Reminder was recorded remotely with Joel recording scratch tracks in his apartment in Vermont, then sent to Jasdeep Singh, one of the few exponents of the bass tabla called jori, in the UK. Joel then took the tracks to Guilford Sound and made the final take and mix there. Joel and Jasdeep are building a repertoire while apart in support of a hopeful UK tour. 'Reminder' is a melody to remind us that strength comes from struggle and resistance; nothing worthwhile comes easy. Especially in music.

credits
released September 10, 2021
Joel 'Veena' Eisenkramer - Indian slide guitar
Jasdeep Singh - Jori

Composed by Joel Veena
Arranged by Joel Veena & Jasdeep Singh


Recorded by Jasdeep Singh at Dhurpad Dhamar Studio UK and Matthew Hall at Guilford Sound, Vermont USA
Mixed by Matthew Hall, Guilford Sound, Vermont USA
Mastered by Tom Hutten, Bionic Mastering, Vermont USA

Reminder (Single)

Reminder feat. Jasdeep Singh

On a sweltering hot April afternoon in Delhi, I met my musical brothers Suraj Nirwan and Amit Singhal at NRAI Studios in Delhi. We had prepared one original piece (Jai Love) and one classical raga (Raga Jog) for recording. Magic happened inside the studio: Amit and my riyaz sessions earlier were given fresh rhythmic direction by Suraj as we arranged the pieces to carry our personalities and show our musicianship. During the session, I asked my friends, "Imagine if we could do this everyday, meet here and record music, what a life that would be..." It was a sentiment that resonated with all three of us and we used it as inspiration and focus to make the best performance possible...because it's not everyday that three good friends can record music together, making a musical message of harmony for the world. We are thankful to be able to share this music with you all.



Special thanks to: Our Gurus: Pt. Alok Lahiri, Pt. Subhash Nirwan and Shri Harsh Wardhan also Vidhi Salla, Puraskar Nirwan, Rohit Kullu, Sumeru Salla, our loving and supportive families.
credits
released September 2, 2019

Joel 'Veena' Eisenkramer - Indian slide guitar
Amit Singhal - Bansuri
Suraj Nirwan - Tabla

Recorded at NRAI Studios, Delhi by Rohit Kullu
Mixed by Joel 'Veena' Eisenkramer, Root Cellar Sound, Vermont USA
Mastered by Tom Hutten, Bionic Mastering, Vermont USA
Produced by Joel 'Veena' Eisenkramer
Photography by Vidhi Salla
Graphic design by Sumeru Salla, Design & Story

Milap

Raga Jog - Gat in Teental (feat. Suraj Nirwan)

Original composition by Dr. Ranjan Kumar
Joel Veena - Indian slide guitar
Jed Blume - Handpan

Unexpected Blessings

Ranjan (Raga Jog) feat. Jed Blume

Original composition by Joel Veena
Performed live at House Concerts Delhi by Joel Veena, Indian slide guitar, and Suraj Nirwan, tabla.

The Peacock Single

The Peacock feat. Suraj Nirwan

From the album 'Chintan'

Original composition by Joel 'Veena' Eisenkramer
Joel Veena - Indian slide guitar
Amit Singhal - Bansuri

Chintan

Jai Love (Dhun in Raga Desh)

This is a special song from my own mind, attempting to combine my background in electronic music and as a reggae musician with Hindustani classical. Here, I am playing Raga Bhimpalasi in a cycle of 12 beats (ektaal) with electronic drums, bass and synth. The song was entirely produced and played by me in my home studio in Brattleboro, Vermont. I’m really curious to hear what you all think. I am still focused on promoting and playing classical music, but I am always looking for ways to interest more people and connect with different types of audience. I believe classical music is so rich, so deep and full of emotion, it can touch listeners of all genres of music.

Bhim - Single

Bhim

On a sweltering hot April afternoon in Delhi, I met my musical brothers Suraj Nirwan and Amit Singhal at NRAI Studios in Delhi. We had prepared one original piece (Jai Love) and one classical raga (Raga Jog) for recording. Magic happened inside the studio: Amit and my riyaz sessions earlier were given fresh rhythmic direction by Suraj as we arranged the pieces to carry our personalities and show our musicianship. During the session, I asked my friends, “Imagine if we could do this everyday, meet here and record music, what a life that would be…” It was a sentiment that resonated with all three of us and we used it as inspiration and focus to make the best performance possible…because it’s not everyday that three good friends can record music together, making a musical message of harmony for the world. We are thankful to be able to share this music with you all.

Special thanks to: Our Gurus: Pt. Alok Lahiri, Pt. Subhash Nirwan and Harsh Wardhan also Vidhi Salla, Puraskar Nirwan, Rohit Kullu, Sumeru Salla, our loving and supportive families.
credits
released September 2, 2019

Joel ‘Veena’ Eisenkramer – Indian slide guitar
Amit Singhal – Bansuri
Suraj Nirwan – Tabla

Recorded at NRAI Studios, Delhi by Rohit Kullu
Mixed by Joel ‘Veena’ Eisenkramer, Root Cellar Sound, Vermont USA
Mastered by Tom Hutten, Bionic Mastering, Vermont USA
Produced by Joel ‘Veena’ Eisenkramer
Photography by Vidhi Salla
Graphic design by Sumeru Salla, Design & Story

Jai Love (feat. Suraj Nirwan)

This song is a further exploration of combining the 20-stringed Indian slide guitar with electronic beats and my own lyrics. The words were written from my experience of traveling with foreign spiritual seekers in India; hopping from ashram to yoga class to night club in search for something, something true. Sometimes I witnessed that the search itself can become so intoxicating that even when facing love and truth directly, one cannot recognize it.



All instruments, music, lyrics, arrangement and production by Joel 'Veena' Eisenkramer, Root Cellar Sound, Vermont USA.


Mastered by Tom Hutten, Bionic Mastering, Vermont USA

Find It Single

Find It

March 28 2020 I was scheduled to perform my concert 'Ragas of Transformation' at the Bandra Base in Mumbai. Then the COVID19 madness struck and all the venues shut and we entered into lockdown shortly there after. I had planned the concert for a long time, so instead of canceling entirely I decided to stream live from our living room.
Some listeners were asking me to play the national anthem. But I thought Amazing Grace would be more appropriate, as the situation we are facing goes beyond any one country and we as all humanity must pray for grace.
lyrics
Amazing grace
How sweet the sound
That could save a wretch like me
I once was lost
But now I am found
Was blind, but now I see

Amazing Grace

During the first 12 days of lock-down here in Mumbai, Kees and I recorded ragas together over Skype and broadcast them live on Facebook. These were our prayers for the health workers, our offerings of peace and joy to those in isolation and our messages of hope for humanity. With the confinement of the population, animals have begun to reemerge in the cleaner air and quieter surrounds of the city. In addition to Indian slide guitar and bansuri, you can hear the birds of Mumbai on this recording.

This is Raga Bhupali, a joyful raga meant to make the listener feel happiness from its simple beauty. We sincerely hope that it makes you feel something good inside.

Peace at Home

Raga Bhupali

A chance discovery of the work of the Indian slide guitar in 2007 turned into a life-changing event for Joel. He immediately dedicated himself to the instrument, studying under – and eventually performing alongside – some of the most renowned names in Indian classical music. With five albums now under his belt, and an extensive touring schedule that has taken him across India, the US, and most recently Europe, Joel has worked to expand the sonic palette of the Indian slide guitar by working with a host of musicians in a variety of styles.
Joel's music has been featured on Radio New Zealand, NPR and BBC Introducing.

Joel Veena

Popular tracks