This October, the magnificent Mehrangarh Fort in Jodhpur will host this year’s Jodhpur RIFF, from 8th October to the 12th October, 2014. Acknowledged as being one of the best music festivals in the world by CNN Travel and International music magazine Songlines, Jodhpur RIFF is an experience for music lovers attracting thousands and artists from Rajasthan and abroad.

The blue city comes alive on the evening of 8th October with foot tapping music by the Algoza party, amazing male dancers, Jumma Jogi’s Bhapang, poetry, wisdom and vignettes of many other Rajasthani and international performances.



Consequent to this vibrant opening variety concert, between 9th to the 12th of October, Mehrangarh turns into a centre of cultural dialogue through music, narrations, dance forms and talks - with artists and performers converging from across Rajasthan, Scotland, Brazil, Crete, Reunion Island, Senegal and Australia.



Announcing the 2014 edition of Jodhpur RIFF, HH Maharaja Gaj Singh II of Jodhpur-Marwar and Patron of the Festival said, “As we begin the 8th edition of Jodhpur RIFF, we are happy to note that due to the single minded and consistent excellence of Jodhpur RIFF, we are beginning to see a greater presence of the wonderful Rajasthani artists in other mainstream music forums as well. Roots, folk and world music is becoming hip and we are proud of the pioneering role that Jodhpur RIFF is playing in this movement”.



Festival Director Jodhpur RIFF Mr. Divya Bhatia adds, “We’re having a great year – we presented Rajasthani artists and our collaborations at Celtic Connections (Scotland), at the Forde Festival (Norway), during the Commonwealth Games and will be doing so at WOMEX in Spain later this year and then touring Australia early next year. Jodhpur RIFF is getting many invitations and much kudos for its work. And it is now being recognised as the best place to experience this heady mix of rustic riffs, root textures, contemporary arrangements and global rhythms - Jodhpur RIFF is a must-do on every music lover's calendar”.



Highlights of the year:

- A Classic Meeting: Jodhpur RIFF presents stalwarts rarely heard playing with each other. Fazal Qureshi (Tabla), Dilshad Khan (Sarangi) and Mahesh Vinaykram (vocals).



- Yemen Blues - Blurring Boundaries: In 2010 Yemen Blues created waves in the world music scene with a new sound that brought together Yemenite, West African and Jazz influences. A band made up of artists from as far afield as Uruguay, New York and Tel Aviv – music that combined mambo, African rhythms and Arabic chants melded with Sephardic and jazz and funk.



- Song, Strum & Beats – a remarkable evening featuring the vocals of Christine Salem, the gentle nuances of Malick Pathe Sow and Bao Sissoko on kora and hoddu, the Manganiyar of Marwar and Scotland’s “acid-croft” Shooglenifty with Rajasthani artists.



- Sikar Gharana - a unique Jodhpur story: Jodhpur RIFF 2014 presents a unique classical music concert by the members of the Sikar Gharana produced specially for the festival - audiences will see and hear many generations of the same family playing the compositions of their forefathers (and mothers!) including a rare raga composed by one of them the sarangi maestro late Ustad Sultan Khan himself - Rasmohini.



- Desert Lounge: this year, Jodhpur RIFF presents Rajasthani Sufi singers – male vocalists including stalwarts like Darra Khan Manganiyar and Kachara Khan Manganiyar singing popular Sindhi and Rajasthani Sufi compositions of poets such as Bulleh Shah in true and robust style.



- Village Soul: A rare assembly of traditional women vocalists will open the first evening concert of Jodhpur RIFF 2014. Featuring Bhanwari Devi, who comes from the Bhopa-Bhopi tradition and an experienced vocalist.



- Folk meets Classical with Maand and Jangda: Maand is one of those rare Rajasthani creations that sits comfortably within both the folk and classical traditions while the Jaangda is a unique musical form particular to professional musician communities of the Manganiyar, Langa and Dholi – both musical forms originate in Rajasthan.



- RIFF Rustle at Club Mehran: With James Mackintosh, Kheta Manganiyar, Yuri Honing, Rajasthani musicians and surprise guest artists. This year, James MacKintosh – drummer from Scotland - will lead this year's moonlit jam.

- Softly Strung: At JRIFF 2014, Joseph Tawadros master of the Oud plays a solo set to the accompaniment of the Rik and then collaborates with the legendary Ross Daly and Kelly Thoma from Crete on the Lyra and Ghevar Manganiyar, master of the Kamaycha - an unusual and very special collaboration for Jodhpur RIFF.



- An interactive workshop on the Percussion of Rajasthan: Chang, Nagada, Dhol, Khartal, Morchang, Bhapang, Derun, the complexity of the each instrument are rarely appreciated and understood. This year the masters of the instrument weave their magic as they perform while providing insights into the cultural significance, the making, the relevance and the future of these instruments.

- Living Legends: Rajasthan’s musical traditions are vast and varied. These traditions remain alive only because they are passed on, orally, from generation to generation. Some unique and committed artists from these traditions like Hazi Khan Bhutika (Vocals), Hasam Khan Manganiyar (Kamaycha), Jamila Bai (Vocals), Pratap & Sugan Natha Jogi (Mashak), Bada Ghazi Khan Manganiyar (Vocals) and Sumitra Devi (Vocals) - take it upon themselves to become custodians - teaching and sharing their knowledge, skill and understanding to those younger.



- Rhythm and Percussion: Jodhpur RIFF presents performance featuring Pakhawaj Parveen Arya from Jaipur with a slew of master folk percussionists. An unusual ‘taal-kachehri’ – sensational rhythm collaboration unlike any other... accompanied on the Sarangi by young maestro Asin Langa and on the kamaycha by Chanan Mangnaiyar.



- DJ / Composer Maga Bo featuring percussionist Sandro Lustosa and Rajasthani artists: Inspired by the philosophies of Hip Hop and Dub, Maga Bo's work makes connections between the traditional and the avant grade, and the local and the global.



- Baul Fakiri with Noor Alam and Subhadra Sharma: Jodhpur RIFF brings two younger bauls – Noor Alam Fakir and Subhadra Sharma – to celebrate the rising sun with their songs and music.



- Children’s Folk Morning: This year we are presenting a special RIFF Children's Corner for our younger patrons that will feature Kawa Circus and regulars such as the Kathputali, Kachi Ghodi & Chhatar Kotla, Bahrupiya.