Chaand Sequence | Tempe, AZ
Tumi Je Amar
Audio, 3:49 min. (2020)
Tumi Je Amar means “You are but mine” in Bengali. This song is part lullaby, part incantation. It moves with ease between musical and spoken languages, and exemplifies a code switching that is a familiar means of survival. It imagines a future that centers the liberation of Black and indigenous people whose land and labor was exploited to create America.
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Chaand Sequence
Chaand Sequence is an ephemeral, pandemic-era band, formed by a group of friends during a virtual songwriting experiment. We are musicians, artists and children-of-immigrants who -- thanks to the extended COVID quarantine -- are collaborating together for the first time. While each of us have our own individual music projects, the unique circumstances of extended isolation created mental space for deep reflection and a longing to connect and co-create with friends. For us, creating music and other art is a practice of self-healing, humanization and mental wellness. Even in a time when music creation cannot support most artists financially, we create it because it supports us in this deeper, more essential way.
Shahjehan Khan is a Boston-based voice artist, actor, behavioral health consultant and founding member of the South Asian-American punk band The Kominas. Omar Waqar is a songwriter, poet and music producer in California. He has released music under Diacritical, Sarmust, Evilartform, Gardens for the Lush and others. Tanya Palit Husain is a musician, composer and Girls Rock camp organizer in Arizona. She performs solo as “Saraswathi Jones.” Karna Ray, who contributed cello on this track, plays drums in The Kominas and is a multi-instrumentalist in New York City.