Joel Veena collaborates with Jasdeep Singh on “Reminder”

Over the years, Joel ‘Veena’ Eisenkramer, known artistically as Joel Veena, has been on a unique path through the global music landscape, becoming one of the most exciting voices in Hindustani classical and fusion. Hailing from Vermont, his story began with a moment of epiphany during a study-abroad trip to Delhi in 2007, when a CD first introduced him to the captivating sounds of Indian classical music. From that point, Joel dedicated himself to the 20-stringed Indian slide guitar, immersing in the tradition, learning under masters and eventually playing alongside some of the greats of Indian music.

His journey has since taken him across India, Europe and the USA, where his concerts and collaborations continue to expand the reach of the instrument. “I play music to heal, to transmute, to bring calm and focus and to empower,” he explains. That philosophy has guided every release since his 2017 debut record Unexpected Blessings and across multiple albums and singles, he’s found ways to balance respect for tradition with a curiosity for innovation, often drawing diverse collaborators into his projects to explore new directions for the Indian slide guitar.

Now, with the release of his twelfth album Cardinal, Joel unveiled perhaps his most expansive and ambitious project thus far. Recorded at his own Vermont studio, Root Cellar Sound, the album features eight tracks of original and traditional material, drawing in collaborators from the USA, India and the UK. Cardinal offers a journey designed to lift listeners from their immediate state into something more transcendent, a space of cascading strings and hypnotic rhythms.

Musically, Cardinal spans a broad spectrum of styles, moving from the meditative beauty of sung poetry and traditional North Indian ragas to experimental fusions with electronic beats and percussion. One of the highlight pieces, “Reminder,” sees Joel working with Jasdeep Singh, a UK-based artist and researcher of the rare South Asian drum, the jori, joining Joel for a collaboration that marks the first ever pairing of Indian slide guitar and jori.

Traditionally used in Sikh devotional and dhrupad music, the jori brings a deep tone that expands the sonic possibilities of Joel’s compositions, resulting in a progressive exploration that honours tradition while offering something new. Brought in by the resonant twang of Joel’s strings, the pattering rhythms of Jasdeep’s soft jori tones add a mesmeric rhythm as the two artists engage in a stunning performance to deliver a transportive musical voyage.

Gathering pace with the hurried taps of drum and staccato string plucks, the finale casts a dreamy moment before closing with a graceful fade out of melodic flickers. It’s an incredible display of the artist’s virtuoso musicianship, offering a magical exploration of where traditional instruments meet forward-facing composition.

As Joel reflects, “My music is an offering and a process at the same time. It’s an offering to the world, to this existence; a reality that has given me life and the power to positively affect people through my art. I am grateful for this life and I wish to spread that vibration. My music is a process in the sense that I am practicing in order to transform myself to be more in tune, more in harmony, more connected, in better relationship with humanity and the natural forces of our planet and universe.”

Listen to Reminder (feat. Jasdeep Singh) below

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