Collaborations > Dhani

Dhani

 

Dhani World Fusion Band

Dhani World Fusion Band

Dhani no longer perform together as a band, but their CD “Between Two”, released by Taal Productions can be bought as a digital download below. Click play button to listen.

Members of Dhani still perform together, performing Indian classical music.

Read Dhani reviews below.

 

 


Dhani were a UK based ‘fusion’ band of four musicians, collectively experienced in a wide range of musical forms. Musical styles, instruments and ideas from North Indian music ( Hindustani ), South Indian music ( Carnatic ), Jazz, Middle Eastern, African music and more find their way effortlessly into the Dhani mix, creating a beautiful and strangely natural journey which transcends the boundaries of genre, developing into an exciting, accessible fusion experience!
Tim Jones – vocals / guitars / mandola. Ricky Romain – sitar. Howard Harrison – guitars / wind / keyboards / percussion. Jon Sterckx – tabla / percussion.

Dhani CD – Between Two – Play / Download Album below



Dhani Reviews: Below are reviews of the Dhani CD ‘Between Two’, reviews of Dhani performances and comments from audiences.

Dhani – Between Two CD Review from Musician magazine – The journal of the Musicians Union – Winter 2005.

Step into a world music of Indian and African flavours with pinches of modern jazz thrown into the recipe for good measure: Dhani boasts four musicians from differing backgrounds who all bring something special to this particular presentation. With vocals, guitar, mandola, sitar, keyboards, percussion and tabla taking their turns at the head, Between Two is perfect for creating an exotic atmosphere. Special mention should be made of the mesmerising, skilful playing on the title track and the band’s arrangement of Vathapi Ganapathim by Muthuswamy Dikshitar.


Review of Dhani CD& performance by Jelly Jazz 03 May 2005 – http://www.jellyjazz.com

Dhani ‘Between Two’ (Rasa Records) UK Something different for this weeks review selection: last Monday at Dartington College, the Jelly Jazz crew went along to see Dhani live, an intimate gig at The Round House with about 40 people in the Audience (including some Jelly Jazzers to our surprise!). Dhani are based in Indian and Pakistani music but fuse it with western sounds, including jazz and folk. Very much in the vein of Zakir Hussain’s legendary LP ‘Making Music’ on ECM, ‘Between Two’ takes you on a journey between the East and West with exhilarating results. The multi musicianship of the group is truly outstanding, with Howard Harrison really blowing our minds on flute, guitar, keyboards and wind controller (an amazing midi controlled horn, thing!). Ricky Romain on Sitar, having learnt in the UK and played for 30 years, gave a masterclass of classical Indian playing and has a deep understanding of this very complex instrument. Jon Sterckx on Tabla and Tim Jones on vocals/guitar/sitar/Mandola combined to play the sort of gig that stays with you for years. Of course I had to buy their CD after the gig and it too is fantastic, beautiful soothing music, deep spiritual content and breathtaking musicianship. If you like the sound of this CD and want a copy for chillin’, Yoga, Meditation or whatever and can’t find a copy, let me know and I’ll endeavour to help you find one. People SHOULD hear this and if they do they’ll be very happy they did!


Dhani: sounds of the subcontinent – Pippa Howell Festival review July 2003

Frome enjoyed a taste of Indian summer on Monday with both a musicians’ workshop and evening performance from the inspiring quartet Dhani. With influences ranging from classical Indian to African, Middle Eastern and modern jazz, this was a glorious musical celebration fused from four musicians’ experiences, techniques and philosophies. Talented percussionist Jon Sterckx was outstanding on tabla, and a longer solo from him would have been welcome. Howard Harrison’s performance on the Bengal flute was piercingly beautiful and amazingly authentic – the best I have heard since I lived in Bangladesh. The band interwove tunes like colourful fabrics, with Ricky Romain’s sitar chords embroidered by Tim Jones’ guitar, mandala and soulful vocal improvisations.


Dhani at East 15 Acting School, Loughton, Essex, 7th Oct 2003 – Review from Colin Sell, Head of Music & BBC Radio 4 presenter.

The quartet of multi-instrumentalists who make up Dhani couple a flair for interpreting Indian music with an acute sense of Western fusion. Howard Harrison’s guitar and wind-synth skills are deftly interwoven with ragas and folk pieces from different areas of India played by his three fellows, and the overall results are both sensitive and bewitching. To hold the attention of a group of lively drama students in a bleak dance studio at the end of a long day is no simple feat, yet Dhani’s sheer ability – both as an ensemble and as soloists – proved the accessibility of their material. The four players performed with an enthusiasm and openness which helped to communicate the music and also to give the audience a sense of sharing in a unique event. Each piece was introduced clearly and without unneccessary detail; there was no academic exclusivity, and students who were familiar with neither Indian music nor jazz nor improvisation in general were as involved in the performance as those with broader knowledge. The friendliness of the group, and their willingness to pass on their personal enjoyment of their craft, was apparent in the fruitful question-and-answer session afterwards.

For my audience – and especially for students who are themselves training to perform and to communicate – it is always a pleasure to witness artists collaborating as intently and as empathetically as this group. The brilliant sitar of Ricky Romain in duet with Jon Sterckx’s tabla wizardry was a first class example of musicians “playing off” each other, their evident joy never becoming indulgent, and never compromising the aims of the music. Tim Jones’ vocals were sensitive to the input of the other three, and these in turn equally supported and challenged the immense versatility of his singing – a sound which seemed to have unlimited range and nuance.

The fusion of the east-west styles was judged and balanced with integrity, there never being any forcing of one against the other. The subtelties of Harrison’s guitar matched and complemented at all times, and the group made it clear from the outset that their aim is to celebrate the links between the two worlds without compromising the essence of either. This Dhani does perfectly.


Quotes about Dhani:

“Tim Jones’ singing is a unique combination of virtuosity and human approachability.” – Judith Weir, leading British composer. “Ricky Romain’s deeply felt and joyfully inspired sitar playing.” – East Meets West After an open air performance “They mix the familiar with the unusual. You’re constantly surprised by what you hear. Perfect music for a summer afternoon in the park” – ArtLife From audience emails “I went to your concert in Stroud on Saturday and it was utterly wonderful – I was in heaven!” “I listened to your CD all morning after the concert and was touched all over again.” “Skilled, juicy, lyrical, embodied music!”