CHICAGO: Hindustani slide guitarist Debashish Bhattacharya will perform in Chicago on April 12 at The Old Town School of Folk Music, Gary and Laura Maurer Concert Hall on Lincoln Ave as part of his 14-day 2008 US tour. His new Riverboat album "Calcutta Chronicles: Indian Slide Guitar Odyssey" is released in the USA and is distributed by Ryko Distribution.Pandit (master) Debashish Bhattacharya is considered one of the world's greatest slide guitarists and arguably the foremost exponent of Indian slide guitar.

An innovator in his development of a "trinity" of slide guitars (the 24-string hollow neck Chaturangui, the 14-string Gandharvi and the Anandi, a 4-string slide ukulele). Debashish, accompanied by siblings Subhasis on tabla and Sutapa on vocals, takes listeners on a timeless journey through the history of Indian classical music - arriving finally at the 21st century.

The biggest advantage of Indian classical music is that the same raga played a hundred times will always be different in approach and flavor. This is how Indian raga music has survived more than one thousand years and continues to be ever-living, braving the threats of globalization.