting Parties shall maintain the close relationship already existing between them in the field of trade and commerce. Representatives of the Contracting Parties shall meet from time to time to consider means by which such relations can be further developed and strengthened, including the possibility of concluding treaties or agreements on matters of mutual concern.
ARTICLE 4 This Treaty shall enter into force on today’s date and shall remain in force for a period of ten years. Unless twelve months before the expiry of the said period of ten years either Contracting Party shall have given notice to the other of its intention to terminate the Treaty, this Treaty shall remain in force thereafter until the expiry of twelve months from the date on which notice of such intention is given.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned have signed this Treaty.
DONE in duplicate at Dubai the second day of December 1971AD, corresponding to the fifteenth day of Shawwal 1391H, in the English and Arabic languages, both texts being equally authoritative.
Signed
Geoffrey Arthur Sheikh Zayed
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
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Result
Qualifier: Islamabad United beat Karachi Kings by eight wickets
Fixtures
Tuesday, Lahore: Eliminator 1 - Peshawar Zalmi v Quetta Gladiators
Wednesday, Lahore: Eliminator 2 – Karachi Kings v Winner of Eliminator 1
Sunday, Karachi: Final – Islamabad United v Winner of Eliminator 2
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CHELSEA'S NEXT FIVE GAMES
Mar 10: Norwich(A)
Mar 13: Newcastle(H)
Mar 16: Lille(A)
Mar 19: Middlesbrough(A)
Apr 2: Brentford(H)
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
If you go
The flights
Emirates (www.emirates.com) and Etihad (www.etihad.com) both fly direct to Bengaluru, with return fares from Dh 1240. From Bengaluru airport, Coorg is a five-hour drive by car.
The hotels
The Tamara (www.thetamara.com) is located inside a working coffee plantation and offers individual villas with sprawling views of the hills (tariff from Dh1,300, including taxes and breakfast).
When to go
Coorg is an all-year destination, with the peak season for travel extending from the cooler months between October and March.
Uefa Nations League
League A:
Germany, Portugal, Belgium, Spain, France, England, Switzerland, Italy, Poland, Iceland, Croatia, Netherlands
League B:
Austria, Wales, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, Ukraine, Republic of Ireland, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Northern Ireland, Denmark, Czech Republic, Turkey
League C:
Hungary, Romania, Scotland, Slovenia, Greece, Serbia, Albania, Norway, Montenegro, Israel, Bulgaria, Finland, Cyprus, Estonia, Lithuania
League D:
Azerbaijan, Macedonia, Belarus, Georgia, Armenia, Latvia, Faroe Islands, Luxembourg, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Liechtenstein, Malta, Andorra, Kosovo, San Marino, Gibraltar
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
The Vines - In Miracle Land
Two stars
VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
Results:
Women:
1. Rhiannan Iffland (AUS) 322.95 points
2. Lysanne Richard (CAN) 285.75
3. Ellie Smart (USA) 277.70
Men:
1. Gary Hunt (GBR) 431.55
2. Constantin Popovici (ROU) 424.65
3. Oleksiy Prygorov (UKR) 392.30
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