Mike Block & Sandeep Das, Where the Soul Never Dies Review

Cellist Mike Block and tablaist Sandeep Das have teamed up to create a stirring album of fourteen songs called Where the Soul Never Dies. Block is a pioneering cello player, singer, composer, and educator, hailed by Yo-Yo Ma as the “ideal musician of the 21st-Century.” With a passion for cross-cultural collaboration, Block is committed to stimulating individuals and uniting people. His many talents cover a wide range of musical styles that can be heard in his multi-genre approach to composition, performance, and education; he seeks to inspire audiences and empower musicians to find joy in the whole world of music. His solo performances offer a rich mixture of core classical repertoire with original compositions. Block is a member of Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble (SRE) and has extensively toured throughout the world with SRE. He has been featured as cello and vocal soloist, contributed arrangements and compositions, and earned a Grammy Award in 2017 for their album, Sing Me Home. As an innovator, Block is among the first wave of cellists to adopt a strap to stand and move while playing. With The Block Strap, he was the first standing cellist to perform at Carnegie Hall.

Sandeep Das is a 2019-2020 Guggenheim Foundation Fellow and one of the leading Tabla players in the world today with a prolific international reputation that spans over three decades. Beginning with his debut concert at the age of 17 with legendary Sitarist Pt. Ravi Shankar, Das has performed at major Indian music festivals with renowned musicians such as Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia, Pt. Shivkumar Sharma, and Ust. Amjad Ali Khan, among others, and is one of the unique Indian Classical musicians to expand beyond his traditional roots and collaborate with musicians from across the globe. His collaboration with Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble (SRE) for Sing Me Home won the 2017 Grammy Award for the Best World Music album. He has had two previous Grammy nominations in 2005 and 2009. In 2017, Das received the prestigious Brother Thomas Fellowship and New England Choice Artist of the Year award, and in 2018, he received a Live Arts Boston grant from the Boston Foundation.
[section label=”Bottom Line”]Bottom Line: Where the Soul Never Dies is the duo’s debut album that explores the possibilities of cello and tabla through a wide-ranging set of music varying from Bach to traditional Indian melodies to John Zorn and their original compositions too. The duet says, “The music comes from the joy that we experience from respecting and surrendering to each other’s musical heritage. The result crosses genres with a dialogue that’s raw, organic, eclectic, and soulful.” “Fønix” opens the album with Block playing a catchy figure on the cello incorporating chords and single notes as Das slowly builds the tabla’s activity. Block switches to the bow to play the Norway folk melody as Das’ full-bodied tablas support and fill the space. There are multiple outstanding adaptations of folk music on the album, like “Glory in the Meeting House” (America), which is a lively arrangement that is a flurry of energy and technicality. The duet explains, “We did not have an existing musical prescription to follow with our music, and that allowed us to follow our hearts and minds as we brought our two instruments together as conversing soloists. The experience has taught us a lot about each other’s cultures and personalities while at the same time uncovering something new within ourselves. We hope you also feel something new and unexpected when you listen.” Both players have an excellent musical understanding and fluidity that combines into a beautiful sound. The title track is a lovely example of how they use their talents to connect two spiritual songs: “Raghupati Raghava Raja Ram” (India) and “Where the Soul Never Dies” (America) together for an emotional statement that is stirring and empowering. They say that the songs are “symbolizing love and infinite divinity within us.” “Fight or Flight” is an original composition by the duet that is conversational and builds in agility and intensity. Elements of the various musical styles presented on the album can be heard within the composition and further unifies the project’s sound and cohesiveness. Das’ vocal improvisation during the song is terrific. Overall, Where the Soul Never Dies is a unique project by two imaginative, talented, and spiritually connected musicians that will stir the heart and mind. That’s the short of it!