The Vachana Band with Neecia Majolly

The Vachana Band with Neecia Majolly
The Vachana Band has been performing vachanas, spiritual poetry in Kannada from the 12th century, in a
contemporary band setting. The poetry of the Shivasharanas, led by the poet and reformer Basavanna, shines with their intense life experience. The vachanas are protestant in tone, and question accepted beliefs and practices. The band’s tunes draw from Indian folk and popular styles, and overturn the convention of setting the vachanas to grand classical ragas. The Vachana Band is collaborating with Neecia Majolly, the wellknown singer and pianist, for the first time. On the list are vachanas by Basavanna, Allama Prabhu, and
Akka Mahadevi. This experimental hour-long concert features Neecia, who sings some of the vachanas in
English, and her talented choir. The line-up includes Supriya Acharya (vocal), Ram (harmonium), Pramath
Kiran (percussion), Dominic D Cruz (guitar) and Sudhakar J Doraiswamy (flute).