The Afro Indian Project -
'Travels with the African Harp in India'

With Danny Thompson on double bass, Hossam Ramzy on percussion, Tarun Bhattacharya on santoor and Bikram Ghosh on tablas. Also co-produced and recorded by John Leckie.

Review by Folk Roots (Froots) Magazine

UK Kora player Ravi, plus Danny Thompson and Hossam Ramzy playing with Indian classical musicians. Very slickly produced by John Leckie and with some outstanding playing, this is an accessible and entertaining instrumental fusion recording.

Review from Djembe magazine, Denmark 6.12.01

The Kora player Ravi produces an easily appreciated sound from the mixture of instruments. He plays here together with, amongst others, the well known Santoor player Tarun Bhattacharya against a background of double bass and tablas from both India and Egypt. You can clearly hear that the African Kora blends beautifully with the traditional Indian instruments and the results are melodic and harmonious.

Review from Slipcue E-Zine

Blending the Malian kora into Indian classical music might seem a dubious effort, but the results are quite nice. With gentle tablas throughout, and acoustic bass lines courtesy of the venerable Danny Thompson, this disc frames the kora in a new, and quite pleasant, context. Overall, this album might be too mellow for some, but it's not saccharine or bland, and the crossover is quite effective. Plus, with folks on the calibre of Tarun Bhattacharya, Hosam Ramzy and Ravi Shankar's percussionist pitching in, it's worth checking out -- a new twist on the East-West formula.

Review by Mathew Clark in The Insight
Rating: * * * *

After fifteen albums, some solo and some collaborative, Ravi has pulled off a seriously good world-music album. Ravi is a multi-instrumentalist, his main instrument being the kora (African harp). On this album he is accompanied by some top musicians: the legendary bass-player, Danny Thompson, who is most well known for his work with Pentangle, Nick Drake and John Martyn; several top Indian classical musicians, including Bikram Ghosh (tabla), Tarun Bhattacharya (santoor) and Chandru Shekar (violin), all of whom have worked with Ravi Shankar ; Egyptian percussionist, Hossam Ramzy; and Lyn Dobson (flute and sax) of Soft Machine. Well recorded and arranged, the precise yet atmospheric kora playing sits delightfully in a rich Indian background, making one the most interesting world music projects of recent times.

Review by Ben Ohmart for www.musesmuse.com

Instrumental world music fusion by Ravi, with the help of Hossam and Danny Thompson, among others. Often World music refers to a particular corner of the world, but this time the name is spot on. Even the producer comes from a different corner – John Leckie has worked with The Verve, Radiohead and other many mainstream Rock acts. Yet, there’s nothing hard about this delightful 11 track, 62 minute recording. Even at its most bubbly and most spirited, the emphasis is on a music of distinctly original quality. The 8 minute ‘Shantiniketan’ ceates spiritual uplift. I don’t pretend to know all the instruments that glide through, or the historical significance alluded to, but sometimes there is a clue given in the cd booklet.’On ‘Delhi Express,’ with its wild, wacky yet certainly measured jazz element, it’s explained that this cut is ‘portraying the unforgettable experience of Indian trains!’ Lyn Dobson’s sax certainly adds a Western spice that shoots a lazy aftertaste into the proceedings. This cd is on ARC Music, one of the finest for World music in fact, proving that the globe is this release’s oyster. It’s a marvel and a shaking introduction to those of you who have heard some George Harrison and were deftly afraid to get more into Indian music. Belay the fears, this is music that transcends authority and labeling and only seeks to be heard.

Review by Chris Beaumont in Folkwrite Magazine

Ravi plays kora amongst other instruments. After touring in India with Tarun Bhattacharya, he recorded this CD on his return. Drawing inspiration mainly from India without specifically sounding Indian. My two favourite tracks are the splendidly evocative 'Monsoon Rain' and 'Delhi Express', with some truly wild kora/santoor dueting. Well recommended.

Review from Batonga! magazine

A caballo entre los ritmos étnicos y las sonoridades new age se encuentra este proyecto de un músico trotamundos que atesora en su carrera quince discos propios e innumerables colaboraciones con artistas del pop y figuras de la. música tradicional. Ravi, protagonista y artífice de esta nueva y excitante fusisín entre la kora, su instrumento preferido en la actualidad, y la música de la India, es un personaje con unas inquietudes tan extremas que en su curriculum se puede leer que, además de conocer los más variados instrumentos, es pintor, escritor, productor y profesor. En esta ocasión ha conseguido reunir junto a êl los talentos de Danny Thompson (contrabaio), Tarun Bhattacharya (intérprete de santur, una citara de cien cuerdas golpeada con macillos), Bikram Ghosh (tablista habitual de Ravi Shankar) y Hossam Ramzy (percusionista egipcio de pulcra trayectoria). Con un pulso creativo que trae al recuerdo reminiscencias del histórico grupo Shadowfax, la ecuaciôn musical de Ravi se resuelve, en un viaje de ida y vuelta, entre la deslumbrante belIeza de sus composiciones y el estado meditativo al que parecen llevar. Una experiencia con tintes místicos en la que la música triunfa por encima detodo.
Carlos Alarcón

Review from Country Gazette

De reis gaat hier door India (daar waren we al), reisleinder is nu Ravi, hij bespeelt de Kora, een van oorsprong West-Adrikaans instrument. In Ravi's gezelschap Tarun Bhattacharya, zijn instrument is Santoor, een hondred snaren tellende hammered zither, afkomstig uit de Hindoestaanse tradities. Ravi (afgeleid van de grote meester Shankar) heet in werkelijkheid J.P.Freeman, ziet er nogal westers uit, maar is geheel ingeburgerd in de Indiase muziek. Hij speelde met internationale artiesten, waaronder Dr. John a Nigel Kennedy. Een andere bekende naam in dit Afro-Indian project is Danny bThompson (broer van Richard) afkomstig uit de Britse folkscene. Danny was één der oprichters van Pentangle, speelde met Nick Drake en John Martyn. Hij wordt één van de beste double bass-players ter wereld genoemd... Anderen op dit album: Praful (studeerde sax en fluit op het Hilversums Conservatorium), Lyn Dobson (werkte met Manfred Mann en Georgie Fame) en John Leckie (werkte als leering in de Abbey Road Studios, waar de Beatles opnamen). World music fusion heet deze muzikale kruisbestuiving.