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Falu’s Bazaar – For Parents, Sons and Daughters

(This album went on to be nominated for a Grammy)

 Have you visited Falu’s Bazaar?

It’s not in Mumbai; it’s not in New York – but lies somewhere between the two, in an imaginary world.  You can’t measure the distance to it physically but it’s actually closer to the heart and to memory and the desire to make new memories with our children.

Indeed, there was a time in America when young Indian girls and boys could not find themselves reflected in any of the television shows, in any story books or in any songs. Over the years things have changed and second-generation Indian-Americans have made themselves and their stories more visible to  mainstream America. Many young Indian authors have written books for Indian children, finally giving them heroes and heroines with Indian names and faces.  In the written word for children and young adults,  there is almost a feast of literature celebrating South Asian roots. And now the noted international singer Falu takes it a step further with Falu’s Bazaar, a delightful album which takes children on a journey of discovery.

In today’s multicultural America and in our difficult times, this is an album not just for Indian children but for children of all races seeking to be part of a global family. The album shares South Asian culture through a fun learning experience with a mélange of instruments and languages, spices and foods – and of course music, both classical and modern.

 

Falu merges her classical training with a modern take, and has performed with noted artistes from all genres, including Yo-Yo Ma, Philip Glass, Ricky Martin and A R Rahman. She has performed for President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, and has also been named as among the 20 most influential global Indian Women by the Economic Times. Her first album “Falu” was featured in Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History’s “Beyond Bollywood” exhibition.

Click and Listen for a taste of Falu’s Bazaar!

‘Falu’s Bazaar’ has a pedigree as there is a great artistic team behind it: Produced by Grammy-winning producer Danny Blume and by Deep Singh, and performed with her wonderful band, the album was inspired by performances curated by Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center Education in New York City. Bryan Vargas co-wrote all the songs with Falu (Falguni Shah), Soumya Chatterjee joined as co-writer on “Pots and Pans” and “Rainbow” and played the violin and acoustic guitar on the album. Gaurav Shah, played harmonium and bansuri as well as acting as executive producer. Producers Deep Singh and Danny Blume assisted as well with Singh on percussion and tabla and Blume on bass.

Since it’s in English, Hindi and Gujarati, the album can be one of the first learning tools for kids in an intercultural home – the songs are about numbers, common kitchen items and flowers. The music notes describe ‘Tararum Pumpum/The Signal Song thus: “an upbeat dance track that teaches how to follow street lights and signs. On this track, the listener is introduced to the improvisational element of Indian classical music, known as ALAAP, which features Falu improvising over a given melody with different permutations and combinations of notes, or ornaments.”

Falu’s Bazaar is also about remembered songs and the past: The album, which begins with Falu’s five year old son Nishaad singing ‘My Name’ ends with “Nishaad’s Lullaby”, sung by Falu’s mother to her grandson in her native language Gujarati. So it’s all about heritage and culture and the common links we share.

For show dates, translations, workbook pages and more information on all of these songs, visit www.falumusic.com.

 

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