#vm bhatt

An unplanned, unrehearsed meeting of two master guitarists presents the concept of music as a universal language as a ringing reality. 

Ry Cooder plays bottleneck slide on acoustic guitar, and in his capable, bewitching hands and encyclopedic knowledge powered brain, the instrument sings like a symphony here. His partner in this largely improvised encounter is Vishwa Mohan Bhatt playing a Mohan veena, a 19-21 string archtop Hawaiian guitar of his own invention, played flat with a bar somewhat like dobro though with far more drone and sympathetic strings. 

Their instruments are simpatico cousins half a world apart but once in direct contact they sing to one another, a tintinabulous catalyst to melodies they did not know were buried in the wood and wires. 

1993’s A Meeting by the River hums, roars, and ripples with distinctness, as if one is hearing a new language being written and spoken for the very first time.

The guitarists are accompanied by Cooder’s then-14 year old son Joachim and tabla player Sukhvinder Singh Namdhari, who add to the empathetic/sympathetic back and forth that defines this “conversation” where distances are bridged even while the uniqueness and tradition each participant brings shines through. 

Of the four lengthy tracks that comprise A Meeting by the River, “Ganges Delta Blues” is the friskiest, the spice of each referenced region fragrant as fuck, the swing and sway loose, playful and fun. One imagines the players smiling as they hand the current to each other, excited as any listener to see where it goes.

Anyone interested in the broad possibilities of slide guitar must explore this album - one hears echoes of Bhatt’s style in Derek Trucks’ work, an influence he happily acknowledges. But, anyone seeking a beautiful, broadening musical experience is welcomed and encouraged to venture into this fruitful meeting.