Purbayan Chatterjee: Sitar is having a moment of resurgence

Whether Indian Classical music is on your playlist or not itrsquos been hard to ignore Purbayan Chatterjee and the unmistakable presence of his sitar this year Following international jam sessions with the likes of Dream Theater Steven Wilson and Snarky Puppy the globetrotting maestro will now turn homeward opening 2026 in MumbaiGuy BernfeldThe concert Sitar Stories brings together an ensemble featuring Mark Lettieri the fivetime Grammy Awardwinning guitarist and core member of Snarky Puppy alongside Pandit Yogesh Samsi Grammynominated musician Varijashree Venugopal Stephen Devassy and Shravan Samsi For Mumbaikars the concert offers an exclusive peek into Chatterjeersquos upcoming album with Lettieri Feathered CreaturesExcerpts from the interviewWhat is the origin story behind The Sitar StoriesIn 2024 I released an album titled Sitar Stories which followed the instrumentrsquos journey across time From playing my fatherrsquos Surbahar bass sitar that I brought to Mumbai from Kolkata to jamming with young musicians on the esitar Pandit Samsi laid the rhythmic foundation for the album on the tabla More recently Irsquove been working with Mark Lettieri on a new album after an onstage collaboration with Snarky Puppy in 2023 that marks a foray into electronica Irsquove become close friends with these musicians over time This first performance of the year sits at the cusp where the two albums convergeMark Lettieri of Snarky Puppy left jams with Purbayan ChatterjeeTell us about the upcoming album Feathered CreaturesWersquove dived headfirst into Electronic Dance Music EDM and electronica The first single will be out in April 2026 through Snarky Puppyrsquos label GroundUP Music When you hear snippets of it at the Mumbai show yoursquoll notice the distinct grand cinematic production and Lettierirsquos jazzy riffs shine through Irsquom excited to see how younger audiences like this fusion of genres It will speak directly to the Gen Z and Gen Alpha audiences in a language they are already familiar with Come 2027 we plan to tour with the album across the USAFusion seems to be the buzzword no one can get enough of What makes a good fusion track in your opinionItrsquos true that fusion has become everybodyrsquos goto Thatrsquos partly because wersquore growing dissatisfied with a limited range of frequencies at a time when music is more accessible than ever For instance when Irsquom in Spain listening to flamenco or watching Guy Bernfeld lay down a groovy bassline my instinct is to respond with the sitar That genuine impulse is at the heart of good fusion It has to be a callandresponse conversation that works both ways as opposed to a onesided forced effortVarijashree Venugopal and Stephen DevassyThe Westrsquos fascination with the sitar is not new it drew The Beatles to India With the way international artistes have brought the instrument onstage in 2025 are we looking at a new waveSitar is definitely having a moment of resurgence in the mainstream music space If The Beatlesrsquo visit in 1968 was a watershed moment for the instrument what wersquore seeing now is light seeping through a new crack beginning to emerge It is a cue for me and younger sitarists to ride that wave After my student Megha Rawoot collaborated with Ed Sheeran earlier this year I also started an ongoing email correspondence with him Hersquos keen on knowing more about Indian Classical music Closer to home Arijit Singh is also embracing the sitar Hersquos an exceptional instrumentalist 2026 looks exciting to say the leastON January 3 730 pmAT The Grand Theatre NMACC Bandra Kurla ComplexLOG ON TO inbookmyshowcomENTRY Rs 1500