For a long time, Indian music has essentially been known as a solo art form with a percussion and tempura accompaniment, which, however important, does not determine either the melody or the rhythm. However, in musical forms based on breathing, the voice and wind instruments, a type of duet is performed, which could be described as an “accompanied solo”: one of the musicians, acting as soloist, takes the initiative of choosing the pieces, their developments, their tempo and even the time of his interventions, whereas his fellow musician, most often a disciple, is there to ensure continuity which the soloist would have difficulty in sustaining. By some improbable chance, three of the best musicians in India today happen to have developed, in addition to their own individual talents, the ability to play true ensemble music. An encounter such as theirs is exceptional in that it has required a combination of elements which are rarely found together. This trio is offering us an unusual way of reviving a particular aspect of tradition.
