India Alba & William Dalrymple, Celtic Connections Glasgow review: 'an imaginative collaboration'
This performance saw historian William Dalrymple’s reflections on the relationship between Scotland and India mixed with the joyous cross-cultural music of India Alba, writes Jim Gilchrist
There was quite the dichotomy pervading this imaginative collaboration between Celtic Connections and Edinburgh International Book Festival. Although subtitled “The Golden Road”, after author William Dalrymple’s widely praised and revelatory book about the subcontinent’s huge influence on the early world, in fact Dalrymple, in conversation with Glasgow University historian Dr Andrew McKillop, dwelt on Scotland’s shameful record in asset-stripping India mercilessly through its eager involvement in the exploitative East India Company (the word “loot” , after all, derives from the Hindustani for plunder) and also in the appallingly brutal suppression of rebellion, including the Indian Mutiny, under Sir Colin Campbell.
Yet, ironically, these commentaries were interspersed between the joyously cross-cultural fusion of India Alba, the core of which was Indian violinist Chandra Srivastava and tabla percussionist Gyan Singh, with piper and whistle player Ross Ainslie, who co-founded the band some 15 years ago with the late Nigel Richards. The concert proved something of a tribute to Richards, not least when Gina Rae appeared, briefly, to sing a plaintive song by the late guitarist.
There were animated guest spots from London-Bangladeshi singer Sohini Alam and guitarist Oliver Weeks, including a passionately imploring Bengali love song. Musically, however, the evening’s honours were India Alba’s, here potently joined by violinist Greg Lawson, cellist Su-a Lee, guitarist Ali Hutton and brothers-in-jazz Tom and Phil Bancroft on bodhrán and tenor saxophone.
Tabla and bodhrán worked up powerful drive to numbers such as Himalayan Hideaway, with its sax breakout and east-west violins answering each other thrillingly, while Ainslie, sticking to whistle or cittern for much of the performance, finally took up his Highland pipes for a rip-roaring finale that gave the familiar 9/8 jig Donald Willie and His Dog quite a run for its money.
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