Monday 5 September 2011

The Bauls of Bengal (1976)


This is a reissue of an album released by Elektra Records all the way back in 1966 and its grooves contain delightful musical gifts from some of the wandering troubadors of Bengal. This music is just incredible - definately one for those who groove on the Sun City Girls.

...but...
"Some People have said that it is possible to characterize the Bauls by a distinctive doctrine. I have never found it possible to do so, for it seems to me that they are first and formost individuals, and that the term Baul encompasses a wide range of religious opinion, traceable to several Hindu schools of thought, to Sufi Islam, and much that is traceable only to a man's own view of how he relates to God. All Baul's hold only this in common: that God is hidden in the heart of man, and neither priest nor prophet, nor the ritual of any organized religion, will help man to find him there."
Edward C Dimmock Jr. - from the sleevenotes

Here's a more recent offering from Purna Das to whet the appetite:


Tracklist:

01 Ki Die Pujibo Hari Charana Tomar
02 Bloey Koey Manush Key Ki Sadhu Kora Jai?
03 Manush Bhaja, Manush Puja
04 Sesher Diney Sheyjon Biney
sung by Purna Das
05 Tumi Jaaliey Geey Moner Aagoon Nivey Geley Naa
sung by Hare Krishna Das
06 Prem Kathati Shuntey Bhalo
sung by Luxman Das
07 Ebar Jeney Shune Namio Saabdhaney
sung by Sudhanhanda Das
08 O're Mone Jele
sung by Purna Das, Luxman Das & Hare Krishna Das

Get it HERE.

8 comments:

Holly said...

Oh, very nice -& great article link!
Thank you.

Anonymous said...

this album is soooo good! i've heard a zillion Baul albums but this one is always the very best!!! all i had was an old cassette copy & i'd been looking & looking for the longest time for it!!! yeah!!! i believe the liners refer to an article on the poetic aspects of their lyrics? i actually went & looked-up the article a few years ago, and it was very interesting... i can forward it to you, if you'd like... awesome post!

=D

Mr Tear said...

It would be great if you could share a link to the article - I'd love to give it a read.
Glad this one's hit the spot. Any takers on the wonderful Purna Das video?

Anonymous said...

i can't find it now!

=(

it was a cool article, too... my recollection is that Dimock wrote it, but I don't see a reference to it on the back of the LP, and I haven't foudn it in any of my files... It talked about Rabindranath Tagore's .... yes, that's it! thinking out loud here... checked "T" in my files & found the article, then got a PDF copy and here's the link:

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?t3r9kqwi96zqdb4


Tagore was Einstein's chess paartner, no less!!! Totally out there literary concepts, you'll love the article -- stuff like "work is the dust raised by the passing of Time".....

Bhowani said...

okritrim baouler songit amar sob shomoy khub-i bhalo lage. Tar jonne, bhai, ojoshro dhonobad !

Mr Tear said...

Bhowani, I wish I knew what you said.

Bhowani said...

Je disais que j'apprécie toujours énormément les (vrais, authentiques) chants des Baouls, et que, pour cela, (petit)frère, je te remercie infiniment.

Mr Tear said...

merci beaucoup pour vos aimables paroles. heureux que vous avez apprécié la musique