My father was a religious man but not narrow minded. He lived in India for nearly 40 years, for goodness sake! And though he never wavered from being a Yesu panthi, he harboured a fascination for Lord Krishna. So much so, that he wrote his MA thesis on a comparison of the Gospel of John and the Bhagawad Gita.
Many non-Hindus and non-Indians have been similarly attracted to the Dark One, the best-known Hindu deity in the world. Let’s travel on some rather unexpected musical pathways and see how five influential but very different musicians interpret, incorporate and yes, even worship, Lord Krishna in song.
Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry
Baby Krishna
Modern reggae music as we know it would not have existed were it not for Lee "Scratch" Perry. Master producer of everyone from Marley and Junior Murvin, founding father of the "dub" movement, voracious collaborator with fellows as diverse as Keith Richards and the Beastie Boys to George Clinton and Bill Laswell, his nickname "The Upsetter" is well deserved. Perry is forever upsettin’ the apple cart, even the ones he himself built.
This must be the only heavy dub bhajan in the world! And to Balakrishna at that!
John Fahey
Thus Krishna On the Battlefield/Fare Forward
In his own way, John Fahey, was as influential and iconoclastic as Mr L.S. Perry. Recognised as one of the most outstanding guitar virtuosos America has ever produced, Fahey ploughed his very own burrow through a tumultuous life of poverty, alcohol abuse, spiritual yearning and artistic magicianship. Equally attracted and influence by early blues and modern classical music, Fahey developed a guitar picking style that has been classified as primitivist. A mentor and inspiration to many young guitarists of the 1970s especially Leo Kottke, his imprint on American music has been massive.
In this complex piece Fahey retells the essential tale of Arjuna and Krishna upon the battlefield of Kurukhestra, with 12 strings but not one word.
The Kronos Quartet (with Asha Bhosle)
Dam Maro Dam
Drawing upon classical jazz folk and world the Kronos Quartet has been for many years America’s premier adventurers band. Here they take an old Bollywood classic and give it some contemporary spit and polish.
Tony Scott
Homage to Lord Krishna
Like so many musicians who find themselves drawn to jazz, the spirit of the East, of India and in this case Lord Krishna, Tony Scott was a spiritual wanderer. Though he played clarinet on the US jazz scene with big names (Holiday, Evans, Vaughan) and recorded many records his interest in folk music and eastern spiritualism led him to spend many years in Southeast and South Asia. This is the title track from his 1967 album.
John Prine
Come Back to Us Barbara Lewis, Hare Krishna Beauregard
Prine, that great American storyteller, relates the tale of a sad lost suburban soul who wanders from fad to fad including one presumes spending time being swept up in the Hare Krishna wave that overtook American airports and shopping malls in the mid 1970s.
Listen to these tunes as a single playlist on our YouTube channel.
Many non-Hindus and non-Indians have been similarly attracted to the Dark One, the best-known Hindu deity in the world. Let’s travel on some rather unexpected musical pathways and see how five influential but very different musicians interpret, incorporate and yes, even worship, Lord Krishna in song.
Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry
Baby Krishna
Modern reggae music as we know it would not have existed were it not for Lee "Scratch" Perry. Master producer of everyone from Marley and Junior Murvin, founding father of the "dub" movement, voracious collaborator with fellows as diverse as Keith Richards and the Beastie Boys to George Clinton and Bill Laswell, his nickname "The Upsetter" is well deserved. Perry is forever upsettin’ the apple cart, even the ones he himself built.
This must be the only heavy dub bhajan in the world! And to Balakrishna at that!
John Fahey
Thus Krishna On the Battlefield/Fare Forward
In his own way, John Fahey, was as influential and iconoclastic as Mr L.S. Perry. Recognised as one of the most outstanding guitar virtuosos America has ever produced, Fahey ploughed his very own burrow through a tumultuous life of poverty, alcohol abuse, spiritual yearning and artistic magicianship. Equally attracted and influence by early blues and modern classical music, Fahey developed a guitar picking style that has been classified as primitivist. A mentor and inspiration to many young guitarists of the 1970s especially Leo Kottke, his imprint on American music has been massive.
In this complex piece Fahey retells the essential tale of Arjuna and Krishna upon the battlefield of Kurukhestra, with 12 strings but not one word.
The Kronos Quartet (with Asha Bhosle)
Dam Maro Dam
Drawing upon classical jazz folk and world the Kronos Quartet has been for many years America’s premier adventurers band. Here they take an old Bollywood classic and give it some contemporary spit and polish.
Tony Scott
Homage to Lord Krishna
Like so many musicians who find themselves drawn to jazz, the spirit of the East, of India and in this case Lord Krishna, Tony Scott was a spiritual wanderer. Though he played clarinet on the US jazz scene with big names (Holiday, Evans, Vaughan) and recorded many records his interest in folk music and eastern spiritualism led him to spend many years in Southeast and South Asia. This is the title track from his 1967 album.
John Prine
Come Back to Us Barbara Lewis, Hare Krishna Beauregard
Prine, that great American storyteller, relates the tale of a sad lost suburban soul who wanders from fad to fad including one presumes spending time being swept up in the Hare Krishna wave that overtook American airports and shopping malls in the mid 1970s.
Listen to these tunes as a single playlist on our YouTube channel.
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