Ry Cooder & Vishwa Mohan Bhatt - A Meeting By The River

Year Released: 1993

Genre: World Music, Folk, Blues, Hindustani Classical

Description:

A Meeting By The River is a collaborative studio album by American musician Ry Cooder and Indian musician Vishwa Mohan Bhatt. Released in April 1993, the album is a testament to the power of cross-cultural musical collaboration and improvisation. The project was the brainchild of Ry Cooder, who, having heard a recording of Bhatt, was captivated by the unique sound of the Mohan veena, a slide guitar-like instrument created by Bhatt himself. The two musicians met for the first time less than an hour before the recording session began.

The album was recorded in a single, un-rehearsed, and improvised session in September 1992 at a small chapel in Santa Barbara, California, using a minimalist analog recording setup. This approach gives the album a raw, intimate, and spontaneous feel, capturing a genuine musical conversation between two masters from different traditions. The sound is a beautiful fusion of American blues and Indian classical music. Ry Cooder plays his signature bottleneck slide guitar, while Bhatt plays his Mohan veena. Their playing styles, while distinct, blend together seamlessly, with Cooder's earthy, Delta-influenced slide work intertwining with Bhatt's ethereal, raga-inspired melodies. They are joined by Ry's son, Joachim Cooder, on the dumbek (a type of goblet drum), and by Sukhvinder Singh Namdhari on the tabla.

The album's title, A Meeting By The River, is a metaphor for the meeting of two different musical traditions and cultures. The tracks, which are long-form, meditative pieces, were created in the moment, with the musicians responding to each other's playing. The album was a commercial and critical success, winning the Grammy Award for Best World Music Album in 1994, a major achievement for a record of this nature. It remains a landmark in the world of fusion music, a perfect example of how two different musical worlds can come together to create something truly new and beautiful