Purbayan Chatterjee & Nitin Mitta

In 2013, Chicago’s World Music Festival opted to level up with the kind of performance that barely existed otherwise in the United States—a 14-hour marathon of both Carnatic and Hindustani classical music, with the sun setting and rising again through the world’s largest Tiffany dome. The event, Ragamala, has since become a mainstay of World Music Festival, drawing several thousand people each year. Many ragas are intended to be played during certain parts of the day, meaning they often cannot be included during concerts in more traditional settings. Ragamala’s design allows it to feature a greater repertoire of works, both because of its expansive timeframe and its mix of Hindustani and Carnatic musicians. For the first time, in a special eight-hour presentation that runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Ragamala comes to Knoxville.

Based in New Delhi, Purbayan Chatterjee is one of India’s most celebrated and exploratory modern sitarists. His 2021 album, Unbounded (Abaad), was a spellbinding work of fusion, its seven songs incorporating elements of jazz, soul, and even bluegrass alongside the shimmering tones of his sitar. A testament to Chatterjee’s stature, the likes of Béla Fleck, drumming great Gary Husband, and the late Zakir Hussain played on Unbounded. Just a year later, Chatterjee released another album of seven tracks—this time, a devotional and immersive set of 10- and 20-minute ragas for morning and night, recorded with flautist Rakesh Chaurasia in Bombay. They subsequently presented the material at both Carnegie Hall and the Barbican. For Ragamala at Big Ears, Chatterjee will be joined by tabla player, Nitin Mitta, for a 90-minute performance of Hindustani ragas.

Purbayan Chatterjee (sitar) (Hindustani Ragas) (90 min set)