About Raga Bhimpalasi
Raga Bhimpalasi is a studio album by Indian slide guitarist and composer Debashish Bhattacharya. Released in 1997 under the India Archive Music label, the recording presents a solo performance in the Hindustani classical tradition. The album focuses on Raga Bhimpalasi, a late afternoon raga associated with the Kafi thaat and characterized by its use of komal re (flattened second) and komal dha (flattened sixth) in descent.
Bhattacharya performs the album on his custom-made 22-string chaturangui, a modified slide guitar designed to accommodate the microtonal and melodic demands of Indian classical music. The recording captures a full raga elaboration in three movements. The first track features the alap, a slow, unmetered exploration of the raga’s melodic contours. This transitions into jor and jhala, where rhythmic pulse emerges through stroked patterns on the lower strings.
The second track introduces the vilambit gat in rupak tal, a composition in slow 7-beat cycle. Bhattacharya develops the theme with layered improvisations, emphasizing the raga’s emotional depth through meend (glissando) and gamak (ornamentation) techniques. The final track presents the madhya and drut gat in tintal, a 16-beat cycle. The performance accelerates through medium and fast tempos, showcasing intricate taans (rapid melodic runs) and rhythmic interplay.
The album was issued on CD as part of India Archive Music’s series documenting traditional and contemporary Indian classical performances. The release date aligns with the label’s 1997 catalog, though specific recording location details remain undocumented. Raga Bhimpalasi exemplifies Bhattacharya’s adaptation of slide guitar to the dhrupad-ang and khayal-ang gayaki styles, bridging instrumental technique with vocalistic phrasing.