MUSIC & MUSICIANS on Nikhil Banerjee
"...the miraculously soft singing sitar tone he achieved
in the solo musings of an alap in Raga Hemant in the first half
of his Elizabeth Hall recital on November 12 was even surpassed
in intensity during the much freer thumri-style exploration of
the Raga Gara after the interval. Banerjee is surely one of the
most introspective and poetical of all the musicians who practise
this introspective and poetic art.
The variety and quality of sound he produces is at the same time
refreshingly unusual in scope and yet entirely consistent and
convincing in application. For example, his choice of intervallic
movement constantly surprises and delights, and his use of the
lower register, whether fleetingly or at length, is totally individual
and an unmistakable feature of his very distinctive style. Yet
he is never mannered, his improvisations always sounding completely
natural and spontaneous."
Reviews
Nikhil Banerjee
