Tabla Montreal

A Busy Fall Season with Santoor Player Jonathan Voyer

2012-01-19T21:17:00.001-05:00

This past fall was a really busy time, playing with santoor player Jonathan Voyer. We started the fall with a concert at McGill at the end of September, which I wrote about in a blog post previously. A short excerpt of the performance is now available on YouTube:

Shortly after that, we collaborated with dancer Julie Beaulieu for her choreography Mousson la nuit. Produced by Samskara, Mousson la nuit was presented as part of Tangente Danse's season at Usine-C. Choreographed and danced by Julie Beaulieu, Mousson la nuit depicts Raag Megh, a monsoon raga, coming to life, incarnated through the dancer. Jonathan and I provided the music. This time, however, Jonathan performed as both a santoor player and as a vocalist! The music is traditional, North Indian classical music, with alap (both sung and on santoor), a vocal bandish in Jhaptaal, followed by instrumental gats in Jhaptaal and Teentaal. The dance aspect is contemporary, but with inspiration from the Bharata Natyam tradition.

The four shows were very well attended, and we are looking forward to performing Mousson again in the future.

The week after, Jonathan and I headed to Quebec City for performances at Café Babylone and the Grand Théâtre du Québec.

The next week was the opening of the exhibition Couleurs de l'Inde at the Musée Pointe-à-Callière in Old Montreal. Couleurs de l'Inde is an exhibition of photos by French photographer Suzanne Held. Our CD, Shanta, is the official soundtrack for the exhibition, which runs until April 22.

Later on, in early December, we played at the museum for their annual fundraiser dinner.

Photo by Alain Vandal

With Francine Lelièvre, General Director of the Musée Pointe-à-Callière, and Jonathan Voyer.
Photo by Alain Vandal

What a great fall season it was! We are looking forward to our next concert on February 4, at Timpano-Percussion!

Quebec Jazz Festival with Jacinta Luis

2012-01-19T20:35:00.000-05:00

This past October, I had the pleasure to play at the historic Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City as part of the Quebec Jazz Festival. Jazz singer and pianist Jacinta Luis was presenting her new project, Jazz Univers, which is a mix of jazz with her African and Goan roots. It was great fun to accompany her, along with bassist Adrian Vedady, guitarist/sitarist Evan Green, and drummer Claude Lavergne. Aside from tabla, I also played a bit of congas and pandeiro.

Photos by Caroline Tabah.

Celebrating Guru Purnima in London, Summer 2011

2012-01-15T18:14:00.000-05:00

Guru Purnima is a very special time of year for any chela (disciple). Usually occurring some time in the month of July, this day is devoted to celebrating the Guru. While I have celebrated Guru Puja numerous times in previous years, this is the first time that I was with Gurujee on the actual day of Guru Purnima, according to the Hindu calendar. For this past year, Guru Purnima fell on July 15.

Photos by Caroline Tabah

Guru-bhais (fellow disciples) and students from all over the UK were in attendance, as well as a couple of us who traveled from North America. Little did any of us know that this would be our last Guru Purnima with Gurujee. Looking back on the photos, we all had a great time, and this day made for some especially fond memories. Gurujee always loved when we all came together, as a big family. A special moment that I will always be thankful for.

Chatting with the Sahai family in Benares via Skype

Photos by Caroline Tabah

Aside from Guru Purnima, I was in London to spend time with Gurujee and continue my tabla studies. While I was there, I accompanied kathak dance classes at Sangeet College, given by dancer Mansi Dabral, and assisted in teaching the tabla classes as well. Surprise, surprise! There was a class concert organised to take place in a week's time at the Harrow Arts Centre, and I was to accompany Mansi in a short performance. Great, but this was a short time to put together a kathak performance!

After all the students had given their performances, we came on stage to conclude the concert. With Dr. Frances Shepherd on harmonium, and myself on tabla, we accompanied Mansi in her performance, which was met by great praise from the audience!

Photo by Deepak Uniyal

Photo by Caroline Tabah

Some Photos from the Cycles CD Launch

2012-01-14T16:57:00.001-05:00

The new CD!
Photo: Ana Desmond

The CD launch for my new album, Cycles, was held this past November 14 at the Mysore Indian restaurant on Saint-Laurent, Montreal. The event was quite well attended, and I was especially happy that composer Bruno Paquet was in attendance. I performed three pieces from the CD - Paul Frehner's Ke-Te, Bruno Paquet's Les arbres célestes, and Christien Ledroit's Trade Winds (electronic version). Thank you to Bill and Avery from ombu for their hard work in organizing the launch!

Photo: Caroline Tabah

Thanking the crowd for coming out.
Photo: Caroline Tabah

Playing SABIAN Resonating Bells during Trade Winds
Photo: Caroline Tabah

I am very happy to report that so far the album have received two press reviews, from Le Devoir, and from the Bharat Times, and both were very positive!Click here to listen to a clip of the title track from the CD (compressed for the web), Christien Ledroit's Trade Winds, a concerto for tabla with string orchestra, featuring the Windsor Symphony Orchestra.

Photo: Ana Desmond

Mill Race Festival with Galitcha

2012-01-12T11:55:00.000-05:00

Another late posting - This past July 30 and 31, I performed with Galitcha at the Mill Race Festival of Traditional Folk Music in Cambridge, Ontario. During the two days, we were kept quite busy! Two concerts on Saturday and a concert and workshop on Sunday. It's always a pleasure to play with Matt Smith, who joined us on mandolin and slide guitar.

Saturday evening concert with Galitcha
at the Mill Race Festival

In many folk festivals, 'workshops' tend to be more like jams. It's often musicians from a few bands, thrown together on stage based on some sort of theme. We usually end up playing a tune from each band, and jamming on each other's tunes. This was one of the first times where workshop actually meant workshop. For "Instruments of Mass Percussion," Kuljit and I were joined by amazingly talented percussionists Maninho Costa and Luis Orbegeso. We each presented our instruments and the music of their source cultures - Luis on cajon, Maninho on pandeiro, Kuljit on dholki, and myself on tabla. Everyone had such an interesting and engaging way of explaining their instruments and music. I later brought out a kanjira; who knew that it would spawn a samba jam! We also did some jamming on other traditional rhythms from India and South America. All in all, probably the best folk festival workshop that I have participated in to date!

Thanks to the Mill Race Festival for having invited us to perform!

Photos by Caroline Tabah.

OpenMind Festival with sitarist Uwe Neumann

2012-01-12T11:42:00.000-05:00

Catching up on some old posts - This past August 11, I had the great pleasure to accompany sitarist Uwe Neumann at the Open Mind Festival in Curran, Ontario. This Eco-Festival includes live music, kirtan, DJs, and various environmental and healing sessions and workshops. Upon arrival, our travel distance was calculated and our parking cost was based on our CO2 emissions! This is the first time that I have seen this approach; I think the festival organizers pass on the money to an organisation that will plant trees to counteract everyone's emission pollution.

Indian classical music workshop with Uwe Neumann

In the afternoon, we gave a 90-minute workshop/performance on Indian classical music. Uwe started with the ektara, explaining the idea of drone and how the overtones contain all the pitches of the scale. We then played a short Bengali folk piece with the ektara. Next, we got into more of the nitty gritty, demonstrating the sitar and tabla, and talking about raag and taal. We played a short classical piece, and afterwards had an interesting exchange with the audience.

Uwe and his huge ektara

Reciting tabla bols during the workshop

Later that evening, we performed a full sitar and tabla concert. It's great to have the time to do a full alap-jor-jhala, with gats in vilambit, madhya, and drut. Uwe was really in the mood and we had some great exchanges. As is the tradition with Uwe, we ended with a short piece on sansa and tabla.

Evening concert at Open Mind

Photos by Caroline Tabah

The worst news...

2012-01-12T11:19:00.003-05:00

Pandit Sharda Sahai

Dear friends,

You may have noticed that I have been silent on the blog for a while now. I am sad to report that Guruji, Pandit Sharda Sahai, passed away this past November 20 at Ealing Hospital, London, UK. His loss has been felt the world over, and it has been a very difficult time for all of us who were so fortunate to have known him. Words cannot truly express the loss we are all feeling.

Guruji was renowned as one of the greatest exponents of the Benares baj and pioneered its development worldwide, most notably in Canada, America and the UK. Guruji hailed from five generations of master musicians and whilst he was faithful to the tradition of his ancestors he also was very much a musician of his time.

He profoundly touched all those who came into contact with him with his great wisdom, knowledge and humour. He will be remembered for his spellbinding solo performances, East-West collaborations, and skill and generosity as a teacher. His legacy will live on through his disciples and students and in the Pandit Ram Sahai Sangeet Vidyalaya which he founded in Benares in 1965.

His funeral rites took place in Benares, and memorials were held in London and in Montreal.

Some fond memories:

Ganda-bandh ceremony

Guruji in Montreal, summer 2006

An early photo of Guruji

A memorial page has been set up on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pandit-Sharda-Sahai-Memorial-Page/229627843769196

Guruji's photo at his home in Benares

Announcing the Cycles CD Launch Event - November 14!

2011-11-08T22:18:00.000-05:00

Dear friends,

After 10 years of collaborating with Canadian composers, and one year of preparations and recording, Cycles is finally ready for release! The release event will be on Monday, November 14, and you are all invited! Below is a copy of the press release from the label, ombu productions.

ombú productions, inc., is thrilled to announce the release of Cycles, Shawn Mativetsky’s latest CD of new music for tabla. Over the past decade, Shawn Mativetsky – percussionist, composer and educator – has been working to combine his dual backgrounds in both Western and Indian classical music by commissioning new music for the tabla. The resulting works draw their inspiration from Western and Indian music in varying degrees, and reflect the personalities and approaches of the individual composers. Cycles features new works for tabla from Canadian composers Paul Frehner, Jim Hiscott, Christien Ledroit, Nicole Lizée, and Bruno Paquet and features guest performances by the Windsor Symphony Orchestra, directed by Brian Current, as well as Marie-Hélène Breault on flute, Catherine Meunier on vibraphone, and Xenia Pestova on harmonium.

Credit: Scott Webster / Windsor Star

Disciple of Pandit Sharda Sahai of the Benares gharana of tabla, Shawn Mativetsky is highly sought after as a versatile tabla artist. As an ensemble musician, Shawn Mativetsky performs regularly with violinist Parmela Attariwala's cross-cultural Attar Project, Indian-fusion ensemble Ragleela, and the Indian-folk group Galitcha. Shawn has performed numerous solo recitals, spanning Canada, the United States, England, and India. He has been featured in series such as the Windsor Canadian Music Festival, New Music in New Spaces, Groundswell, Festival Montréal Baroque, Jusqu’aux Oreilles, Evolutions, Voyages: Montréal-New York, Festival International du Domaine Forget, New Works Calgary, Music Toronto, and the Percussive Arts Society International Convention. As a practitioner of Indian classical music, Shawn regularly gives solo tabla performances, as well as accompanying kathak dance, voice, bansuri, sarod, santoor, and sitar artists. Cycles is Shawn’s second solo disc; his first, Payton MacDonald: Works for Tabla, was released in 2007.

CD launch, Monday, November 14, 2011, at Mysore Indian Cuisine, 4216 St-Laurent Blvd., from 5:00 to 7:00 PM. Shawn Mativetsky will be performing works from Cycles, after which he will be available to meet the public and members of the press, and to sign CDs.

Cycles - CD release coming soon!

