Susmit Sen To Jam With Former Whitesnake Guitarist Bernie Marsden

Bernie Marsden, former guitarist with Whitesnake. Photo: Jan Slob (Janslb on Flickr)

When guitarist Susmit Sen of Delhi folk rock band Indian Ocean performed at the Guitare En Scène festival in France in July 2012 with his side project Susmit Sen Chronicles, he met up with guitar virtuosos such as Joe Satriani, Steve Morse, Wayne Kramer and Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones. Sen also met Bernie Marsden, former guitarist of British hard rock band Whitesnake. 

“I was in the green room, waiting to go on [with Susmit Sen Chronicles], and I started playing my guitar. That’s when Bernie Marsden came in and he got interested in what I was playing,” recalls Sen. Marsden suggested Sen play on his solo album, while Sen in turn suggested Marsden perform in India.

The British guitarist will, in fact, perform in India on January 22nd and 23rd as part of the Masters of Guitar Festival Volume 1 at Blue Frog, Delhi and Mumbai. “This is the first chapter in a series that will have five or six more collaborations,” says Sen, who adds that Marsden will perform a solo set after which the two guitarists will take stage for a jam. “Every guitar player has his own style. Bernie and I will get together a day before the first show to figure out what to play,” says Sen, whose band Susmit Sen Chronicles will open the show.

Sen describes Marsden as a fabulous musician and says he’s heard just enough of Whitesnake to know their music. “Anybody in music would have listened to Whitesnake at some point of time,” says Sen, adding that Susmit Sen Chronicles will be playing songs from the album Depths Of The Ocean and some new material. Music club Blue Frog has plans to promote these shows across the country. “Susmit will be driving this, but when we heard about some of the musicians who will be collaborating with Susmit including Joe Satriani, we were sure that this is something that we wanted to be part of,” says Blue Frog co-founder Mahesh Mathai of the Masters of Guitar Festival. Mathai hopes to take the festival to Kolkata and Chennai, besides other cities. 

Susmit Sen Chronicles and Bernie Marsden perform at Masters of Guitar Festival Volume 1 at Blue Frog, Delhi on January 22nd [entry Rs 800], and at Blue Frog, Mumbai on January 23rd [entry Rs 1000].

Watch Sen and Marsden speak about Masters Of Guitar volume 1: