New York, April 17 (IANS) Grammy-nominated world musician Chandrika Krishnamurthy Tandon has released her third album, ‘Soul March’, inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s Salt March of 1930.
‘Soul March’ reinterprets the “Raghupathi Raghava Raja Ram” refrain sung by thousands marchers in a nonviolent protest over ten days to challenge the British salt monopoly in colonial India over eighty years ago.
More than 500 New Yorkers packed her album launch party, where Tandon performed a 20-minute set, Monday in New York University’s Grand Hall, according to a media release.
Over 75 musicians came together to record the album in the US and India, combining ancient traditional instruments like the ektara, dugdugi, and esraj with saxaphone, banjo, and piano to transcend musical boundaries.
“The story of the Salt March is replayed in different parts of the globe, inspiring leaders, building movements big and small,” said Tandon.
Tandon’s previous album, ‘Soul Call,’ topped world music charts and was nominated for a 2011 Grammy.
All of her albums are produced under Soul Chants Music, a not-for-profit label set up to build bridges between cultures and create harmony through music, the release said.
Since its inception, Soul Chants has partnered with over 40 organizations, including universities, hospitals, and non-profits, and all net proceeds from album sales go towards benefiting organizations in the areas of education, arts, and wellness initiatives.
‘Soul March’ is available on www.amazon.com, and 100 percent of the proceeds from the sale of this album will support arts, women’s, and wellness causes, a media release said.
Tandon is also the founder of her own financial firm, serves on the Board of Trustees at New York University (NYU), Board of Overseers at NYU Stern School of Business, Dean’s Council at NYU Wagner School of Public Service and President’s Council on International Activities at Yale University.