2011-10-11T21:22:00.000-04:00

Cycles is the culmination of over ten years of collaborating with Canadian composers, creating a new repertoire for tabla that combines elements of Indian classical and Western classical music. Theresulting works draw their inspiration from Western and Indian musicin varying degrees, and reflect the personalities and approaches ofthe individual composers. Cyclesfeatures new works for tabla fromCanadian composers Paul Frehner,Jim Hiscott,Christien Ledroit,Nicole Lizée,and Bruno Paquetand features guest performances by the Windsor Symphony Orchestra, directed by Brian Current,as well as Marie-Hélène Breault onflute, Catherine Meunier on vibraphone, and Xenia Pestova on harmonium. The CD is being released on the ombu productions label, and will be available on October 14.

The pieces on the CD are:

Elementalities, for flute, vibraphone, and tabla, by Christien Ledroit

Metal Jacket, for tabla and harmonium, by Nicole Lizée

Les arbres célestes, for tabla and pre-recorded tape, by Bruno Paquet

Shadow Play, for flute and tabla, by Jim Hiscott

Ke-Te, for solo tabla, by Paul Frehner

Trade Winds, concerto for tabla with string orchestra, by Christien Ledroit

Producing this CD has been quite a journey for me. It represents ten years of new music for tabla, and the CD project itself took over one year to complete. The chamber music pieces were recorded in September and October 2010, and the tabla concerto with the WSO was recorded in February 2011 by the CBC.

Performing Christien Ledroit's Trade Winds, concerto for tabla, with the Windsor Symphony Orchestra
Photo credit: Scott Webster, Windsor Star

Many thanks to all who collaborated with me on this special project! I will post links to purchase the CD once it becomes available.

Open House at the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal's New Maison Symphonique

2011-10-11T21:17:00.001-04:00

This past September 8, I had the pleasure of performing with Erreur de Type 27 for the opening of the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal's new symphony hall, named the Maison Symphonique de Montréal. The new hall, at Place des Arts, is a major new concert hall for Montreal. The OSM invited groups from across Quebec to come and perform for their open house event. The trio was made up of Marie-Hélène Breault on flute, Catherine Meunier on marimba and vibraphone, and myself on tabla. (Marie-Hélène and Catherine also played on my upcoming CD, Cycles!) We presented excerpts from our upcoming Musica Masala show on October 14.

Erreur de Type 27 performing at the Maison Symphonique open house

The open house ended up being a huge success - there were literally thousands of people who lined up to see the new hall. You can see some of the loooong lineups in the OSM's Facebook photos. Over the course of the day, we performed four times; three times in the main foyer, and once in the new hall. The new hall looks great. I can't really comment on the sound, as I wasn't in the audience, but we received very good feedback after our performance. We performed Christien Ledroit's Elementalities, for flute, vibraphone, and tabla; Jim Hiscott's Shadow Play for flute and tabla; and Payton MacDonald's Farmaishi in a special arrangement for flute, marimba, and tabla.

A fun fact: I used Maestro Kent Nagano's podium for my riser. It's made of very heavy hardwood (oak?) and weighs about 200 pounds! Unfortunately, no riser was available in the foyer...

Performing in the foyer.

Thanks to composer Christien Ledroit for the photos!

Santoor and tabla recital at McGill University

2011-10-09T18:56:00.002-04:00

This past September 30, I accompanied santoor player Jonathan Voyer for a recital at Tanna Schulich Hall at the Schulich School of Music of McGill University in Montreal. The concert was part of the Journées de la culture (Culture days) and also was in celebration of UNESCO International Music Day, which was interestingly started by the great violinist Yehudi Menuhin (himself a great lover of Indian classical music, and longtime collaborator of Pandit Ravi Shankar).

Jonathan chose to play Raag Charukeshi, which is one of my favourites on santoor (recommended listening: Pandit Shivkumar Sharma's recording of Charukeshi, with Pt. Kishan Maharaj, on the album Sympatico). The raag just seems to work so well on santoor, and creates a very special mood. Jonathan played an alap, followed by a gat in vilambit jhaptaal, madhya teentaal, and then drut teentaal.

We really had a great performance. A great hall, great audience, and great mood. This was one of those performances that just felt right. The hall was almost completely full to capacity and the audience was very enthusiastic. We even got some audible appreciation at times during the drut, which is very rare here in Montreal.

Our CD, Shanta, can be purchased from us directly, or online via iTunes and CDBaby.

2nd Global Conference on World Religions

2011-09-24T15:40:00.000-04:00

This past September 7, Jonathan Voyer and I had the honour to perform for the Second Global Conference on World Religions, held at the Palais des Congrès in Montreal. The list of guest speakers was quite impressive. The keynote speaker was his Holiness, the Dalai Lama, and he was joined by world-famous author Deepak Chopra, Professors Tariq Ramadan, Robert Thurman, Steven T. Katz and Gregory Baum.

Unfortunately, we didn't meet any of these distinguished people, but we were very happy to share our music with the very receptive attendees!

Summer Festivals with Ragleela

2011-09-19T21:24:00.001-04:00

This past August 10, I performed with Ragleela at the Festival des Traditions du Monde de Sherbrooke. I had played this festival a few years earlier with Galitcha, and so was really looking forward to being back. This was our first performance trying out a new instrument with the group -cello. Cellist Philippe Mius d'Entremont joined the usual group of Uwe Neumann on sitar, Jean-Marc Hébert on guitar, Eric Breton on percussion, and myself on tabla.

Soundchecking with Ragleela at the Festival des Traditions du Monde de Sherbrooke

In concert at the Festival des Traditions du Monde Sherbrooke

Here comes the rain!

But, after we played our first tune, BOOM, the rain came down HARD. We quickly packed up our instruments, but were told to stay on standby in case the weather cleared up. 20 minutes later, it did, and so we were able to resume our set for another 30 minutes or so. Then right after finishing, again, the rain came pouring down and this time there was no end in sight. We scrambled to pack our instruments and put them away in the car. We were all completely soaked, but luckily no instruments were damaged.

On August 13, we headed out to the Festival Interculturel de Rawdon. Unlike the weather in Sherbrooke earlier that week, the weather was really amazing. Nothing but sun and blue skies. The festival is set at the municipal beach, right next to a peaceful lake.

Uwe playing his sansa.

After the concert, we took a few group photos in the Rawdon countryside. Here are a couple of my favourites:

First Annual Summer Tabla Workshop in Montreal

2011-09-14T20:32:00.001-04:00

Some of you may remember that I hosted Gurujee, Pandit Sharda Sahai for tabla workshops in Montreal back in 2006 and 2008. Unfortunately, he isn't travelling as often as he used to, and so has stopped coming to North America for his annual workshops. This year, I decided to continue the tradition in my own small way, and organised a one-week tabla workshop at McGill University during the first week of July. Students were divided into two groups - beginner and intermediate. Each class met four times, in addition to daily group practice sessions, and two video-viewing sessions where we watched performances of instrumental music, tabla solos, and kathak dance.

We ended the workshop with a Guru Puja. Here are a few photos:

Thanks to all the students for their enthusiastic participation! Keep practicing! :)

I'm currently in the planning stages for next year's summer workshop in Montreal. Also, stay tuned for information about Gurujee's tabla workshop in London in summer 2012! It will be really special. As soon as I have any details, I will post them here.

In concert with Steve Gorn

2011-08-28T11:30:00.005-04:00

This past July 27, I had the great pleasure of accompanying bansuri master Steve Gorn at the Espace Cercle-Carré in Old Montreal. He came up from his home in the US to spend some time with his student Alexandre Lavoie and to do some Montreal sightseeing, and so we thought it would be great to organize a small concert for him while he was here.

The Espace Cercle-Carré is a new performance space in an artists' co-op. The space is quite reverberant, and a very beautiful acoustic for Indian classical music. We performed without any amplification, in a house-concert style setup. We all really enjoyed the vibe, and hopefully I will be able to organize other Indian music concerts there in the future.

Some concert attendees posted other photos of the performance here and here.

It was a real pleasure to have Steve perform in Montreal. Hopefully he will be back again sometime soon!

Playing for Royalty and Canada Day in Ottawa

2011-08-24T20:16:00.008-04:00

This past June 30, I was very fortunate to have been invited to perform for the Celebration of Youth Reception at Rideau Hall, as part of Prince William and Princess Kate's visit to Canada. The reception at Rideau Hall (the residence of the Governor General) was by invitation only, and security was very tight. In attendance were the Prince and Princess, the Governor General, the Prime Minister, and 120 youth being honoured for their work.

The Prince and Princess meeting the chefs that prepared the meal, followed by the PM.

Singer Kuljit Sodhi, of the group Galitcha, and I joined French-Canadian band La Ligue du Bonheur, for an Indo-Québecois musical masala. The original plan was to perform outdoors, but the rain forced the reception indoors. Unfortunately, I haven't yet been able to obtain any photos of our performance. Above is a photo that I took with my Blackberry while we were taking a break between sets.

Some photos of Kuljit and myself hanging out at Rideau Hall, while the reception was being set up indoors.

Next, on Canada Day (July 1), Kuljit and I were joined by Jean-Marc, the accordionist from La Ligue du Bonheur for some Indian folk music. Accordion instead of harmonium, why not? :) We performed twice at Major Hill Park in Ottawa, right next to the Parliament buildings. I also did a short collaborative piece with Odissi dancer Sonia St-Michel. I accompanied her on tabla and recited bols.

In the studio with Elephant Stone!

2011-08-20T19:38:00.002-04:00

This past July, I had the pleasure of going into the studio to recording again for the "Hindi-Rock" band, Elephant Stone. I played tabla on one of the band's latest singles, The Sea of Your Mind. As always, it's great fun to collaborate with bandleader Rishi Dhir, and Breakglass Studios mastermind Jace Lasek. Just like Elephant Stone's last EP, the entire recording was done through the Neve console, direct to reel-to-reel tape. No digital equipment or computer was involved; pure analog recording!

Currently, the first single, Love the Sinner, Hate the Sin, is available for free download from http://www.elephantstonemusic.com/. I assume that The Sea of Your Mind will be released shortly, stay tuned!

Jace pondering the optimum mic placement, while Rishi documents the studio session for posterity. :)

Choirs taking a trip around the world through music!

2011-08-20T19:21:00.001-04:00

Yes, I am very behind in keeping up with my blog posts! This concert dates back to January 29, when I was guest percussionist with the Yellow Door Choir, directed by Eleanor Stubley. The concert, titled World Rhythms, featured music from India, Japan, Africa, Ireland, Canada, and the Middle-East. They set up a video camera, focused on my hands, and projected the video onto the big screen to the right of the stage. Never have I been made so aware of my every move, lol! Aside from tabla, I also played a couple of pieces on darbouka and pandeiro. The highlight was a choir arrangement of Jai Ho from the popular Bollywood film, Slumdog Millionaire. Fun!

Jumping forward six months, to June 4, for the Harmonia Westmount Women's Choir's concert We are the World, directed by Fredericka Petit-Homme. Another varied program of music from around the world, including India, Africa, Israel, Japan, Canada, and Ireland. It was also great fun and a real pleasure to be directed by one of my former students at McGill, Elizabeth Lanzer.

Kirtan with Hélène and Lea

2011-07-05T22:43:00.002-04:00

In the past few months, I have had a great time accompanying kirtan sessions in the Montreal area. Last year, I played on Lea Longo's latest CD, Peace Chants, and just a few months ago, I recorded with Hélène Dalair for her CD, Mantra.

