Indian - Hawaiian Borrowings

I obtained this disk as part of the offer for taking out a subscription to Songlines magazine. The title is Mahima and it is by Debashish Bhattacharya and Bob Brozman. Bhattacharya has already been subject of one post concerning the album I have of his stunning Indian slide guitar stylings. Brozman is a serial collaborator, a fine American slide guitarist superficially compared to Ry Cooder who dabbles in a myriad of styles and forms. The way that Bhattacharya often makes his slide imitate a sitar means that there is inevitably an Indian feel, especially given the occasional vocals on the disk from Sutapa Bhattacharya and the tabla presence of Subhashis Bhattacharya. But the material often veers toward a Hawaiian feel, steered by Brozman but music that has also long influenced Debashish. On first hearing, Bhattacharya seems to overwhelm Brozman relegating him to the role of a mere accompanist but closer listening reveals a lot of interplay and subtlety from the American that make the recording stand out as being different from a DB solo outing. A pretty good perk to get in addition to a subscription.