PRESS RELEASE

July 2015 – for immediate release

Marvels Of The Universe & Theatr Mwldan present the eponymous new album from Ghazalaw Sublime Wales/India collaboration GHAZALAW is latest release on Cerys Matthews’ label Marvels Of The Universe

CATALOGUE NO. MARVELS2 LABEL: Marvels Of The Universe RELEASE DATE: 25 September 2015 (worldwide release) TOTAL PLAYING TIME: 50 minutes 13 seconds DOWNLOAD THE ALBUM: https://soundcloud.com/ghazalaw/sets/ghazalaw/s-QB40v PRODUCERS: Ghazalaw is a co-production between Marvels Of The Universe, Ghazalaw and Theatr Mwldan

TRACK LISTINGS

1 Tum nazar se / Cyfri’r sêr (5:08)

2 Teri aankhon mein / Seren syw (5:11)

3 Apni ruswaayee / Sefyll yn stond (3:55)

4 Hosh apne / Y botwm du (4:42)

5 Hud se / Cainc yr aradwr (5:21)

6 Moliannwn / Ishq karo (4:36)

7 Khoobsorat koi sazaa / Cosb mor dlos (6:46)

8 Lusa lân (3:05)

9 Guzur jaayenge jab din / Hiraeth (6:10)

10 Jugnu ke sitara tha / Hen ferchetan (5:19)

Ghazalaw, the eponymous debut album from the Wales / India collaboration, is the latest album to be released on Cerys Matthews’ record label ‘Marvels of The Universe’. The album releases on 25 September 2015, followed by live UK performances in November 2015. It’s a sublime musical meeting between acclaimed Indian ghazal singer–musician Tauseef Akhtar from Mumbai and Gwyneth Glyn, one of Wales’ leading singer-songwriters from Cricieth, North Wales.

Ghazalaw is a musical love-match, the marriage of two great traditions of love poetry and traditional music: the ghazal singing of the Indian sub-continent and the folk song of Wales. The pairing is unique - ghazal singing has never been fused with any alien musical tradition before – and reveals a remarkable and unexpected affinity between those two traditions. The ease with which they blend into something new and coherent is striking, even obvious.

Tauseef Akhtar served a ten year ‘apprenticeship’ with the greatest ghazal singer of modern times, the ‘King of Ghazal’ Jagjit Singh, responsible for drawing ghazal singing out from its Muslim and Urdu enclave; Tauseef now carries the torch forwards with Ghazalaw.

Gwyneth Glyn is steeped in the linguistic and poetic richness of her homeland, inspired by the landscape of Wales and centuries of tradition. Yet she stands at the forefront of a new Welsh generation keen to seek out and celebrate all the many affinities that tie two distant parts of the world together.

Tauseef and Gwyneth are joined from India by Ashish Jha (tabla), Manas Kumar (violin) and Sanjoy Das (guitar), and from Wales by Georgia Ruth Williams (harp, vocals) who earned two BBC Radio 2 Folk awards nominations in 2014 following the release of her debut album Week Of Pines.

Cerys Matthews describes the album as “the best new cross cultural album I've heard this year, perhaps the best new album full stop. I loved it so much, I decided to release it on my new label Marvels of the Universe - a label for distinctive, stand out recordings.”

Singer Tauseef Akhtar says “The ghazal audience has whole-heartedly welcomed Ghazalaw especially because of the blend of Welsh folk. Gwyneth Glyn is a treat for listeners. Her ability to understand and express the nuances of ghazal through Welsh folk is phenomenal. Georgia Ruth Williams adds more beauty to the whole experience through her silky voice and mesmerizing harp.”

Though at first glance distant relations, dig deeper to discover that the Welsh folk and Indian ghazal traditions both evolve from ancient poetic forms, specifically, linguistically, Sanskrit. You’ll find a calmness too, distilled over centuries by the pens of poets and the hearts of unrequited lovers, a place of refuge where the deepest human emotions find the truest words.

Ghazalaw is unique. It’s the inarticulate speech of the heart, voiced across cultures, continents and ages. It’s a record from the past, for the future.

ENDS/

Notes for Editors:

Ghazalaw releases on 25 September 2015 and is a co-production between Marvels Of The Universe, Ghazalaw and Theatr Mwldan. The collaboration was originated by Wales Arts International, and developed with the support of Wales Arts International, Arts Council of Wales and Welsh Government, working in partnership with the British Council and Air India. Visit Ghazalaw’s website www.ghazalaw.com or follow them on twitter @Ghazalaw_ and on Facebook www.facebook.com/ghazalawmusic for further updates.

Press and media enquiries:

Tamsin Davies [email protected]

+44 (0)1239 623925 / (0)7891 252 043

Tour Dates:

November 2015

7 Theatr Mwldan CARDIGAN - Ghazalaw with support from 8 Taliesin Arts Centre - Ghazalaw with support from Kizzy Crawford 12 Theatr Brycheiniog BRECON - Ghazalaw with support from Kizzy Crawford 13 Y Tabernacl MACHYNLLETH - Ghazalaw with support from Kizzy Crawford 15 Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama - Tauseef Akhtar featuring Ghazalaw 19 Neuadd Dwyfor PWLLHELI - Ghazalaw with support from Kizzy Crawford 20 BIRMINGHAM (venue TBC) - Tauseef Akhtar featuring Ghazalaw 21 Logan Hall, LONDON - Tauseef Akhtar featuring Ghazalaw 22 MANCHESTER (venue TBC) - Tauseef Akhtar featuring Ghazalaw