There are a few ways to introduce Shankar Tucker — he is a clarinet player above par, for a Massachusetts resident, he knows his Indian music quite well, he is also a product of the YouTube viral sensation, with his channel “The ShrutiBox” gathering millions of views since it started in 2013. But if you happened to not know any of that about Tucker, then just turn on his new album Filament, his first attempt at composing original non-film music for an album. This is Tucker’s new identity – that of a recording artist, collaborating with people from across India to create a mix of electronic, jazz, rock and Hindustani classical and Carnatic music.
Tucker starts out emphatically with ‘Chal Chal Sakhi’, with help from Ankita Joshi in addition to showing off his clarinet skills. What follows is a four-part song called ‘Aa Re Chanda’, featuring improv sections, jazz and a cinematic sound set to vocals by Devendra Pal Singh. Language is more of a stepping stone than a barrier for Tucker, who enlists everyone from Hindustani classical vocalists to trained singers such as Vijay Prakash (who shines on the melancholic ‘Dil Hai Namazi’), Kerala’s Job Kurian on the traditional upbeat Malayalam song ‘Aadiyillalo Anthamillalo’, and Tamil singer Shakthisree Gopalan on the peaceful, meditative pop number ‘Amaidhi Thaedi (In Search of Peace)’.
Tucker also steps in front of the mic without sounding like an alien with his Hindi vocals as violinist H.N. Bhaskar leads a stirring section in the solo on the two-part ‘Dhuan Dhuan’.
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With guitarists Daniel Kenneth Rego and Guiliano Modarelli adding a modern touch, Tucker also brings in another familiar name in modern fusion – Nirali Kartik from Maati Baani on ‘Yaad’ – her instantly-recognisable voice being the best bridge between classical and modern music. It is evident by the time you get to the closing track ‘Udaan’, featuring vocalist Vidya Iyer, that Tucker is more confident of using a female voice, something that every subscriber of the ShrutiBox channel already knows.
Tucker plays to his strengths on Filament , providing a well-produced, clean studio version of his versatility beyond just being a clarinet-player. After all, he’s composed, produced, mixed and mastered almost all the tracks on Filament . While his live concerts are still somewhat rare, this album will keep his fans happy.