On May 13, Hélène invited me to perform for her CD launch at YogaMonde, a very well established (and beautiful) yoga studio in Sainte-Catherine, Québec. The place was jam packed, and there was a great vibe. YogaMonde seems to have a long tradition of kirtan, and so the participants were really into it. A really fun evening!

Then, on May 27, I accompanied Lea Longo for her kirtan at Vox Populi in Montreal. Again, a great turnout. It seems that Montreal has a small but very devoted kirtan scene! One thing about Lea's kirtans, is that once she starts, she connects all the matras together to form one long performance, spanning one-and-a-half to two hours. It's a great test of my endurance, and a lot of fun. :)

Thank you to Caroline Tabah for the photos!

Spring kathak dance performances

2011-06-13T17:06:00.000-04:00

It has been a great spring season, filled with numerous kathak dance performances. The more I work with dance, the more I love it.

On February 17, kathak dancer Sudeshna Maulik and I presented a lecture-performance at the Moving Dialogues conference, hosted by Concordia University in Montreal. The title of our presentation was Talking Hands, Talking Feet - The Unified Interpretation of Bol in the North Indian Tabla and Kathak Dance Traditions. Our presentation was very well received! I think that we were one of the only presenters at the conference representing a non-Western music and dance tradition. In observing others' presentations, it was interesting to note how dance and music are often considered as two completely separate entities in the Western setting, in contrast to Indian music and dance which are entirely inseparable!

On April 2, sarodiya Raja Bhattacharya and I accompanied Sudeshna at the Maison de la culture Parc-Extension in Montreal. We performed a short instrumental piece to open, followed by a full kathak performance in Teentaal. The audience was very responsive, and the performance was followed by a Q&A session.

In Canada, the month of May is Asian Heritage Month. This year, Sudeshna and I were fortunate to have been invited to perform as part of the festivities organised by the Festival Accès Asie. The first performance was on May 7, as part of a demonstration of Indian cuisine and culture at the Buffet Maharaja.

Next up on May 14, I accompanied Sudeshna's talented young student Rijha Bhattacharjee in her debut solo performance. In addition to performing for a live audience at Ex-Centris in Montreal, this performance was part of a nationwide broadcast and was simultaneously shown to live audiences in Toronto, Calgary, and Vancouver. We also responded to comments and questions from audience members in the four cities.

The event was made up of performances from music and dance artists from all four cities, representing a wide variety of Asian cultures, in addition to lectures and discourses. It was quite an eye-opening experience, and a great way to showcase Asian talent from across the country. Congratulations to Rijha on a very successful debut performance and to the Accès Asie team for their excellent organisational skills!

Thanks to Caroline Tabah for the April 2 and May 14 photos.

Announcing the First Annual Summer Tabla Workshop with Shawn Mativetsky

2011-05-31T11:09:00.006-04:00

I am very happy to announce the First Annual Summer Tabla Workshop with Shawn Mativetsky, hosted by the Schulich School of Music of McGill University, this summer from July 4 to 10, 2011.

During this intensive hands-on workshop, participants will learn tabla in the tradition of the Benares (Varanasi) gharana. The workshop is open to all levels (beginner, intermediate, advanced). The schedule includes daily group practice sessions, four classes, and two listening/repertoire sessions. Classes are scheduled during the daytime. Students will live and breathe tabla for the duration of the workshop!

Tuition is 250$ and is due by June 27. Students must provide their own tabla. If you don’t already own a set, please contact me, and I will be happy to assist you.

For more information, or to register, please contact me at shawn.mativetsky@mcgill.ca

----

Une Première estivale à Montréal :

1^er Atelier annuel de Tabla avec Shawn Mativetsky

À l'École de musique Schulich de l'Université McGill

Montréal, Canada

Du 4 au 10 juillet 2011

Lors de cet atelier intensif les participants apprendront le tabla, instrument de percussion de l'Inde du Nord, selon la tradition du gharana de tabla de Bénarès (Vârânasî). L'atelier est ouvert à tous les niveaux (débutant, intermédiaire, avancé). Le programme inclut des sessions quotidiennes de pratique en groupe, quatre leçons, et deux séances d'écoute de répertoire musical. Les cours auront lieu pendant la journée. Venez vibrer aux rythmes du tabla!

Disciple du légendaire Pandit Sharda Sahai, de la tradition de tabla de Bénarès, Shawn Mativetsky est très sollicité en tant qu’interprète et éducateur.

Tarif : 250 $ payable le 27 juin 2011.

Les étudiants doivent fournir leur propre tabla. Si vous n’en possédez pas déjà, s'il-vous-plaît contacter Shawn. Il sera heureux de vous aider.

Pour de plus amples informations, ou pour vous inscrire, s'il-vous-plaît contacter Shawn Mativetsky à l’adresse suivante: shawn.mativetsky@mcgill.ca

New CD release - Shanta

2011-02-25T10:58:00.007-05:00

Wow, I can't believe that I haven't posted about this yet... This past fall, santoor player Jonathan Voyer and I released our first CD together, and my first recording of Indian classical music! - Shanta - a musical expression of peace.

The recording is a full performance of Raag Yaman, beautifully interpreted by Jonathan through Alap, Vilambit Rupaktaal, Madhyalaya Teentaal, and concluding with Drut Teentaal.

The CD is dedicated to our respective gurus of Indian music - santoor maestro Pandit Satish Vyas, vocalist Pandit Somanath Mardur, and tabla master Pandit Sharda Sahai.

The CD is available to purchase through CDBaby, iTunes, and of course, directly from Jonathan and myself. We are already discussing plans for a second album, perhaps to be recorded this spring!

I thought I should also mention that Jonathan has a fabulous new website - www.samskara.ca.

Tabla Concerto and What Next?

2011-02-25T10:13:00.010-05:00

February has turned out to be a really busy month. First, I spent a few days in Toronto with violinist Parmela Attariwala, to rehearse for our upcoming concerts of the Attar Project.

On Friday, February 4, we performed at Somewhere There, one of Toronto's renowned improv venues. We performed as part of the Leftover Daylight series, curated by talented trumpetist, improviser, and composer Nicole Rampersaud. We opened with Nicole's composition, The Road Ahead, which is also the title track of our CD. Next on the program was Paul Frehner's Oracle, followed by a 30-minute tabla solo in Teentaal. It was an improv venue after-all. :) We concluded the evening with a very different rendition of Nicole's The Road Ahead.

On Sunday, February 6, we closed the Hamilton Philharmonic's What Next? festival of new music at the Pearl Factory in Hamilton, Ontario. Parmela opened with Frank, which is one of her compositions with dance choreography.

I then followed with a short unaccompanied solo in Teentaal, while Parmela did a quick costume change!

The remainer of the program consisted of Nicole Rampersaud's The Road Ahead, Meiro Stamm's The Melody of Rhythm, Paul Frehner's Oracle, Robert Rosen's LA, and Christien Ledroit's Never the Twain Shall Meet.

The following week, I flew to Windsor, Ontario, where I was in residence for the Windsor Canadian Music Festival. On February 9, I participated in a round-table discussion with composer Brent Lee, percussionist/composer Nicholas Papador, conductor/composer Brian Current, and pianist/composer Lee Pui Ming. The discussion began with the music of Claude Vivier and spectral music, followed by a discussion of cross-cultural music. Later that day, I gave a tabla workshop for students at the University of Windsor, hosted by Prof. Nick Papador. The workshop ended with an impromptu tabla solo, with Nick playing lahara on piano!

February 11, was the big day - performing Trade Winds, a concerto for tabla with string orchestra by composer Christien Ledroit. The Windsor Symphony Orchestra was directed by guest conductor Brian Current. The concert was recorded by CBC for future radio broadcast, as well as for my upcoming CD (projected release is for fall 2011). Unfortunately, I don't have any photos from during the performance - only from the bow at the end.

The following day, I performed Jim Hiscott's Shadow Play, for flute and tabla, with talented flautist Jamie Wagner as part of the University of Windsor's faculty concert. This concert was also recorded by CBC for future broadcast.

This was just the first two weeks of February. There is yet more to report, but I will save that for a future blog posting...

Catherine Potter - A Canadian Pioneer of Indian Classical Music

2011-01-07T16:24:00.005-05:00

This past December 3rd, Canada lost one of its greatest pioneers of Indian classical music - bansuri player Catherine Potter. A disciple of Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia, Catherine was one of Canada's top practitioners of Indian classical music, and was internationally renowned as a performer of bansuri.

Over the years, I had the fortune to perform with Catherine in a variety of settings - accompanying her in performances of Indian classical music, sitting in with the Duniya Project, accompanying her as a guest with fusion group Ragleela, and performing as part of the electronica group Ramasutra. But, before all that, before I even began to play tabla, Catherine was an important inspiration. The first-ever concert of Indian classical music that I ever attended was Catherine's bansuri recital. She encouraged me to begin my study of tabla, and put me in touch with my first tabla teacher in Montreal. In the years that followed, we would sometimes practice together, and whenever we met, Catherine would ask about my tabla practice and encourage me to push forward.

Here is a photo from an Indian classical music performance, accompanying Catherine back in 2008.

While many of us knew that Catherine was ill, her passing still came as a shock. News of her passing travelled like a wave through music circles around the world. In the days that followed, it became evident just how many people were touched by Catherine and her music. The world has indeed lost a great artist.

I have assembled a collection of links to newspaper articles published since Catherine's passing:

Globe and Mail - http://v1.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20101223.OBPOTTERATL/BDAStory/BDA/deaths

The Montreal Gazette - http://www.montrealgazette.com/entertainment/Musician+Catherine+Potter+fused+East+West/3958933/story.html

La Presse (in French) - http://www.cyberpresse.ca/arts/musique/201012/06/01-4349528-la-flutiste-catherine-potter-nest-plus.php

Le Devoir (in French) - http://m.ledevoir.com/culture/actualites-culturelles/312510/en-bref-deces-de-la-flutiste-catherine-potter

Catherine's memorial service will be held on January 22. All the details can be found here: http://www.memoria.ca/FuneralsSearch/?q=Potter&id=4637

Montreal Constellation

2011-01-07T16:22:00.000-05:00

This past November 27, I was extremely honoured to have been invited to peform as part of the Kabir Cultural Centre's Montreal Constellation concert. For this special event, they invited all the local practitioners of Hindustani classical music to collaborate in an evening performance.

Each artist presented one raga (sorry that I don't recall all the raags performed). First to perform was santoor player Jonathan Voyer, accompanied by myself on tabla. Jonathan performed Raag Yaman in Alap, Rupaktaal, and Drut Teentaal. Next, sitarist Uwe Neumann, accompanied by Subir Dev on tabla, followed by sarodiya Aditya Verma, accompanied by myself. For the finale, all artists performed together on stage in Raag Kirwani - Alap, Vilambit Teentaal and Drut Teentaal.

It was truly a magical evening, and it was an honour to perform with such talented artists. It was a real coming-together of the local Indian music scene. This was also my first time performing with another tabla player in a traditional setting. Subir is a wonderful tabla artist, and it was a pure pleasure to perform together. I sincerely hope that we will be able to have other such occasions to perform together in the future.

For those of you who know the local scene, a major absence was felt, as bansuri player Catherine Potter was unable to participate due to her ill health. She passed away 6 days later. I will devote an entire post to Catherine in my next blog posting. Needless to say, her passing created waves across the entire Canadian music landscape, touching people from coast to coast.

All photos by Arif Khan of the Kabir Cultural Centre.

