When tradition meets fearless innovation, new worlds of sound are born. Anupam Shobhakar, lauded for his unprecedented fretless guitar rendition of Raga Jhinjhoti in 2023, again dismantles musical boundaries with his latest album, Liquid Reality. This collection is more than an East-meets-West experiment—it is a global conversation, deeply rooted in Indian classical heritage, yet reaching for the outer frontiers of jazz, rock, and fusion.
Though steeped in the Senia Maihar Gharana and schooled by the legendary Aashish Khan, Shobhakar’s creative trajectory has always bent toward the unexplored. From electrified nights playing rock guitar in Bombay to commanding stages around the globe, he continues to set benchmarks in musical innovation. Now calling New York home, Shobhakar turned heads with his ingenious double-neck guitar design. This instrument, combining both fretted and fretless necks, becomes his passport across cultural and tonal landscapes—bridging Indian ragas with Western harmonies in a seamless dance.Liquid Reality thrives on collaboration and sonic risk-taking. For this project, Shobhakar assembled a truly international ensemble: pianists Utsav Lal and Santiago Liebson, kanjeera maestro Swami Selva Ganesh, versatile vocalists Ona Kirei and Ben Parag, and percussion powerhouses Satoshi Takeishi, Chris Savarino, and Gumbi Ortiz. Together, they explore terrain spanning from the poetry of Sufi ghazals to the electric energy of progressive rock.
Each track illuminates Shobhakar’s mission: to break the limits of the electric guitar’s voice and forge new pathways between Indian classical music, contemporary jazz, and the ever-evolving language of world fusion.
For those passionate about guitar artistry—fans of Kurt Rosenwinkel, Nels Cline, or John McLaughlin and Shakti—Shobhakar offers a compelling, fresh perspective. Liquid Reality is a vital listen, not just for connoisseurs of cross-cultural fusion, but for anyone drawn to adventurous, boundary-pushing music.With Liquid Reality, Anupam Shobhakar cements his status as a visionary, proving that the real magic happens where tradition and experimentation meet. This album is a testament to what’s possible when musicians dare to imagine a world without borders—one note at a time.
