Ganavya: Forgive Me My

London-based multi-reedist Shabaka Hutchings' interest in South and East Asian music, which recently manifested itself with his embarkation on an in-depth study of Japanese shakuhachi flutes, continues to spread its wings. Hutchings does not play on singer and composer Ganavya's meditative single "Forgive Me My," but he produced the track and it is released on his Native Rebel Recordings label. An album will be released later in 2023. Meanwhile, you can hear "Forgive Me My" on the YouTube below.

Ganavya composed "Forgive Me My" from Nigerian writer Teju Cole's words: "forgive me my forgetfulness, no one can forget gentleness." It is not jazz exactly, indeed it is of no genre exactly, but it is likely to strike a chord with aficionados of spiritual jazz. It can be heard on the video below. The track was recorded in London in January 2023. The harp accompaniment is by Ukrainian-born, London-based Alina Bzhezhinska, well loved in this parish, whose most recent album is reviewed here.

Born in New York and raised in South India, Ganavya has been championed by other heavyweights in addition to Hutchings, including Wayne Shorter, who cast her for his 2021 opera, Iphigenia.