Touring with Ragleela

2011-01-06T13:20:00.000-05:00

In mid-August, I had the pleasure of touring with the Indian-fusion group, Ragleela. During the past seven years, I have performed on-and-off with this group as needed. I was delighted when the called me to go on a small Eastern-Canada tour with them. The group is led by sitarist Uwe Neumann, accompanied by guitarist Jean-Marc Hébert, violinist Marie-Soleil Belanger, percussionist Eric Breton, with myself on tabla.

First stop on the tour was a 5am (!) sunrise performance at the beautiful Parc Forillon in Gaspé, which is right at the eastmost tip of the province of Quebec. The festival was aptly named Festival Musique du bout du monde (edge of the world). It was quite something, leaving the hotel at 3:30am for a 4am sound check. We weren't sure how many people would show up for such an early performance. As we did the sound check, people slowly trickled onto the site, and by the time we were performing, an estimated 250 people were in attendance! wow!

Needless to say, the scenery was just amazing, and the vibe of a sunrise performance is quite unique. Luckily, someone also posted a short video!

We then went on to perform again on Gaspé's main street later that afternoon.

Special thanks to the Festival Musique du Bout du Monde for the incredible photos of our performance.

We then continued on to perform at DANSpace in Halifax, Nova Scotia. I unfortunately don't have any photos of this performance. Next, we embarked on a long drive across Prince Edward Island, and took the five-hour ferry to the Iles-de-la-Madeleine. Amazing scenery all around; I definitely need to get back there when I have the chance. We performed for two nights at the Vieux Treuil. (NB: The soundman there is incredible!!!)

Overall, an amazing tour. I am now a full member of Ragleela, and am looking forward to many more performances in the years to come! :)

Tabla North of the Arctic Circle!

2011-01-05T13:02:00.007-05:00

Hi everyone,

My apologies for the long silence. The past several months have been a very busy and complex time. I will do my best to fill in the blanks in the coming days!

This past June 29-July 2, I had the pleasure of performing in the Alianait Arts Festival, with the Indian folk group Galitcha. We gave a couple of performances and I also gave a tabla workshop. Alianait takes place up in Iqaluit, which is the capital city of Nunavut, in northern Canada. The population is approximately 12000 people, and at the time I was there, it was light 24 hours per day, with the sun visible for about 22 hours per day. It was a totally amazing experience! The people there were so welcoming and open to our music. The hospitality was great, and in the few days we were there, I really had a thorough experience of life up north. I would be more than happy to return any time! (Actually, I would love to see what it is like during wintertime!)

The festival closed on July 1, with Canada Day celebrations. At the end of the day of performances, all the artists got on stage and performed a big medley/jam together!

It seems that I have the honour of being the first tabla player to perform tabla in Iqaluit; wow!

Special thanks to Ed Maruyama for the photos!

Soul of Ganges

2010-05-19T10:36:00.007-04:00

If I haven't been posting on a regular basis, it's because Sudeshna Maulik and I have been working extremely hard in organizing Soul of Ganges. This was the public launch of our kathak and tabla school, Sangeet Kala Kendra. We have been offering weekly classes at the local Bharat Bhavan for some time now, however we had yet to present our first performance under the banner of the school.

Presented in collaboration with the Kabir Cultural Centre, Soul of Ganges featured a performance by the great sitar maestro, Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan, accompanied by the wonderful Subhajyoti Guha on tabla. The evening opened with Sudeshna's kathak dance performance, accompanied by myself on tabla and Raja Bhattacharya performing lehra on sarod.

We opened with a segment in Dhammar Taal (14 beat cycle), followed by madhya and drut Teentaal (16 beat cycle). As the theme was 'Soul of Ganges', Sudeshna demonstrated aspects of flowing water, as well as depictions of Shiva and Parvati.

After an intermission for chai and samosas, Ustad Shahid Parvez took to the stage and blew everyone away with his virtuosity and depth. We are extremely grateful to Ustadji and Subhajyoti for coming to perform for this special occasion in Montreal.

It was great to see that so many of the Indian music and dance lovers in Montreal came out to support our launch. We couldn't be more pleased with the turnout - the Maison de la culture Frontenac was filled to capacity; we unfortunately had to turn people away. We'll have to book a bigger hall for our next event!

I just did a quick online search, and wow! - someone has already posted a blog and videos. Click here to read Bettina Forget's take on the evening. And here is her YouTube videoclip of our performance:

(Now the world can hear me count in Hindi. Oh boy...)

And a clip of Ustadji:

Special thanks to Arif Ali Khan from the Kabir Cultural Centre for the photos!

Live at Zazen with Jonathan Voyer

2010-04-26T12:30:00.008-04:00

This past Saturday, I performed with santoor player Jonathan Voyer, as part of the Zazen Live series. My aim with this series is to promote Indian classical music in an intimate setting. All performances are acoustic.

Jonathan Voyer is a disciple of santoor maestro, Pandit Satish Vyas. We opened with Raag Dhani - first an alap, then a gat jhaptaal (10-beat cycle), followed by a gat in drut teentaal (16-beat cycle).

After a short intermission (ie: samosa break), we continued with Raag Yaman - alap, gat in rupaktaal (7-beat cycle), and ending with a gats in madhya and drut teentaal.

I was really happy with the audience turnout for this concert - we were completely sold out. As always, the audience was really attentive. Jonathan performed many interesting (and challenging) rhythmic variations, with much depth and nuance. Looking forward to future performances together!

A big thanks to Jennifer at Zazen, for her continued support of Indian classical music and dance.

Performance with Suns of Arqa

2010-04-22T16:30:00.009-04:00

This past weekend, I was invited to perform with the legendary group from the UK, Suns of Arqa. Led by Wadada, their music combines influences from Indian classical music, dub/reggae, and electronica. The concert took place at the Bobards in Montreal, as part of the Festival Musique Multi-Montreal. Apparently, the group hasn't played in a venue this small in about 20 years. So, let's just say that the place was packed!

Local DJ, Guapo put together an excellent roster of musicians for the show:

SUNS OF ARQA

Wadada : sitar, citern, guitar, harmonica

Angel-Eye : vocals

Guapo : Guitar, electronic dub FX

Geeta Sparkle : vocals

RHYTHM SECTION

Jahsun : drumset

Bass One: bass

RAGA SECTION

Aditya Verma : sarod

Shawn Mativetsky : tabla

VJ : Cousin Chang

We performed a mix of old and new tunes from the Suns of Arqa repertoire. I also accompanied Wadada on sitar, and Aditya on sarod for a couple of traditionally-inspired pieces.

Suns of Arqa with Aditya Verma on sarod.

Bandleader, Wadada on sitar.

I was especially impressed and inspired by Jahsun and Bass One ... really great rhythm section. Very creative, and tight! This was definitely a different kind of gig for me, as I haven't played anything remotely like this since perhaps Ramasutra back in 1999-2001. While trying to find a website for Ramasutra, I came across this video. Here it is, for old-time's sake:

On a completely separate note, in the category of better late than never, here are some photos from my tabla workshop at the University of Western Ontario that I gave at the end of February. Thanks to Prof. Jill Ball for these!

Enthusiastically explaining something related to playing the dahina.

With composer, Paul Frehner.

Notice my great drawing of India on the blackboard? :)

People really love tabla at UWO!

Tabla on 'Des kiwis et des hommes'

2010-04-19T14:31:00.005-04:00

Last week, I was invited to be a guest on Des Kiwis et des Hommes, a morning talk show on Radio Canada's television network (the French division of the CBC). The show is broadcast live from Montreal's Jean-Talon market from 9am to 10:30am on weekdays during spring/summer.

We spoke about tabla and Indian culture, and I also got to play a little bit.

The show is now available online (click here). To see the tabla segment, skip to the 6th chapter. I am not sure if this will play outside of Canada, due to copyright, licensing, etc...

Many thanks to the hosts, Francis Reddy and Boucar Diouf, and the amazing crew. A lot goes on behind the scenes for a live show like this, and everything was running like a well-oiled machine!

Upcoming Tabla Events in Montreal

2010-04-15T17:08:00.005-04:00

Wow! There are many tabla-related performances coming up in the next few weeks. Here's a quick summary for those of you in the Montreal area.

On Saturday, April 17, I have been invited to perform with the Suns of Arqa, the legendary pioneers of dub, combining influences from Indian classical music, reggae, and electronica. Sarod maestro Aditya Verma will also be performing. Here is a recent article about the event from the Montreal Mirror. April 17 at 10pm, Suns of Arqa, presented by the Festival Musique Multi-Montreal, taking place at the Bobards, 4328 Saint-Laurent.

Also taking place earlier the same day, at 8pm, tabla player Anurada Pal will present her all-women Indian percussion show, Stree Shakti at the Outremont Theatre on Bernard.

On Friday, April 23, I will be accompanying talented santoor player, Jonathan Voyer, as part of the Zazen Live series. He is a disciple of the great Pt. Satish Vyas. Zazen live celebrates the richness of Indian classical music, presented without amplification in a beautiful acoustic space. The concert starts at 8pm at Zazen, 209 St-Paul West, 3rd floor, in Old Montreal. Phone 514-287-1772 to make your reservations. Space is limited!

And last, but definitely not least, on May 15, my newly formed music school, Sangeet Kala Kendra in collaboration with the Kabir Cultural Centre, will be presenting Soul of Ganges, featuring performances by special guests Pandit Kushal Das (sitar) and Pandit Kumar Bose (tabla). The evening will open with a kathak dance recital by Sudeshna Maulik, accompanied by myself on tabla and Raja Bhattacharya on sarod.

Soul of Ganges

Saturday, May 15 at 7:30pm

Maison de la culture Frontenac

2550, rue Ontario Est

This will be a very special performance. Not to be missed! Tickets can also be purchased online here:

Kathak in Marlboro, Vermont

2010-03-10T09:25:00.000-05:00

From March 5 through 7, I was in residence at Marlboro College (Marlboro, Vermont), along with cellist Jake Charkey and kathak dancer Sudeshna Maulik. We were invited to teach and perform for the faculties of music and dance by Prof. Stan Charkey.

On March 5, Jake and I gave an Indian music workshop for Prof. Charkey's world music class. The class had previously learned a bit about Carnatic music, so we started by talking about some of the similarities and differences between Carnatic (South Indian) and Hindustani (North Indian) classical music. We then got into a discussion of the tabla and taal, and the cello and raag. Jake demonstrated a few different ragas, and I had the class clapping teentaal and rupaktaal. I performed a short solo in rupak, and demonstrated a few tihais.

Later that day, Jake and I accompanied Sudeshna for her dance workshop. There was quite a large turnout, mostly made up of ballet and contemporary dancers. Sudeshna pushed the students hard and they learned quite a lot in the 90 minutes we had together!

On March 6, Jake and I gave some private lessons to interested students. One of the students had previously been to Benares and studied tabla for a few weeks there.

On March 7, we performed in concert for a very enthusiastic audience. First, Jake performed cello solo, opening with a piece in Raag Durga. Alap and gat in jhaptaal (10 beats). I then performed tabla solo in teentaal, vilambit and madhya. After a short pause, we continued with the kathak dance segment, accompanying Sudeshna through vilambit, madhya, and drut teentaal. As always, Sudeshna danced with great energy, precision, and flair and the audience responded with much applause throughout the performance.

Many thanks to the Charkey family for hosting us during our residency. We stayed at their place in Brattleboro. Brattleboro is a friendly, picturesque town, with a large artist community. I hope to return again in the near future!

