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“Off into the Mystic: Sitar Sounds on the East Side” by Jim Hoey

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Coming into this show on the Lower East Side a song or two late, I felt a rush to finally be inside the dark interior of this theater, ready to hear sitar, sax, and drums played in a mystical way. It was a cool October evening, leaves outside in the wind somewhere, the stage where Dawoud the sitar mystic was playing designed for theatrical performances, with seats rising up, a dark, bare sliver of an amphitheater (hey, it is NYC after all). Once inside, the music of Dawoud on sitar, Ravish Momin on drums, and Sohrab Saadat Ladjevardi on sax rose up and hit me as I made my way around and down to a seat in the front, confronting my ears with an East-meets-West improvisational mix.

I’d seen this lineup before at the University of the Streets months ago, but tonight the vibe (and when discussing mystical-sufi-sitar music there must be no qualms about discussing the ineffable intangibility of “the vibe”, I believe) was more touch-and-go.

Dawoud on a traditional cushioned dais of sorts, supporting his electrified sitar, made the picture of the mystic, with Ravish Momin to the right behind the set with some electronics nearby, and Saadat in between, hair pulled up into a signature grey top-knot, an Iranian “Green Movement” shirt on.

First off, all three of these musicians are operating on an enlightened level, playing with years of experience and their own take on their respective instruments: Saadat (of The Tehran-Dakar Brothers) from Iran balancing on the edges of the modern avant-jazz idiom with drops into skronk and arabic/sephardic tones, Momin (leader of Trio Tarana) from India able to reproduce the classic tabla rhythmic accompaniments that traditionally back sitar and able to experiment with electronics and sampling, and Dawoud from the midwest, USA, yet a Muslim-Sufi somehow steeped in the mysticism of the Far East, carrying the Ravi Shankar/George Harrison banner into the next generation.

All this adds up on-stage to incredible moments at times, especially on the more traditional numbers. I found myself transported in the way anyone familiar with classic sitar would know: layers of knowing expressed through music pulsing out, a building tension moving in non-Western scales, with improvisational segments in the right places, and the musicians with the skill to smoothly transition from part to part.

(from “Off into the Mystic: Sitar Sounds on the East Side” by Jim Hoey)

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Up next was Dawoud Kringle’s Renegade Sufi, consisting of Mr. Kringle on sitar, dilruba, and vocals; Alessio Romano on drums; and Holly Cordero (bass) andRenato Diz (piano) from the previous band rounding out the unit. Right from the beginning, the band showed an olio of influences, with an initial drone yielding to a building lead in the sitar (complete with effects), a chorded bass line right out of funk rock with matching drums, and a piano comp that was part jazzy and part r&b; all combining to create its own musical whole. I could have done with a better mix at this point; in particular, the sitar needed to be turned up relative to the rest of the band. Still, it was loud enough to enjoy Kringle’s Eastern scales and technique being played with a rock sensibility. Kringle used an array of effects, ranging from delay to a number of different doubling tones (including some choral ones), to, well, good effect, driving the music to a peak, after which came an interlude of dreamy piano. The music began to build back up, and Kringle came in with a bluesy sitar lead; bluesy, but with an open sound, perhaps like an Indian scale, or maybe a Lydian mode.

The band segued right into its next piece, a tune in 9 with a driving rhythm section, ethereal piano, and a strong sitar lead. Again, Renegade Sufi was showing its ability to meld a variety of different sounds and feels into a coherent whole. By this time, the mix had been fixed, and Kringle’s sitar was at an appropriate volume level relative to the rest of the band. This particular song was also a demonstration of Renegade Sufi’s facility with rhythm; they made the 9 sound like a double meter with an extra beat slipped in, but they somehow made it groove, rather than stagger. Diz showed another side of his playing on this one, taking a solo that would have fit right in with the better fusion or prog rock from the early ’70s, and Kringle at points reminded me of the psychedelic player Sitar Joe from Arizona, another explorer of the possibilities of the sitar outside of its traditional musical idioms.

Kringle then introduced the band, and gave the name of the two pieces we had just heard: first was “Will to Power” (almost misread by Yours Truly in his notes as “Will to Piano”), and then, appropriately, “Nine Invisibles.” Up next was “Burn the Idols,” which sounded both South Asian and Modern Jazzy, and had an odd-meter rhythmic sound despite being in 4 (yes, I counted). The rhythm section showed a very deft, sensitive touch on this one, with Romano playing soft, gentle drums to go with a spare, Latin-inflected bass from Cordero. Kringle’s vox-effect-inflected lines in this one definitely sounded Indian, and he also tapped on his sitar, making it a percussion instrument.

For the last two pieces of the night, Kringle switched to the dilruba, an instrument which looks like a sitar, but is played with a bow, and thus sounds a bit like a sarangi. First up came “Failed Rose,” which Dawoud described as being about a woman who broke his heart. The song started with a slow gentle rhythm under a lead dilruba line, and had hints of Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here.” Kringle and Diz played very expressive solos on the dilruba and piano, respectively.

Last up was a variation on Jimi Hendrix’ “Voodoo Child,” which gave Kringle a chance to showcase his love of the late guitar wizard. Kringle sang blues on this one, and then played a dilruba solo over a driving, monochordal rhythm (not unlike a slow version of Mississippi drone blues). The solo got hotter and hotter, entering full-on pyrotechnic turf, while the rest of the band went outside, while somehow maintaining the underlying rhythm and pulse. Then the music flipped back to an ominous beat, and that was that.

This show was a great first experience for me of Renegade Sufi, a fine unit which, like a lot of the most creative musicians today, pulls disparate musical influences into a coherent whole. As befits a band whose leader lists Jimi as a big influence, they have a fiery and propulsive sound, with bandleader Dawoud Kringle, a member of that unusual species: the sitar shredder, a friendly, mystic figure on stage. Truculently Audacious was also quite enjoyable; both bands are definitely worth seeking out and enjoying for fans of creatively eclectic music.

