Bengal Tiger, Shanghai Dragon
Inspired by visits to Bangladesh and China earlier this year, Grand Union’s composer/director Tony Haynes has created a programme combining North Indian classical music, folk song from Bangladesh and elements of Chinese music with jazz improvisation, Latin rhythms and some surprising harmonic twists.
The full line-up is:
- Baluji Shrivastav (India) - sitar, dilruba, naal
- Yousuf Ali Khan (Bangladesh) - tabla, dholak
- Lucy Rahman (Bangladesh) - voice
- Zhu Xiao Meng (China) - gu zheng (Chinese harp)
- Paul Jayasinha (Sri Lanka/Scotland) - trumpet, flugelhorn, cello
- Louise Elliott (Australia) - tenor saxophone, flute
- Tony Haynes (England) - piano, trombone
- Gerry Hunt (England) - guitar, soprano saxophone, violin
- Andres Lafone (Uruguay) - bass guitar
- Paul Clarvis (England) - drums, percussion
Tony has been drawing inspiration from the characteristic ragas of Hindustani and Karnatic music and the inflected vocal styles of India and Bangladesh for over 20 years; and several of his shows for the Grand Union Orchestra have involved Chinese performers and aspects of Chinese music, from the folk music of distant regions to courtly Chinese opera.
Bengal Tiger, Shanghai Dragon brings these strands together in imaginative new ways, and on a more intense and intimate scale than most Grand Union shows. Besides some of the finest South Asian and jazz soloists who regularly appear in the Grand Union Orchestra, we are delighted to be joined also one of the UK’s most creative percussionists, Paul Clarvis; and the programme also features the haunting voice of Lucy Rahman and the astonishing virtuosity of Zhu Xiao Meng on the gu zheng, or Chinese harp.
