The Album
Essence of Duality
Released
October 1, 2021
Genre
Crossover Jazz / World Music
Label
CTO Music
Essence of Duality stands at the forefront of contemporary crossover jazz, bridging musical worlds between Germany and India with rare artistic clarity. True to its name, the quartet brings together contrasting traditions—melding Indian modes, microtonal nuance, and rhythmic intricacy with the harmonic language and improvisational freedom of modern jazz—into a sound that feels both exploratory and cohesive.
At the heart of the ensemble lies a spirit of exchange: each member rethinks their musical vocabulary, allowing new perspectives to reshape composition and performance alike. The result is a richly textured sonic landscape where sitar and double bass move beyond convention, navigating between modal frameworks and harmonic interplay to create something distinctly their own—neither fully Indian nor Western, yet deeply rooted in both.
Since the release of their debut album, the group has garnered international critical acclaim, with features across major European music publications and broadcasts on leading radio platforms. Their performances at renowned festivals in Germany and India, along with invitations such as Winter Jazz Köln 2024, affirm their position as one of the most compelling voices in global crossover jazz today.
Full Tracklist
Nine Journeys Between Two Worlds
Light and Shade
Raga Madhuwanti· 11/4 odd meter
Desert Clouds
Raga Miyan ki Malhar· Rainy season raga
Unknown Voyage
Raga Purvi· An unknown journey
Fragmented Within
Raga Kirwani· Shifting meters, polyrhythm
Offering
Raga Yaman· Devotional, minimalistic
Dreams From the Past
Raga Bhatiyar· Memories, harmonic progression
Journey to Kedarnath
Raga Kedar· Himalayan pilgrimage
Essence of Duality
Raga Chandrakauns· 5 over 4 polyrhythm
Run Away
Raga Bhairavi· Fast pace, two tonal centers
"It started with the duality of two styles of music. On the one hand, my classical Indian background, which I brought with me to Germany, and on the other, music built on harmonies. I had wanted to bring these two worlds together ever since I listened to the late night shows on the radio in 10th grade."
— Hindol Deb, Qantara.de, 2021
The Quartet
Four Voices, One Conversation
Sitar & Compositions
Hindol Deb
Deeply rooted in classical Indian music, Hindol explores the endless possibilities of combining Indian music with various other genres such as contemporary Western classical music, jazz, and Nordic folk music. In 2021, he released his first crossover jazz album, "Essence of Duality," followed shortly by "Northlight," a Nordic crossover album. He has collaborated with the WDR Funkhaus Orchestra, the Bridges Orchestra, and the Kaiserslautern Philharmonic.
Piano & Arrangement
Clemens Orth
A master of sophisticated harmonic language ranging from classic counterpoint to atonality, Clemens Orth is Hindol's long-time musical companion. With a New York jazz background, he uses external musical influences to set new accents in improvisations and to connect seemingly distant musical points. He has not only arranged many pieces on the album but shares Hindol's artistic and philosophical convictions about cross-cultural musical dialogue.
Double Bass
Christian Ramond
Christian Ramond studied at the University of Music in Cologne and received a scholarship from the Academy of Fine Arts in Banff, Canada. He has spent time in India, giving him a deep understanding of the music's cultural roots. He has worked with jazz legends including Joe Pass, Albert Mangelsdorf, Kenny Wheeler, Lee Konitz, and Phillip Catherine, and has played in numerous television, radio and theater productions across many countries.
Drums
Jens Düppe
Jens Düppe received the ECHO Jazz nomination for his second album 'Dancing Beauty' in 2018 and the WDR Radio Jazz Prize in 2019. Since 2011 Düppe has been leading and curating the concert series Kommunikation 9 in Germany, which is based on improvisation between different art styles. He works with the German radio big bands from Frankfurt and Hamburg and the Brussels Jazz Orchestra. Düppe is a member of the Pascal Schumacher Quartet, the Bulgarian pianist Dimitar Bodurov Trio and the ECHO Jazz award winner for piano Anke Helfrich.
Critical Reception
What the World is Saying
"Hindol Deb's debut album is a well-balanced work that allows all instrumentalists to be heard and, precisely because of this, succeeds in presenting multiple facets of a new East-West dialogue. There is no danger of the sitar being used as mere exotic decoration — every voice is equal, every voice is heard."
Qantara.de
Stefan Franzen
November 2021
"When it comes to world fusion music revolving around Hindustani classical music, a template was set in stone by Shakti. But that template can be blown out of the water — as Hindol Deb, a sitarist from Germany, proves with Essence of Duality. It is primarily designed as a jazz record where Indian instruments and elements play their parts, rather than orchestrating the music."
Songlines Magazine
Shaswata Kundu Chaudhuri
May 2022
"The way Hindol Deb draws on the vast and diverse musical heritage of different continents to shape an individual musical language is rarely heard in this form. In an impressive concert, rhythmic complexity and the melodies of Indian ragas meet Western minimalism and grooves in precise and expressive interplay."
Frankfurt Newspaper
Norbert Krampf
February 2024
"One might have assumed that this record would sound very Indian, but that is not the case at all."
Concerto A
Bak
September 2021
The Ragas
Ancient Scales, New Conversations
Each composition on the album is rooted in a specific raga — the melodic framework of Indian classical music. Hindol Deb uses ragas outside their traditional time-of-day assignments, sometimes relating two or three ragas in a single composition, and combines them with European harmonic cadences to create entirely new timbres.
Madhuwanti
Light and Shade
Evokes the scorching heat of a Delhi summer. Played in 11/4 odd meter with different subdivisions.
Miyan ki Malhar
Desert Clouds
The rainy season raga, bringing release after scorching heat. Strong polyrhythmic elements.
Purvi
Unknown Voyage
Transformed through experimental note changes. An unknown journey with no fixed destination.
Kirwani
Fragmented Within
Beats change bar by bar, different metres overlap. A non-settling feeling of fragmented self.
Yaman
Offering
Repetitive phrases like a chant, invoking devotion. Minimalistic with a polyrhythmic approach.
Kedar
Journey to Kedarnath
Inspired by the Himalayan pilgrimage site. Incorporates a bass line from the Esbjörn Svensson Trio.
Chandrakauns
Essence of Duality
Five over four polyrhythm. Tonal centre shifts between B and C sections. The universe branching into many.
Bhatiyar
Dreams From the Past
Memories and harmonic progression. A raga of longing and reflection.
Bhairavi
Run Away
Fast pace composition with two different tonal centers — D and G. The album's energetic finale.
Gallery
In the Studio & On Stage
Tour History