The Mukta adventure.
The brainchild of Nantes-based bassist and Indian music enthusiast Simon Mary, Mukta was assembled in 1994, with trumpeter Geoffroy Tamisier, drummer Jean Chevalier, and sitarist Brigitte Menon. Mukta (“pearl” in Sanskrit), impressed fans of unusual musical hybrids everywhere with the release of their debut outing in 1999, “Indian Sitar & World Jazz” through Warner Jazz France (the first French act signed to the label). With its sparkling compositions and unusual arrangements, the album was a success in France, as well as in England, Canada, Greece and Israel. Pioneers of “Asian Vibe”, fusing Indian traditional sounds with jazz, Mukta, with their own brand of world music, defy categorisation and have established themselves at the forefront of the postrock Nantes scene, one of the most active musical environments in Europe.
In 2000 the acoustic “Jade” and the electronic “Dancing On One”s Hands” were released simultaneously. Having been joined in the meantime by percussionist Olivier Congar, who favours Cuban batas as much as African congas and sanzas, Mukta spent the next three years touring the world, performing in the Middle East, Africa, Canada and Eastern Europe. The creation in February 2003 of their “Thousand And One Nights” show, saw the expansion of the band with the arrival of new members; flautist Pascal Vandenbulcke and sitarist / singer Michel Guay, who replaces Brigitte Menon.
Enjoy!
