Aman Mahajan : Refuge

Refuge is a reflective set of musical themes exploring ideas of home and paying homage to inward journeys. Although created through an intensely personal process, the music deals with the human condition, and finds resonance with listeners across the globe.

A work in progress since 2005, this album is also a musical scrapbook that documents the composer’s life, his exploration of philosophical frameworks, intellectual ideas and personal themes alongside his study of music, and the connections between them.

The music thrives on the synthesis of myriad influences – jazz, Indian and European classical traditions, music from the American continents, Japanese and East Asian aesthetics, West African music, and folk music from around the world. Casual and extended improvisation play key roles in developing most of these pieces.

Equal parts structured and improvised, Refuge has been performed in various configurations, featuring instruments as diverse as the saxophone, tabla, duduk, bamboo flute, electric and acoustic bass, voice, bass clarinet, and drum set.

This is essentially a collection of pieces that originated at the piano, travelling across continents on various collaborations, meeting a multitude of musicians and audiences along the way, only to return to the piano in this avatar.

Composed and performed by Aman Mahajan, 2005–2019

Recorded by Vishnu Namboothiri at Krimson Avenue Studios, Madras, India, July 2019 Mixed and mastered by Sebastian Ohmert, Sonic Impulse Studio, Berlin, August 2019

Album illustration and design by Sonali Zohra, Dangercat Studio.

© 2019, Aman Mahajan and Subcontinental Records Releases December 11, 2019 Pre-order now https://amanmahajan.bandcamp.com/album/refuge