(From “Concert Review: Renegade Sufi & Truculantly Audacious. Both bands definitely worth seeking out for fans of creatively eclectic music” by Matt Cole, for doobeedoobeedoo.info)

 

Kosi CD Release

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Once in a while I like to recommend some music. This time, it’s the new CD “Pictures of Us” by Kosi.


The CD release party will be at Silvana on Monday, June 2nd, 8pm. Kosi will be joined by the band who played on the CD.


I had the oportunity to hear the songs before they were released. Trust me, you’ll want to hear this.


For more info, go to

http://kosi-sings.com/

and to

http://kosi.bandcamp.com/album/pictures-of-us.

 

Tell her Dawoud sent you.

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Early 2014: Dawoud checking in

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Yes, it has been a long time, hasn’t it? There have been some interesting developments.


2014 is looking like a busy year so far. I’m planning two recording projects: one with Renegade Sufi, and one solo. The later may be released through Leilah Publications (more on this in a moment.). I’m also planning short tours of Chicago / Milwaukee (April), Baltimore / Philadelphia (June), and London (September). I’ll keep you all informed.


My book, “A Quantum Hijra” is doing well. One of the Chicago dates will also be a concert / book release event. You can find more info here:

 

http://leilahpublications.com/sufi/

 

All else is going well! Looking forward to joining you in 2014!

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Dawoud’s Blog – 5/14/12

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Peace, all;


It’s Monday. I realize that I’ve been negligent about something. I haven’t really written to you. Sure, I send announcements for my gigs (and believe me, you’re still gonna get them). But I haven’t spoken to you. Well, I’m starting now.


Yesterday I did a gig at a Wesak celebration in Hancock, NY. It was a difficult gig in a way. I was working all night at my radio job, got out at 7am, caught an 8am bus, and pretty much had absolutely no sleep. To make matters worse, my ass was being soundly kicked by a massive dose of hay fever! Yuck! Messy and uncomfortable! But, the gig must go on! And it did! I played dilruba to a pre-recorded track (this is not as “sterile as it may seem: I never use the same tracks twice, and I always deliberately forget what I prepared, so as to sharpen my improvisation skills!). The music was good, and the performance well received. Plus, I did something I never did before: I hooked up the dilruba to an MXR Phase 90, a Boss Harmonist, and a Boss Digital Delay. Being the reckless lunatic I am, I tested none of it before the gig; and Allah was merciful. It all worked! And,,, when I stepped on stage, my hay fever went away. I felt no illness or fatigue while I was playing. But that always happens.

 

This Wednesday, at 7PM, I’m playing at The Shrine (http://renegadesufi.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=151:dawoud-returns-to-the-shrine&catid=13:latest-concerts). I will be joined by Brandon Terzic, Josh Myers, and Jimmy Lopez. I’m looking forward to this performance; this line-up will be a nice combination of fine musicians, and we’re playing some new music.

 

I’m in a good mood of late! I feel optimistic about the future. There is new music coming from,,, wherever my music comes from. The ideas and creativity are coming in a torrential flood! There are also some business things that I’m working on. It all looks good.  BTW, I published my novel. It’s available as an e-book (http://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Hijria-Science-Fiction-ebook/dp/B006W4BE6C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1337047328&sr=8-1) Check it out. I hope to see you Wednesday! Write to me at dawoud@renegadesufi.com

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Leaving the Nest

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Churches, mosques, synagogues, temples, and the like are spiritual dojos (or they should be). They are useful and essential places when used in the right way. But the real prayer begins when one leaves and faces the world without those protective walls, or the immediate guidance of their teacher.

 

 

All spiritual teachers must teach their students to leave them. To walk away. If they don’t do that, they are not real. Any true master knows that the student does not belong to them; and to have them around our short lives is a great blessing. If religion is used not as a method of perfecting the human being, but to perpetuate or augment political power – or more specifically, the transformation of the ego into a false god, then it ceases to be what it claims to be. All its rhetoric is mere Orwellian Doublethink; and in the end, the natural nobility of the human being is degraded and ruined.

 

 

Real mercy appears from time to time in its purest form, but we rarely recognize it as such, because we see it through out own distorted perceptions. The knowledge that real mercy encompasses has to be carried by the illuminated beings in this world. There’s no other way. Real Faith is a dimensional shift in consciousness; a direct experience of certainty that bypasses the mind and the emotions. It is a revelation of the soul, not a subscription to a premise or a concept. It cannot be seen by the eyes or encompassed by the mind. There are no words to describe or teach it; a teacher can only show the way. There is, in the end, no intercessor between the seeker and That Which is Sought. All else is, at best, a helpful road map or a fancy GPS; not the road itself.

 

 

I am a musician. I have 40 years of practice under my belt. And as essential as it was, NONE of my studies or practice ever gave me any indication of what it would be like to be on stage, and making music that would invoke a real reaction from the listeners. An hour before I wrote this, I did exercises on my sitar: essential to keeping my fingers and skills in shape. But when I do my next performance, I must bring tears to people’s eyes. I must make them feel, to go into trances and have visions. To invoke a real spiritual experience / remembrance.

 

 

Most people cannot differentiate a moment of REAL spiritual enlightenment from mere emotional or intellectual intensity. This is a fatal mistake they fall into again and again. Unless they learn the difference between true enlightenment and the the phantoms our minds and emotions throw into our faces, they will never realize the potential that lies dormant in us all,,, waiting for us to claim the gift that Allah gave us.

 

 

Who are we to refuse our birthright?

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