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Sample Track 1:
"Rabh da Roop" from Kiran Ahluwalia
Sample Track 2:
"Jhanjra" from Kiran Ahluwalia
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Kiran Ahluwalia
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Exotic and exuberant summer sounds

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Kiran Ahluwalia is a hypnotic singer who not only embodies beauty but creates it as well.

Her self-titled CD (on Triloka) is exotic yet completely accessible to western ears. She performs ghazals, a form of sung poetry that originated in Persia in the 10th century and reached India in the 14th century. Besides performing ghazals, she is also a composer, setting poetry from a variety of sources: from books, folks songs, and modern poetry.

The artist was born in India, where she began studying eastern classical music when she was seven. For awhile it appeared that she would take a different career path. Her family emigrated to Canada where she obtained an MBA and became a bond trader. Since switching to music, she has won two Juno awards (the Canadian version of the Grammy).

For a surprisingly successful blend of styles, Ahluwalia’s CD contains two numbers with the outstanding Cape Breton Celtic fiddler Natalie MacMaster. Ahluwalia is known for taking time at her concerts to explain the meaning of her songs. Here’s he description of the traditional “Meri Gori Gori:” “In the Punjabi folk song a girl is describing her beautiful yet bare wrists. She’s doing this to try and persuade her lover to go to the market and buy her some yellow bangles – perhaps some 24 karat gold bangles!”

The song must be timeless. I had a similar experience on 47th Street. Kiran Ahluwalia will be performing ghazals at Joe’s Pub on June 9.

-Barry Bassis

 06/09/05
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