Attar Project CD Launch

2010-03-08T11:27:00.015-05:00

The last week of February was a busy time for me. 4 concerts and 2 workshops in four days! These activities were centered around the launch of the Attar Project's third CD, The Road Ahead.

The Attar Project is the project of violinist Parmela Attariwala. "Initially conceived as a vehicle to integrate the eclectic strands of Attariwala’s own musical background, the Attar Project engages artists across musical genres and artistic practices in virtuosic collaborations that maintain the essence of each while challenging the boundaries between them. Neither a fixed ensemble nor an “ad hoc” one, the Attar Project has unfolded as a series of dedicated partnerships, resulting in a body of work that, while beyond common definition, unfailingly awakens the eye and ear." This album features new music for violin and tabla by Canadian composers.

the Attar Project - The Road Ahead

Parmela Attariwala, violin and viola

Shawn Mativetsky, tabla and percussion

Oracle, by Paul Frehner

Sudoku, by Andrew Staniland

The Road Ahead... is Longer than the Trail Left Behind, by Nicole Rampersaud

The Melody of Rhythm, by Meiro Stamm

Never the Twain Shall Meet, by Christien Ledroit

The first of the CD launch activities took place at the Musideum in Toronto on February 24. This is a music / instrument store with an eclectic collection of instruments on display and for sale. A really fascinating place! They had a wide array of percussion, string instruments, winds, and electronic instruments from around the world. They even had an old glass harmonica on display. We performed a few selections from the new CD to a small, but appreciative audience.

Performing at the Musideum, Toronto.

Chatting with composer Meiro Stamm.

The Attar Project at the Musideum.

The next day, February 25, Parmela and I were on a train to London (Ontario) to give workshops at the University of Western Ontario. I gave a tabla workshop for the percussion students, and another for the composition students, while Parmela gave a workshop on improvisation. The next day, we performed for the UWO noon-hour concert series. Many thanks to composer Paul Frehner for inviting us. It was a great couple of days. I only wish that I had more time to stay and see more of "the other" London.

A couple of hours later, we were back on a train for another performance that same evening at Toronto's C'est What. C'est What is not our usual type of venue - it's a microbrewery pub. But, they have a music series and are trying to branch out into other, more adventurous styles of music. It was fun to be able to watch the Olympic women's gold medal curling match (though Canada lost, and got silver) just before the performance.

Performing at C'est What, Toronto.

The last of the Toronto CD launch concerts was at the Tranzac. I hadn't heard of this place before, but it seems to be a big part of the local music scene. They have a few rooms, booked all day long, with musical performances representing practically every genre imaginable. We played in a smaller room, up close and personal with the audience. We got a really enthusiastic response! Maybe it was the Tranzac vibe, or the fact that the Tranzac audiences are very open in their musical tastes.

Performing at the Tranzac, Toronto.

In all of the performances, we played selections from the new CD, plus Robert Rosen's now classic LA, and a tabla solo in rupak taal (7 beats). I have typically chosen to perform tabla solo in teentaal (16 beats), but I decided that it was time for a change! I'm really liking the feel of rupak for solos, and will surely continue to explore this further.

All in all, a great week, and a great way to launch the new CD! The CD should soon be available on CDBaby, iTunes, etc. It's also available directly from Parmela or myself, and independent music stores in Toronto.

Benares Chronicles, Part 3 - The United Nations of Indian Classical Music

2009-12-30T08:43:00.010-05:00

While I was in Benares, I had asked Shen if he had any performances coming up; unfortunately, he had none booked at the time. It would have been great to see him perform. Well, Shen had a surprise up his sleeve for me. He spoke with the folks at Kashika Music Ashram and organised a performance. He was to accompany Japanese sitarist, Yasuhiro Minamizawa... AND, to my surprise... I was to play tabla solo.

The final lineup was made up of Indian classical musicians from all around the world, and so Shen had the great idea to call this concert the United Nations of Indian Classical Music. Very appropriate, and I hope that this concept will continue in the years to come.

KASHIKA MUSIC ASHRAM

presents

United Nations of Indian Classical Music

Kashika Music Hall

Near R.B. Katra Post Office

Bengali Tola Lane

Monday, 21st December, 2009 at 7pm

ARTISTS:

Yuki Taniguchi (Japan - disciple of Pt. Ritwik Sannyal) - SANSKRIT MANTRA

Shawn Mativetsky (Canada - disciple of Pt. Sharda Sahai) - TABLA SOLO

with Aneesh Mishra (India - disciple of Pt. Kanhaiyalal Mishra) - SARANGI

Yasuhiro Minamizawa (Japan - disciple of Smt. Shrabani Biswas) - SITAR

with Shen Flindell (Australia - disciple of Pt. Ashutosh Bhattacharya) - TABLA

Australia, Canada, Japan, and India ... not a bad start for the United Nations of Indian Classical Music! A few days before the performance, we all met at Kashika Music House to give press interviews. Here we are (minus Aneesh), jamming for the cameras.

When the day of the performance came around, I really had no idea how many people would show up. The Kashika Music Hall is a small, intimate performance space. The musicians perform acoustically, with no amplification, and we are extremely close to the audience. The capacity of the space is maybe 40 people; the feeling is like a house concert. At around 6:50, the hall was quite empty, but by 7:00, it was completely full, and by 7:15 all the doors were opened and people were filling the street outside!

First to perform was Yuki, singing Sanskrit mantras. Her background is in yoga and dhrupad, and she has found a great way to combine the two, in the form of naad yoga. Her voice was very calm and composed, and set the mood for the other performances to come. The mantras allowed us to focus on the musical performance taking place, and leave behind the various sounds of the nearby lane.

Next, I performed tabla solo. Opening with a Ganesh vandana, I followed with vilambit and madhya teentaal. Aneesh played beautifully; there is really nothing quite like the sound of sarangi. The audience was very kind and appreciative, and I was surrounded by the now-familiar faces of Debabrata-ji, Shen, Yuki, Hiro, Rob, Jay, Nick (another person that I have known online for a long time, but had never met before), Ghirau (Amarnathjee's sitar-playing son, who I had the pleasure of practicing with) and guru-bhais Jeff and Anjan, and that really motivated me. After a few minutes of playing, Pt. Pooran Maharaj arrived. When Shen and I had visited him a few days prior (see previous blog post), we invited him to our performance and he promised to come; well, he did! Let's just say that I felt some additional pressure at this point (!!!), but he was so encouraging and kind to me during the performance, that I really felt great and highly motivated while I was playing. What an experience!

(A small note about the Benares tabla lineage: Pt. Pooran Maharaj, aside from being the son of the late Pt. Kishan Maharaj, is a disciple of Pt. Kanthe Maharaj, making him guru-bhai with Gurujee (Pt. Sharda Sahai). Shen's guru, Ashu Babu was also a disciple of Pt. Kanthe Maharaj.)

Last on the program was Hiro's sitar performance, accompanied by Shen. Finally, I would get to see Shen perform. I really enjoyed Hiro's alap - it was very sensitive and subtle, with lots of nuance in the meends. When Hiro introduced the alap, Shen played an uthaan that I would describe as being 'deep'. His time-feel is right on, and his baya playing is very smooth and melodic; a very sweet sound overall. It was obvious that Hiro and Shen enjoy playing together, as they would often play off each other, and I really enjoyed watching Hiro's tihai challenges. :)

The United Nations of Indian Classical Music, right after the performance.

A great experience, and a perfect ending to my trip to Benares. Many thanks to Shen for organizing this concert. He opened the concert by saying to everyone that he had put together this concert just for me. Wow! I hope that we can find other occasions to musically come together again.

You can read Shen's blog post on the same subject, at his blog, Tabla in Hand.

Benares Chronicles, Part 2

2009-12-30T08:40:00.002-05:00

On this trip, I was really happy to finally meet Shen Flindell, a very talented tabla player from Australia. We have known each other via the Internet for several years, and I have bought tabla from him on numerous occasions (and I recommend him to anyone who wants to purchase authentic, pro-quality Benares tabla, shipped internationally), but we have never been in Benares at the same time, and so have never met. After a few days in Benares, we met at BHU at one of the concerts I mentioned in my previous post. I invited Shen to come meet Gurujee and visit his house in Kabir Chaura. This day turned into quite the adventure, leading to a visit of the late Pt. Kishan Maharaj's house as well!

With the giant statue of Ganesh playing pakhawaj at Pt. Kishan Maharaj's house.

Led by Gurujee's son-in-law, sarangi player Pt. Kanhaiyalal Mishra, we all purchased malas (flower garlands) and sweets and headed off to Pt. Kishan Maharaj's house, which is just down the street from Gurujee's. Kabir Chaura is full of Indian classical artists everywhere you turn; numerous famous vocalists, instrumentalists, and dancers live in the area. Our "tour group" was made up of Shen, his Australian tabla student Rob, Dr. Frances Shepherd, Anjan Saha, and myself.

A view of the music room.

In the foreground is one of Pt. Ram Sahai's (the founder of the Benares gharana) tabla.

We started by visiting the music room. This is a huge space that is often used to host concerts. The walls are covered with paintings and memorabilia representing parts of the history of the Benares gharana; it was like visiting a Benares tabla museum. There was another room dedicated to Pt. Kishan Maharaj, with numerous photos, memorabilia, awards, and press clippings.

An amazing colour portrait of Pt. Ram Sahai and the horse saddle that Pt. Bhairov Sahai once rode.

We ended the visit with a small offering to Pt. Kanthe Maharaj and Pt. Kishan Maharaj. We were graciously hosted by Pt. Pooran Maharaj as well as Pt. Kishan Maharaj's daughter and her husband.

Pt. Kanthe Maharaj

I also very much wanted to visit Ashu Babu's (Shen's guru's) home. I was fortunate to go there a few times to meet Shen. The first time, Shen was giving his daily tabla class to his Australian students, Rob and Jay. I enjoyed watching Shen teach. He is very enthusiastic and passionate about tabla, and his students definitely feel that from him. I really appreciated his teaching style - very firm, not letting any mistake pass and encouraging slow, deliberate practice; and also with a sense of humour and much love for his students.

The yellow building up at the top is Ashu Babu's house.

Shen teaching his students Rob and Jay.

The next time, I met Ashu Babu's son, Dr. Debabrata Bhattacharya. He, Shen, and I sat and played together for a few minutes, which was great fun. The music room is full of historic photos and had an amazing view of the Ganges. What a great place to learn and practice tabla! (Thanks to Shen and Rob for this photo.)

Rob and Shen on the rooftop of Ashu Babu's house.

Taking in the great view from the rooftop of Ashu Babu's house.

For some additional reading and photos, click here to read Shen's blog post, entitled Benares Gharana historical excursion.

More to come in my next post - The United Nations of Indian Classical Music!

Benares Chronicles, Part 1

2009-12-29T08:32:00.015-05:00

Immediately after my semester of teaching ended at McGill, I hopped on a plane (several, actually) on my way to see Gurujee, Pandit Sharda Sahai, at his home in Benares (or Varanasi, if you prefer). As always, my goal was to practice, learn, attend performances, and to interact with as many Indian classical artists as possible.

When Gurujee is in Benares (he spends about 9 months of the year in London, UK), his house comes alive with family, chelas (disciples), and visiting artists. It goes without saying that I was very well taken care of, with countless great meals and I don't know how many cups of chai. It was great to see everyone that I had met on my previous trips; it has been 3 years since the last time I was in India, and so it felt like a lot of time had passed. As always, I was warmly welcomed back to Gurujee's home as if it was my own.

