Arnab Sengupta hops, skips and jumps joyfully between genres, sounds and styles on his eclectic and inspired new album Leap of Faith — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
On his third album, the Australian-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist incorporates a vast amount of fresh life experience, resulting in a revelatory, meditative signature sound appealing to a wide range of discerning listeners. With song titles like Impermanence and Alone But Not Lonely, this new release finds Sengupta leaning towards ‘the ultimate truth’ as he finds meaning in hypnotic, flowing and uplifting sonic fusions. Leap of Faith also showcases his boundary-smashing songwriting approach, with jazz, blues, world, classical and experimental all playing important roles.
“My songwriting journey started way back in 2006 after a good 15-odd years of having assimilated a plethora of musical styles and genre, by studying, performing and nurturing contemporary music in various capacities,” Sengupta explains. “It was my last year in the frivolous 20s. I was soon entering the more mature 30s and various incidences and situations impelled me to look at life much more deeply from within.
“Musically the harmonic sophistication of jazz music left the most enduring impression in my artistic expression. I was not a great improviser, but I couldn’t get enough of beautiful chord changes. But it wasn’t until 2015 that I released my first record Refrain, which I feel is a very bold album — very fresh, creative and is harmonically rich and lyrically deep and evocative. I recorded this album in an online mode with the help of musicians from the Berklee College of Music in Boston. The lyrics largely focus on my inner journey of self-discovery and self-expansion.
“My second album Inadvertently was recorded the following year in 2016. By that time, I had found a steady musical direction and style with my original music and was well established in my unique sound. This album too, was recorded with the help of the musicians in New York via online exchanges. The words and music have a slightly more straight-ahead jazz feel to it than Refrain.
“For Leap of Faith I wanted to try out some new styles and sounds. The creative ideas for the songs in this album have spanned over five years, which entailed my migration to Australia, my experiences of setting up life in a new environment, my learning and regular practice of Vipassana meditation and dedicating my musical direction to learning and practising jazz piano with my teacher from New York. So this album did mark a Leap of Faith in many ways. The songs in this album are more versatile and there is a certain stylistic variety which shines through, though the words are still about my pursuit of the final frontier — the ultimate truth and meaning of life.”
Sengupta is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist with a penchant for creating original music. Over a period of 30-plus years, he has diligently pursued the study and performance of contemporary music which has shaped up his own artistic expression. His musical style is fresh, innovative and harmonically sophisticated and his lyricism is deep and evocative.
An alumni of the revered Berklee College of Music, Sengupta has developed a significant body of original work. He is also a seasoned vocal coach and a session artist on several online session marketplaces. He is currently based out of Sydney, where he continues to explore opportunities to present his music in a live setting as well as develop new material.
Watch videos for Alone But Not Lonely and This Way above, listen to Leap of Faith below, and follow Arnab Sengupta on Facebook and Instagram.
