Album Notes

American sitarist David Pontbriand joins forces with multi-percussionist Shawn P. Russell to form the instrumental world fusion duo Om Rasa. Pontbriand draws melodic elements from his intimate knowledge of North Indian classical raga, and Russell brings to the mix an in-depth knowledge of South Indian rhythm, along with a unique global-percussion perspective.

Employing distinctive instrumentations, sitar with kanjira, sitar with ghatam, and surbahar with kanjira, Om Rasa draws its inspiration from sources both within and beyond the classical tradition, to create a distinctively original music. Improvisation is at the heart of everything the duo plays, and pieces often develop on the fly. Shawn and David rely on their collective influences and musical instincts to shape the compositions, resulting in a unique, organic approach to song development. This yields music that is a true reflection of their creative muse in the moment, and allows their instruments to converge in a dynamic mixture of styles and influences.

From the tranquil and hypnotic “Penumbral”, to the jam-band attitude of “Oklo”, to the sly, shifting, blues-drenched “Monsoon Delta”, “Raga Fission” mixes contemporary influences with the traditional, crafting new music that is innovative, yet at the same time familiar.