Another milestone for Jodhpur RIFF
Jodhpur RIFF celebrates folk music from India and around the world at the Mehrangarh Fort between October 26-30, 2012
New Delhi- Jodhpur RIFF is back for the sixth consecutive year, bringing together more than 250 local and international artists in a celebration of folk music. It provides a platform for the diverse folk artists to collaborate, create new music and reach a wider audience. The historical Mehrangarh Fort, located in the heart of Jodhpur plays host to the festival between the 26-30th of October. This year’s line-up features artists from Australia, Colombia, Ireland, the Netherlands, Scotland, Sri Lanka and Turkey, while the Indian artists will be largely from Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Kolkata, and Tamil Nadu.
The year 2012 also marks the beginning of a new relationship between Jodhpur RIFF and Celtic Connections, the largest folk music festival in the Northern Hemisphere. The Artistic Director and Founder of Celtic Connections, Mr. Donald Shaw and Scotland’s Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs, Fiona Hyslop will both be attending Jodhpur RIFF 2012 to discuss further collaboration.
The festival presents musical evenings by master musicians from the Rajasthan, sensational headline acts by international artists, and cutting-edge, global dance grooves by DJs who will keep the music alive through the night. There are also interactive daytime sessions with the local Rajasthani communities, unusual live dance performances, as well as special events for children, such as magic shows (Jadugar), traditional puppetry (Kathpuli) and Jugglery.
Announcing the 2012 edition of the Jodhpur RIFF, HH Maharaja Gaj Singh II of Jodhpur-Marwar and Patron of the Festival said, “It was about time that the world became more closely acquainted with the rich music of our region. Jodhpur RIFF has taken the first steps in finding a global audience for our music and it is finally being appreciated in places it was unheard of before.” While there has always been an interest in traditional music, what is challenging is to tap into this interest. In recent years, however, there has been a steady revitalization and revalorization of folk music.
Festival Director Mr. Divya Bhatia adds, “Folk have always been the soul of Jodhpur RIFF. We are slowly reaching out to newer audiences and artists with every year of RIFF in our efforts to put our rich, local music on the global map.”
Some of the highlights for this year are –
ñ In Residence: A series of interactive sessions will provide a rare opportunity to visitors to interact with Rajasthan’s communities, forms and traditions which may well not be there tomorrow.
ñ Desert Lounge: The newest addition to the program, Desert Lounge, starts from midnight and is an unusual, acoustic, full moon-lit rustic experience at the Rao Jodha Desert Park just outside the Mehrangarh Fort.
ñ Mark Atkins: In a first of its kind collaboration with Rajasthani artists, the Australian Atkins will present some incredible pieces on the didgeridoo (wind Instrument), interspersed with original songs sung with guitar and harmonica.
ñ Grupo Cimmarron: The Colombian band, Grupo Cimmarron, will be performing for the first time in India. Their music is inspired from the traditional cattle herders of the plains that stretch out from North Colombia to the Orinoco River and into western Venezuela.
ñ DJ: mps Pilot from the Netherlands is amongst those DJs who have successfully blended traditional and modern styles from Asia, Africa, Middle East and South America together.
ñ Burhan Ocal: a master multi-instrumentalist extraordinaire and his Istanbul Oriental Ensemble, an amazing group of master musicians in the Rom gypsy and Turkish folk music traditions.
ñ Kaela Rowan: Former lead singer of groundbreaking outfits Mouth Music and Sola, Rowan is known for singing Gaelic and English folk songs. She is also one of the front vocalists for the ‘semi mythical’ Edinburgh Big Band – The Love Boat Big Band.
ñ Naadro: The Sri Lankan band Naadro are among the hottest talents in percussion in South Asia and are fast emerging as a sensational act on stage. They will collaborate with young Rajasthani percussionists to create a foot thumping and heart-warming finale on the last evening at RIFF.
ñ Celtic piping: Two of the fieriest talents in contemporary Celtic piping, Scotland’s Ross Ainslie and Tyrone (Ireland)-born Jarlath Henderson will delight the audience with their piping skills.
The festival is open to the public; donor passes are available online on the festival website www.jodhpurfolkfestival.org. Early Bird Donor Passes (25% off on all passes) are available only till the 2nd of Oct’2012
Jodhpur RIFF is a not-for-profit partnership project involving two of India’s leading heritage trusts: Mehrangarh Museum Trust and Jaipur Virasat Foundation. The festival has been endorsed by UNESCO as a “Peoples’ Platform for Creativity and Sustainable Development.”
HH Gaj Singh II of Marwar-Jodhpur is the Chief Patron.
Sir Mick Jagger, front man of the rock band The Rolling Stones is International Patron of Jodhpur RIFF.
John and Faith Singh, founders of Anokhi and the Jaipur Virasat Foundation are also patrons of RIFF.
Timed to coincide with “Sharad Purnima” the brightest full moon of the year in north India, Jodhpur RIFF features a series of spectacular concerts and events based in and around Mehrangarh Fort (voted “Asia’s Best Fortress by Time Magazine).