Sitarist Pt. Amarnath Mishra, Gurujee's oldest friend,

with myself and Gurujee at his home in Benares.

The Faculty of Music of Banaras Hindu University hosted a music festival when I arrived, so for four days in a row, my afternoons were spent at BHU, watching a variety of artists perform. Violin, sitar, vocal, dhrupad, a couple of tabla solos, and Bharat Natyam dance (kathak dance had been scheduled for the last night, but was cancelled for some reason). The highlights for me were Pundlik Bhagwat's tabla solo and Pt. Amarnath Mishra's sitar performance. Incidentally, Amarnathjee is Gurujee's oldest friend. They live around the corner from each other in Kabir Chaura, and performed together for many years. Every time that Amarnathjee visits, it is a great pleasure to see him and Gurujee reminiscing about old times. I was also fortunate to pick up a 4 volume CD set of Amarnathjee's performances (available at UP Cottage Emporium, off Vishwanath Gully, for those of you in Benares). Bhagwat's tabla solo, in 11 beats, was very powerful and dynamic and was a genuine example of the Benares tabla tradition. He is a disciple of Pt. Ishwarlal Mishra, and also had some training with the late Pt. Kishan Maharaj.

Pundlik Bhagwat's tabla solo and Pt. Amarnath Mishra's sitar performance, accompanied by Kuber Nath Mishra at BHU

I was able to get my kathak fix the next evening at Tridev Mandir. This performance opened with numerous (perhaps a few too many) children performing music and dance, followed by the main artists. First a tabla solo by Ram Kumar Mishra accompanied by Pt. Santosh Mishra on sarangi, followed by a performance by kathak dancing twins Gaurav and Saurav Mishra (who are also Pt. Amarnath Mishra's sons). They also danced with their guru's (Ravishankar Mishra) son; unfortunately, I didn't get his name. The live musicians included kathak guru Ravishankar Mishra on tabla, along with Ram Mishra on tabla as well, and a couple of others on sitar and harmonium.

On this trip, I got my tabla from Imtiaz. His tabla are very good quality, and his service was reasonably fast. Basically, there was no fooling around - every tabla that he showed us had a great sound. All that was needed was some slight syahi work for fine tuning. Not bad at all, considering some past experiences with other makers...

At Imtiaz's shop with guru-bhais Jeff Deen (visiting from Miami) and Deepak Sahai.

From the second week, Gurujee organised group practice sessions for all his students. It was great to get together and play, under his guidance, and along with some of his senior disciples including Pt. Kishor Kumar Mishra, Pt. Shiam Kumar Mishra, Deepak Sahai, and Dinanath (Dinnu) Mishra. Like myself, many other disciples were in attendance from outside India, including Jeff Deen (Miami), Anjan Saha (London), and Dr. Frances Shepherd (London).

More to come soon! In the next blog posts - meeting Shen Flindell, a talented tabla player from Australia, and our concert, the United Nations of Indian Classical Music.

Performing Tabla in Celebration of 50 Years of Electronic Music in Canada

2009-11-28T10:36:00.006-05:00

Hard to believe it was only 50 years ago, but November 30, 1959 was the first performance of electronic music in Canada. To celebrate this milestone, the McGill University Digital Composition Studio (formerly the Electronic Music Studio) hosted a concert this past November 15 in Tanna Schulich Hall. The first four pieces on the program were purely electronic, pre-recorded pieces, composed by past directors of McGill's EMS - Istvan Anhalt, Hugh LeCaine, Paul Pedersen, and Bengt Hambraeus. I was invited to perform the final piece on the program - alcides lanza's ontem, with Meg Sheppard (voice), and alcides lanza himself, manipulating live electronics. The full concert program can be downloaded here in PDF format. It contains some interesting (old) photos, and a scan of the 1959 concert program. alcides opened the evening with a talk and slideshow about the McGill EMS, and the evolution of synthesizers and samplers.

Warming up at the dress rehearsal.

Interestingly, ontem was my first commission for a 'Western-classical' contemporary piece for tabla, and this was the 10th anniversary of the piece. My setup includes two pairs of tabla, 3 tom-toms, 5 temple blocks, a log drum, 3 crotales (though nowadays, I use Sabian Resonating Bells instead), and bamboo chimes. Hard to believe that I used to perform this piece standing up (what was I thinking?). I much prefer this new seated configuration, as it allows me to play the tabla better, and the setup is much less cluttered.

Myself, composer alcides lanza, and singer Meg Sheppard after the performance.

Special thanks to Sean Ferguson, director of the McGill DCS, for the photos.

New Tabla Solo Clip on YouTube

2009-10-27T12:19:00.003-04:00

I decided to post a short excerpt of my tabla solo performance from this past October 1. In this clip, I play a common Benares bant, with palta improvised through subdivisions of 4, 5, 6, 7, and finally 8. This is followed by a rela, with a couple of gat-in-rela (one Punjabi gat and one Benarsi gat), concluding with a tihai. Cello lehra is played by Jacob Charkey.

Performance with Sudeshna Maulik and Janaki Rangarajan

2009-10-25T18:54:00.007-04:00

This afternoon, I had the great fortune to present my first performance for Bharatiya Sangeetha Sangam. When I first began to learn about tabla and Indian music, all the Indian music concerts in Montreal back then were organised by BSS. To be performing for them now is a big honour. The programme was organised by BSS in collaboration with Sinha Dance and Manijeh Ali's new QuebeAsia dance series. This was a dance recital featuring Bharata Natyam dancer, Dr. Janaki Rangarajan, and kathak dancer Sudeshna Maulik. Sudeshna was accompanied by Jacob Charkey on cello, and myself on tabla.

The performance opened with an invocation to Shiva by each dancer; first Janaki Rangarajan and then Sudeshna Maulik. After this, Janaki performed three Bharata Natyam pieces; her own choreographies. This was followed by Sudeshna's kathak solo, accompanied by Jacob Charkey (cello) and myself on tabla. Jake performed a short alap, followed by my short tabla uthaan in vilambit teentaal. After this, we accompanied Sudeshna through vilambit, madhya, and drut teentaal. After this, Sudeshna danced a piece relating to the festival of Holi.

For the curtain call, Janaki and Sudeshna asked Jake and I to accompany them for an impromptu dance duet. While it was certainly brief, I was very happy to at least be able to accompany Janaki and Sudeshna together for that short time. While I am certainly not an expert on Bharata Natyam, I can say that Janaki is a Bharata Natyam dancer of the highest calibre; her movements are very clear and crisp, she is very rhythmically precise, and her performance was filled with great subtleties.

Of course, you have already seen me write about Sudeshna's performances; we have been performing together quite often since our first performances together in June of this year. As always, she danced amazingly.

I would also like to write a little about QuebeAsia. There were performances held every evening, from October 22 through 24, plus the above performance today, October 25. October 22 was a presentation of dance forms of Islamic inspiration by Manijeh Ali, Amrita Choudhury, and Sudeshna Maulik. October 23 was focused on contemporary interpretations of Indian classical dance forms, with performances by Sonia Lopez (the poem Chitrangada, interpreted in Odissi dance), Sudeshna Maulik (her kathak piece, Mystical Water), and Manijeh Ali's interpretation of Janaki Rangarajan's choreography, Thandavum. Unfortunately, I missed the contemporary dance performances on October 24 by Roger Sinha, Reena Almoneda-Chang, Manijeh Ali, and Justine Ricard. All in all, a great initiative by local dancer, Manijeh Ali. I look forward to future editions of the QuebeAsia series!

iLehra Software

2009-10-23T09:13:00.003-04:00

As software for Indian classical music is somewhat rare, I am happy to spread news of the release of Prasad Upasani's iLehra for iPhone and iPod Touch. Unfortunately, I don't own either of these, so I am unable to do a hands-on review. (Prasadji has also programmed a great-sounding iTanpura software.)

Previously, for students of tabla and dance, one would need to buy a costly Nagma machine, or program lehra melodies into a music sequencing program. iLehra is a fully-featured lehra program, with built-in tanpura and lehra. It is possible to set the pitch, tempo, and instrument of the lehra.

Features list from the iLehra website:

Features include:

✓Lehras in all common taals including Teentaal, Ektaal, Jhaptaal, Rupak, Dadra, Keherva, Chautal and Dhamar (more coming soon)
✓Choice of instruments including harmonium and violin (more coming soon)
✓Extremely accurate tempo tested to within 1 milli-second
✓Each lehra has three variations for slow, medium and fast tempos for more natural-sounding lehras
✓Beautiful tanpura auto-tuned to pitch and raag of lehra
✓Wide range of tempo from 30bpm to 300bpm (bpm = beats per minute)
✓Automatic range selection (vilambit, madhya, drut) based on tempo slider
✓Extremely precise control of tempo by clicking on the slider endpoints (- or +). Every click changes the tempo by 1bpm
✓Displays current matra being played
✓Full octave of pitch adjustments from C through B with precise fine-tuning of pitch

✓Can be used with speakers, headset, or the internal speaker. A high-quality speaker dock is recommended for maximum effect.

The YouTube video gives a pretty good idea of what the software is like. It appears to be quite simple to use. The sound quality is decent, but can probably be improved in future versions. I'd really like to hear a nice sarangi sound. Another feature I'd like to see is the ability to program new melodies, save them, and be able to share with other users. In any case, I am personally unable to use this software since I don't have an iPhone or iPod Touch. I'd really love to see a version of this software for Blackberry! Any programmers up to the challenge?

For those tabla players and dancers with the required hardware, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this software. Available for purchase in the Apple App Store.

Radio Interview - de bouffe à oreille

2009-10-05T10:15:00.003-04:00

Last Saturday, September 25, I gave a live interview at Radio Canada Première Chaîne, which is Canada's national French-language radio network. Host Jacques Bertrand of the show La tête ailleurs invited me to speak about tabla, Indian music, and Indian cooking for a segment entitled De bouffe à oreille, which roughly translates to "from food to ear." Guests are invited to present some type of food, along with music that one might associate with that food. In my case, it was simple - tabla and daal!

They've chosen to include my interview in their 'best of' archives (yay!). To hear the interview (in French, of course!), please follow this link.

So far, one reader of the Radio Canada website commented that she liked the interview, but wished they had posted my recipe for daal! Maybe I will work on writing it down... Not that it's anything unique. I am just trying my best to copy what I have eaten numerous times at Guruji's (Pandit Sharda Sahai's) house.

October - A busy month for tabla in Montreal!

2009-10-05T09:31:00.003-04:00

Wow, October is looking to be a great month for tabla in Montreal! Here's a rundown of events this month:

PREVIOUS

Oct. 1 - I performed at Tanna Schulich Hall (McGill University) with kathak dancer, Sudeshna Maulik, and cellist Jake Charkey. We opened with Jake performing Raag Durga; a composition set to Jhaptaal (10 beats). I then followed with a medium-length tabla solo of about 30 minutes in vilambit and madhya Teentaal (16 beats). After a short break, Jake and I accompanied Sudeshna through vilambit, madhya, and drut Teentaal.

Oct. 3 - I performed with sitarist Uwe Neumann at a house concert in celebration of Diwali. Somewhat early for Diwali, but it was great fun and the audience was so receptive to our performance. What a pleasure!

