Pandit Debashish Bhattacharya, known the world over for his mastery of Hindustani classical music, and more recently his foray into American blues, has bagged the uber-prestigious Best Traditional World Music Album nomination for the 51st Grammy Awards ceremony, to be held on February 8, in Los Angeles, California.
Born to a musical family, Debashish became well-versed in both classical vocals and the sitar quite early in life. He soon took to the guitar and made it his instrument of choice, mastering the difficult-to-play Indian slide guitar style. Inspired by Hawaiian guitar (ukulele) legend Tao Moe and trained by Pandit Brij Bhushan Kabra, Debashish is one of the undisputed pioneers of the Indian slide guitar style in the world today.
Jazz-rock guitar legend John McLaughlin -- himself a well known entity in India -- was recently reported as saying, 'Debashish Bhattacharya is one of the leading slide guitar players of our time, perhaps the leading slide guitarist of our time.'
And it would seem that Indian slide guitar and blues is a potent combination, given that Pandit Visha Mohan Bhatt won a Grammy for his collaboration with eclectic bluesman Ry Cooder (Meeting by the River).
Bhattacharya's Grammy-nominated release, Calcutta Chronicles will release in January in India.