Gwanwyn

Tŷhai's first album opens with ‘Y Nawfed Don’, a composition by guitarist Dylan Fowler inspired by an idea in the Mabinogion, stories written in Welsh in the 12th century from earlier oral versions. When going out to sea, the ninth wave (y nawfeddon) is the point of no return: beyond it there is no coming back. Pete Stacey's alto flute plays a melody like a gentle swell and over this Rajesh David sings from The Ashtavakra Gita: ‘I am like the ocean and the multiplicity of objects is comparable to a wave’ (it sounds much more elegant in Sanskrit). This perfectly demonstrates the whole endeavour: to bring the stories and melodies of Wales and India together.

In ‘O Vrindavan i Bontypridd’ David sings a thumri about Radha seeking Krishna in Vrindavan and then ‘Ym Mhontypridd Mar ‘Nghariad’, a traditional song in which a young farmer is off to Pontypridd, with money to spend, to marry the ‘small pure girl’ he loves. The trio not only melds songs and melodies but also musical techniques. In ‘Paddy Fahey _ Gyrru'r Byd ‘Mlaen’ they improvise around the jigs like Western jazz players or like Indian musicians playing a raga. In ‘Mango Ripple Delight’, a tune that is as delicious as that dessert sounds, Fowler's guitar is fast and rhythmically sharp, like a tabla.

Tŷhai translates as ‘Housing’, a name chosen perhaps because the musicians are giving hospitality to each other's traditions, sharing and enjoying them together.