UPCOMING

Saturday, October 10 at 6pm - Performances by sitarist Shakir Khan (son of Ustad Shahid Parvez) and vocalist Esha Bandyopadhyay, accompanied by Hindol Majumdar on tabla. Kathak dancer Sudeshna Maulik will open the evening with a short performance as well. Ecole Saint-Henri Auditorium, 4115 Saint-Jacques West, Montreal. Tickets are 15$ and 10$.

October 19-29 - Ok, not quite a concert or performance series, but worth mentioning - Cinema du Parc is again presenting its popular series, Made in India. Ten days of Bollywood movies on the big screen!

October 22-24 - The QuébéAsia dance festival, featuring numerous dancers from Quebec, and representing a wide range of Asian dance forms. Participants include Manijeh Ali, Reena Almoneda-Chang, Amrita Choudhury, Sonia Lopez, Sudeshna Maulik, Janaki Rangarajan, Justine Ricard, and Roger Sinha. Each evening's performance is entirely different, and will feature different artists and different styles. All activities are taking place at Art Neuf, 3819 rue Calixa-Lavalée in Montreal. There are also a few workshops being offered for dance professionals and amateurs alike. (I think that this new dance festival is a great initiative, and I hope that it will continue in the years to come. The only unfortunate aspect in my opinion, is that as far as I know, none of the dancers will be performing with live musicians.)

Saturday, October 24 at 5:20pm- Drummer Steve Smith and percussionist Pete Lockett will be giving a drumset workshop at the Montreal DrumFest. They will be speaking about the application of Indian rhythms (Hindustani and Carnatic) to drumset and other percussion. For more information on their session, click here. All events are taking place at Salle Pierre Mercure, 300 de Maisonneuve East, Montreal.

Saturday, October 24 at 7:30pm - The Kabir Centre presents sitarist Irshad Khan, accompanied by Hindol Majumdar on tabla. Oscar Peterson Concert Hall, 7141 Sherbrooke West, Montreal.

Obviously there are too many things happening on October 24!

Sunday, October 25 at 3pm - Bharatiya Sangeetha Sangham presents an afternoon of Kathak and Bharatanatyam dance with Sudeshna Maulik and Janaki Rangarajan. Sudeshna will be accompanied by myself on tabla and Jake Charkey on cello. The performance will take place at Champlain Regional College, 900 rue Riverside, Saint-Lambert. Tickets are 15$ and 10$

Monday, October 26 at 7pm - KoSA Academy is hosting percussionist Pete Lockett for a workshop on the application of Indian rhythms to drumset and other percussion. KoSA Centre des Arts, 5325 rue Crowley, Montreal. Tickets are 30$.

So, as you can see, October is a great month for Indian culture in Montreal. Time to go out and enjoy some performances!

Kathak at ZaZen

2009-09-30T09:25:00.002-04:00

For those of you who have been following this blog for a while, you will remember that I perform a few times a year at the ZaZen Athletic Spa. This space is great for Indian classical performances, as we are able to perform in a great acoustic, and with no amplification. We are up close and personal with the audience. All together, this makes for a great evening with a warm vibe, which is very inspirational in performance.

Last Friday, September 25, we tried something new - a kathak performance at ZaZen. The space is certainly smaller than the average stage, but Sudeshna was able to make it work. These performances always have the feeling of a house concert.

The evening began with Jake Charkey performing a composition in raag Durga, set to Jhaptaal (10 beats). Very appropriate, since we are not far from Durga puja time. I then performed a medium-length tabla solo (30 minutes) in Teentaal (16 beats). After a short break, we moved off to the side, to clear the 'stage' for Sudeshna Maulik. We accompanied her in vilambit, madhya, and drut teentaal, followed by a Ram bhajan set to Rupaktaal (7 beats).

Vanessa Muri from SweetSpot.ca reviewed the performance for her Sweetlife blog, Montreal Musings. Click here to read her article and see some pictures as well.

Tabla Classes at Bharat Bhavan

2009-08-24T16:48:00.004-04:00

I am happy to announce that as of September, I will be offering group tabla classes at Bharat Bhavan in Montreal. These classes are offered in collaboration with the kathak dancer, Sudeshna Maulik, under the banner of our new school - Sangeet Academy!

Both tabla and kathak classes will be held on Thursday evenings. All ages are welcome. Please contact me directly for more information, and to sign up. Bharat Bhavan is conveniently located; just a one-minute walk from St-Henri metro.

On a related note, here is a short clip of excerpts from a recent kathak performance with Sudeshna:

Crossroads

2009-06-22T13:01:00.012-04:00

This past June 12 and 13, I had the pleasure of participating in the Crossroads project at the Gesu in Montreal. It was a dance performance, combining Kathak and Odissi with live music (though at times, the dancers used pre-recorded music).

Sudeshna Maulik, kathak dancer, began her training in Kolkatta under Pt. Chitresh Das, and then went on to study at Bharatiya Kala Kendra, and at the National Kathak Institute with Pt. Birju Maharaj. Based in Windsor, Ontario, Odissi

dancer Enakshi Sinha studied with Guru Kelucharan Mahapatra and Smt. Sharmila Biswas.

The programme began with Stree Shakti, an evocation of the eternal female creative force, through Kathak and Odissi dance. Enakshi Sinha (Odissi) and Sudeshna Maulik (Kathak) performed their own choreography, with pre-recorded music that they developed in India.

Performing with Jake Charkey, cello. Photo by Ulysse Lemerise-Bouchard.

This was followed by Hands and Feet, which was the traditional Kathak item, which Sudeshna danced solo. Jake Charkey played nagma on cello, and I played tabla. We opened with the very famous Ganesh vandana (bol paran), followed by thaat, amad, and then numerous compositions (tukras, parans, gat nikas, etc.) in vilambit, madhya, and drut. The item ended with a brief sawal-jawab between Sudeshna and myself. You might notice from the photo that I have two dahinas. I played on a low-C in the vilambit and madhya sections for a pakhawaj-like sound, and used a standard C for the drut section.

Myself and Jake Charkey accompanying Sudeshna Maulik's kathak performance. Photo by Ulysse Lemerise-Bouchard.

The next item was Glimpses, an Odissi solo that Enakshi Sinha choreographed and performed, with pre-recorded music. This was then followed by Footprints of Rhythm, an Odissi-Kathak duet, with pre-recorded music and drumset, which I played live. The idea was to combine traditional music of both Odissi and Kathak with another, non-traditional element. So, tabla, pakhawaj, and drumset. Though I am not a big fan of playing along to a pre-recorded track, it was fun to play drumset from a tabla perspective, and to be able to interact with both dancers in their respective idioms.

Jake then performed a short solo; a rendition of a song by Tagore. This created a bridge to the last piece, Tagore Revisited, which is a collection of three choreographies, again combining Kathak and Odissi dance, with pre-recorded music.

Of course, I would prefer to have more live music and less pre-recorded music, but in the dance world, this is very common. Sometimes, choreographies are attached to pre-set structures, and it is often cost-prohibitive to hire enough musicians to accurately reproduce the recorded music. In this case, we would have needed to add a sitarist and vocalist, and perhaps a keyboard player as well.

From left to right: Jake Charkey (cello), Enakshi Sinha (Odissi dance), Sudeshna Maulik (Kathak dance), and myself. Photo by Ulysse Lemerise-Bouchard.

The performances were very well attended, and we all got some great comments from the audience. We are hoping to book future performances of Crossroads in the rest of Canada and perhaps even internationally. Sudeshna and Enakshi are both immensely talented, and it was a true pleasure to accompany them. I am very much looking forward to our future collaborations.

Passing of the great maestro, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan

2009-06-19T11:28:00.006-04:00

This morning, I learned of the sad news that the great sarod maestro, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, has passed away. He was one of the all-time greats of Indian classical music, and was instrumental in bringing Indian classical music to the West. Here are a couple of excerpts from the press:

From DNA India:

Sarod maestro Ustad Ali Akbar Khan died in San Francisco in the US today after a prolonged kidney ailment, according to a family friend here. Eighty-eight-year-old Khan died at his music centre at 10 am IST, Rabin Pal, the secretary of sitarist Pandit Ravi Shankar, said. He is survived by wife Mary, three sons and a daughter.

Pal, a family friend of the maestro, said he was informed of Khan's death by the ustad's family in San Francisco. Khan's secretary in Kolkata, Ashish Roy, said the maestro was on dialysis and had been ailing for over four years. His condition had deteriorated in the last four months.

A recipient of the Padma Bhushan and the Padma Vibhushan, Khan had been a colossus in the world of Indian classical music for the last five decades. He became court musician for the maharaja of Jodhpur and continued for seven years, till his patron's death. The state of Jodhpur bestowed on him his title of "ustad".

At the request of violin virtuoso Yehudi Menuhin, Khan visited the United States in 1955 and performed at New York's Museum of Modern Art.

He founded the Ali Akbar College of Music in Kolkata in 1956. In 1965, he began teaching in USA, later opening a branch of his college there, and in Switzerland. In 1997, Khan performed at a programme in the United Nations to celebrate the 50th year of India's independence.

He also composed music for films, creating the musical score for Chetan Anand's Aandhiyan(1953), Merchant-Ivory productions' The Householder, Tapan Sinha's Khudita Pashan, Satyajit Ray's Devi and Bernardo Bertolucci's Little Buddha.

Khan married thrice. His son, Ustad Aashis Khan, is a sarod artiste of repute. The maestro once said: "For us, as a family, music is like food. When you need it, you don't have to explain why, because it is the basis of life."

From The Hindu:

"Kolkata (PTI): Hailed by violinist Yehudi Menuhin as 'the greatest musician in the world', Sarod maestro Ali Akbar Khan, who died on Friday, had many a first to his credit in taking Indian classical music to the West.

88-year-old Khan, who had settled down in San Francisco in the US, was admired by both Eastern as well as Western musicians for his brilliant compositions and his mastery of the 25-string instrument.

The illustrious son of Ustad Alauddin Khan, he was once described by Menuhin as 'the greatest musician in the world'. He was the first to cut a long play record of Indian classical music in the US and to give a sarod recital on American TV.

Khan was also the first Indian musician to receive the MacArthur Foundation Fellowship in 1991 and was nominated for Grammy Awards five time between 1970 to 1998.

Born on April 14, 1922 in Shibpur village of Comilla district, now in Bangladesh, Khan took up music at the age of three, learning vocal music from his father and percussion from his uncle, Fakir Aftabuddin.

His father also trained him in several other instruments, but Khan decided to concentrate on the sarod and on vocals.

A recipient of Padma Vibhushan and Padma Bhushan, Khan gave his first public performance in Allahabad at the age 13 and made his first gramophone recording in Lucknow when he was in his early twenties."

Tabla at the Festival international de jazz de Montréal

2009-06-17T19:46:00.009-04:00

For the past several years, because of touring or tabla workshops, I have tended to be out of town during the Montreal Jazz Festival. This year, I am here, so I am paying particular attention to the lineup. I thought it would be nice to do a rundown of all the tabla-related performances this summer. Unfortunately, I won't be performing tabla in the festival this year.

July 1, 2009 at 6pm

Erik Truffaz - Benares

Gesu, 1200 rue de Bleury

From the JazzFest program - "French trumpeter Erik Truffaz opens his three-night stand in the style of his triptych Rendez-vous, lining up high-calibre collaborations. In Benares, the first of three "cities" visited in this wholly original series, we're ushered into an Indian salon where Indrani and Apurba Mukherjee await us, alongside Truffaz and Malcolm Braff. Vocals, piano, trumpet and tablas conjure the clamour of an India bathed in dusky light, car horns and dust, in a rhythmic whirlwind of a fusion of the Middle-East and the western world."

