Sublime Frequencies’ description of The Holy Mother: Madhuvanti Pal Plays the Rudra Veena makes it plain. It is the first ever full-length vinyl release featuring a woman playing the titular string instrument. Used in Hindustani music, and in particular, the North Indian classical style known as dhrupad, the rudra veena, when in the hands of a master, produces a sound that’s wonderfully expansive and indeed meditative. This 2LP holds two ragas spread across four sides with a runtime topping 90 minutes. Lovers of the drone, prepare to be blown away by Madhuvanti Pal’s ability to exquisitely extend. But adventurous (psych) rock fans should also take note. The record is out October 13.
To say that The Holy Mother: Madhuvanti Pal Plays the Rudra Veena is a revelatory release feels pretty accurate. No doubt there exists a pocket of Indian music fans who were pining away for a contemporary recording featuring the rudra veena, but for most everybody else, even those with a predilection for global sounds, this set, which is bluntly yet another gem for Sublime Frequencies, basically came out of nowhere.
The accompanying liner notes are richly informative, and while I’ll resist merely rephrasing them here, I will share a bit of background into Pal, who is noted in India as much as a builder of rudra veena instruments as she is a player. This is because her first rudra veena wasn’t exactly top-flight in quality (kinda like that first second hand guitar that won’t stay in tune), so she set out to learn how to build her own. Pal’s first was built in 2017, and she’s since supervised the construction of a fleet of new veenas.
Folks might be thinking of a sitar, but the rudra veena is classified as a stick zither and the sitar is a type of lute. And the rudra veena, at least the Dagar-style instrument that Pal plays, is distinctive in its consistent low-end, which often hits the ear like a massive double bass, except that many of those low tones bounce and wiggle in a manner that’s unique.
This low-end aspect combines with the higher pitched, often sustained tones to create an environment that is meditative by design, but also denser and frankly more intense (and mysterious) than much of the music that’s categorized as suitable for meditation. If intended to formulate a sense of the meditative for performer and listener(s), Pal’s music is still ultimately heavy stuff that won’t slip into the background.
This power of the ragas here is all to the good. “Bhairavi” is a morning raga and “Todi” is a late morning raga, though the latter is sequenced on sides A and B. The decision to do so becomes clear as side D nears it’s conclusion and the playing gets (coincidentally, I’m sure) nearest to raga-rock of a late-’60s vintage, which is striking as all the sounds are produced by Pal alone, who recorded both ragas in her apartment using her own equipment.
There hasn’t been a high number of rudra veena recordings and the few that have been made have overwhelmingly been by male players. Jyoti Hegde is an exception, though her recordings were issued on CD as Hegde played the traditional rudra veena. The notes for The Holy Mother credit Hegde as an inspiration, but as these ragas progress, it’s clear that Madhuvanti Pal is staking out territory of her own.
GRADED ON A CURVE:
A
