Last updated: 5 hours ago
Vocalist Arundhati Bhaumik released a series of pioneering Indian Calypso records in the 80s in New York by way of Kolkata. Arundhati, who trained as an Indian classical singer in Kolkata, emigrated to Queens with husband Manoj Bhaumik in the mid-70s. All while raising their two young children, Arundhati released her first album with legendary singer Hemant Kumar in 1984. This was an exciting time for South Asian and Indo-Caribbean music in the City. Shops in Indo-Caribbean neighborhoods like Richmond Hill were selling Bollywood, Calypso, Soca and Reggae. Live music clubs in Queens became central to an international touring circuit for Caribbean musicians that included Toronto, Holland and the West Indies. Musicians like Babla & Kanchan, despite being Mumbai-based, became big stars in these communities by adopting Caribbean styles.
Step in Heeranath Mohabeer. Mohabeer had started his own label and was looking for an artist to compete with Babla & Kanchan. Why not have classically trained Arundhati do her take on Calypso? Arundhati wasn’t familiar with the genre but armed with a stack of Calypso records from Mohabeer, she travelled to Kolkata to record an album. Together with band leader Chandan Roy Choudhury, they studied the music intently, learning to play its various forms. Recorded at a church in Kolkata and fusing Calypso rhythms with Indian melodies and Bhojpuri lyrics, a new genre was born. Arundhati went on to release three Calypso albums.
Step in Heeranath Mohabeer. Mohabeer had started his own label and was looking for an artist to compete with Babla & Kanchan. Why not have classically trained Arundhati do her take on Calypso? Arundhati wasn’t familiar with the genre but armed with a stack of Calypso records from Mohabeer, she travelled to Kolkata to record an album. Together with band leader Chandan Roy Choudhury, they studied the music intently, learning to play its various forms. Recorded at a church in Kolkata and fusing Calypso rhythms with Indian melodies and Bhojpuri lyrics, a new genre was born. Arundhati went on to release three Calypso albums.
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