July 2, 2009 at 6pm

Eric Truffaz - Mexico

Gesu, 1200 rue de Bleury

From the JazzFest program -"On the second stop of his musical pilgrimage, Erik Truffaz welcomes electronica artist Murcof, one of the most freespirited of his generation, to fold his airy rhythms around the trumpeter's soaring, dynamic runs. They engendered a longdistance exchange via the Internet, weaving a sonic tapestry true to Truffaz' boundless sense of invention and musical curiousity. It's a radical, impressionistic proposition; and here they are together, playing music enhanced by the percussion of Talvin Singh, unquestioned master of the tablas and the Asian underground sound."

Personally, I don't see the connection between Talvin and Mexico, but hey, why not?

July 4, 2009 at 9:30pm

Miles From India

Théâtre Maisonneuve, Place des Arts

From the JazzFest program -"Miles goes Indian… or vice-versa? The Festival presents another concert homage to the legend, this time with a major musical project spiced with a delicious touch of exoticism. Inspired by the double album of the same name, Miles from India is a musical fusion of Indian and American cultures. Two groups, one composed of elite Indian musicians, the other of American jazzmen who’ve previously collaborated with Miles, unite onstage for a Subcontinental, spiritual celebration of the master’s music."

Nicholas Payton • Trumpet

Robert Irving III • Keyboards

Bill Evans • Tenor Saxophone
R. Mahanthappa • Saxophones
Darry Jones • Bass
John Beasley • Keyboards
Badal Roy • Tabla
U. Shrinivas • Mandolin
Lenny White • Drums
Ndugu Chancler • Percussions
Vince Wilburn • Drums
Anantha Krishnan • Mridangan
Hidayat Khan • Sitar
V.K. Raman • Flute/Vocal
Selvaganesh • Khanjira

July 9, 2009 at 10:30pm

Indo-Pak Coalition

Gesu, 1200 rue de Bleury

From the JazzFest program -"Rudresh Mahanthappa’s Indo-Pak Coalition is turning heads internationally in both the jazz and world music scenes. Rudresh, an innovative alto saxophonist, along with guitar virtuoso Rez Abbasi and tabla star Dan Weiss, blazes new trails into the future of jazz, synthesizing jazz with the astutely improvised musical forms of South Asia. Their debut album Apti, on innova Recordings, has received rave reviews in The New Yorker, Rolling Stone and Downbeat."

Dan Weiss is famous for his incredible Tintal Drumset Solo. It'll be nice to hear him on tabla.

Overall, quite a lot of tabla this year. If you attend any of the concerts, please post a review!

Symphonie du Sud-Ouest

2009-04-29T15:41:00.001-04:00

From February to mid-April, I was involved in a very interesting project, the Symphonie du Sud-Ouest. This series of workshops on musical creativity and improvisation was initiated by guitarist/composer, Tim Brady. The project involved 20 musicians from the community at large; more specifically, those living in the south-west borough of the city of Montreal. Tim Brady, saxophonist Jean-Marc Bouchard (from the Quasar saxophone quartet), and myself met with the group every Wednesday night over the course of two months.

The participants were of mixed age and background, ranging from 16 years old to 70 years old, and with varying amounts of musical experience. Instrumentation included voice, piano, guitar, bass, electronic drumset, recorder, clarinet, and saxophone. My setup included tabla (of course!), darbouka, a couple of cymbals, and a milltone drum.

Each week, we would begin with a short presentation on a musical style or compositional technique. Topics included melody, harmony, orchestration, register/dynamics/density, improvisation, composition, theme-and-variation, Indian music (of course!), etc. Then, we would break off into our three groups, led by Tim (guitar and voice), Jean-Marc (winds), and myself (percussion). My group, though loosely labelled the percussion group, actually included African percussion, electronic drumset, slam poetry / vocal sound effects, piano, and my setup that I mentioned earlier.

Over the course of seven workshops, we worked on creating our symphony for a performance at the Maison de la culture Marie Ugay on April 15. The final structure was:

I - Group improvisation, directed by Tim

II - Guitar / voice group soli

III - Wind group soli

IV - Percussion group soli

V - Group "comprovisation", composed/directed by Tim

It was fun to see everyone push their musical boundaries far past their pre-conceived notions of music and music-making. The concert was well attended, and enthusiastically received. We are currently planning a second edition of the workshop, which should begin sometime in mid-June! If you are a resident of the Sud-Ouest borough of Montreal and would like to participate in the second edition of the Symphone du Sud-Ouest, please contact the Centre Culturel Georges-Vanier.

Upcoming performances

2009-04-28T15:34:00.008-04:00

I thought I should mention some upcoming performances of my own, and others in the area.

On May 2, Crudessence, Montreal's top "living food" restaurant is putting on a party called Bollywood Express. There will be a bollywood dance demonstration, and a DJ who will play all your favourite Bollywood tracks, so you can dance the night away. But before everyone gets down, Jake Charkey and I will open the evening with some North Indian classical music for tabla and cello. Yes, cello! How to explain it? It's just like Indian violin, but lower! :)

May 2, 2009 at 8:00pm

Espace Reunion, 6600 rue Hutchison

Montreal, Qc

Tickets cost 15$ in advance, 20$ at the door.

If you are in the Ottawa area, the Ragamala Association of Ottawa-Carleton is presenting a concert with sitarist Ustad Shahid Parvez, accompanied by Subhajyoti Guha on tabla. May 2 at 7:30pm. Kailash Mital Theatre, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario. Tickets are 20$ to 100$.

Later in the month of May, the Kabir Cultural Centre is presenting a semi-classical vocal concert with Shafkat Ali Khan, from Pakistan. He will be accompanied by Pandit Ramesh Mishra on sarangi. The concert is on May 16 at 7:30pm. DB Clarke Theatre, 1455 de Maisonneuve West, Montreal, Qc. Tickets are 15$-50$. Unfortunately, I will be missing this performance, as I will be in London, UK at the time, but I will fortunately be seeing Ramesh-ji in performance with Shri Sanju Sahai on May 9 at the South Bank Centre! Ramesh-ji is an incredible sarangi player, and I would highly reccomend attending whichever performance you are able to! :)

Mark June 12 and 13 in your calendars for Sudeshna Maulik's Crossroads project, which will take place at the Salle Gesu in Montreal. This will be a full performance of kathak and odissi dance, with Jake Charkey on cello and myself on tabla.

New releases

2009-04-20T15:16:00.006-04:00

A couple of recordings that I worked on last fall have just recently been released. These aren't groups that I regularly perform with, but they were looking for some Indian flavour for specific tracks on their albums.

The first recording is with La Nef, a group whose music is extremely varied and defies categorization. Generally speaking, they perform both early music and world music. This recording, as the title suggests, is of music inspired by desert cultures. I perform santoor (yes!) on the second track, Rub al Khali. The other performers on the track are the very talented Pierre Hamon on bansuri, Carlo Rizzo and Patrick Graham on frame drums, and Andrew Wells-Oberegger on oud. Pierre and Carlo had flown in from France for this occasion. The rest of the CD is extremely varied, with voice, various flutes, numerous frame drums and percussion instruments, oud, saz, guembri, and jaw harp.

The other recording that has recently been released is francophone pop artist Yann Perreau's Un serpent sous les fleurs. Having recently returned from India, Yann wanted some tabla on his new record. I perform on the track, Le marcheur rapide.

Future releases in 2009 include a couple of guest tracks on Marie Saintonge's upcoming funky-electronic-world CD (previews can be heard on MySpace), a compilation with slam-poet-singer Mathieu Lippé and the soundtrack for a National Film Board of Canada short film.

That's all for now! More tabla-news coming soon.

A Quick Update on Recent Activities

2009-03-18T10:31:00.009-04:00

Things have been really busy these past several weeks with many great projects. Here is a quick rundown of what's been going on.

First, in January, I performed tabla solo for the Abhilasha Project's fundraiser concert. In February, another fundraiser concert - this time, for the Montreal Heart of the City Piano Program, and a performance of Payton MacDonald's marimba and tabla duo, Jugalbandi, with marimbist Catherine Meunier. We also recorded some music by composer Luigi Allemano for an upcoming National Film Board short film.

Performing Jugalbandi with Catherine Meunier

March included a recording and performance with Francophone singer/poet Mathieu Lippé in Quebec City, a jazz performance with pianist John Roney, and Bhumi Pranam, a Bharat Natyam performance with Ginette Dion's Sattvika Danse.

My setup for accompanying John Roney included tabla (3 dahinas),

shakers, and a variety of Sabian cymbals that I played with both hands and sticks.

(Special thanks to Ji for the photo!)

Coming next are performances with contemporary violinist Parmela Attariwala in Toronto, and pop singer Yann Perreau's album launch in Montreal.

Tabla Tracks - New CD Release by Pandit Sharda Sahai!

2009-03-17T09:35:00.007-04:00

I am really excited to annouce this news. Pandit Sharda Sahai (my tabla guru) has just released a new CD! This album is really special in many ways. It is in fact a very old recording - from 1976. Music Room - Jalsa Ghar was recorded at Pandit Samta Prasad's house in Benares (Varanasi) upon Pt. Sahai's return from a six-year residency in the United States. This recording has been archived privately all this years, and it is only now that this historic recording has been made public for the first time.

There is a special mood to this recording; it is a live performance in an intimate house concert setting. Over the course of the performance, we can hear the comments made by Pt. Samta Prasad as well as other audience members. There was immense anticipation of this concert, as Pt. Sahai had been away for so many years; everyone wanted to see how he was playing. Needless to say, the performance is absolutely spectacular and the mood is electric. The performance includes many of the compositions that have become Panditji's trademark as well as some rare compositions that are not available on any other recording released to date.

This is an absolute must have for anyone interested in Indian classical music. This is certainly one of the best tabla solo recordings of our time.

This recording has been pressed in limited edition and so will not be available from all retailers. If you are in Montreal, I have a few copies available. Audiorec will be carrying the CD for international sales (as of this posting, I don't see the CD listed online but they do have them), and if you are in London you can also contact the Pandit Ram Sahai Foundation to purchase a copy directly.

New Feature - Tabla Tracks

2009-01-22T15:48:00.008-05:00

I have decided to start posting small blurbs about tabla-related albums that I am listening to, in an effort to promote this great music. I wouldn't necessarily call these CD reviews; I just want to share what I'm listening to! Tabla Tracks will be a regular feature of TablaMontreal. Look for new Tabla Tracks to appear on a regular basis. This first edition features two world-fusion albums.

The first CD is from Victoria-based guru-bhai, Niel Golden. Niel is a master tabla player, whose musical travels have literally taken him around the world. It's a Journey (released in 2008) is a fitting title for this album. The album is an eclectic world-fusion mix, combining influences from Indian, African, and Latin music with elements of blues and pop.

Tabla is heard in practically all of the tracks, but it doesn't always take centre stage; but don't fret, there are definitely some tabla solos in there! Niel's use of tabla is quite tasteful, and varies from tune to tune. Each track is in a completely different style, which shows both Niel's and the tabla's versatility in accompanying different types of music. For example: the tabla tarang-like use of tabla in Maliwood Drive, the Rolling Stone cover in Paint it Black, and the modulating tabla in Blu Z. Niel is a big fan of the Swiss instrument, the Hang, which is also featured in a few tunes. Of special note is a guest appearance by Harry Manx on Mohan veena.

Favourite tracks: Bergamot, Hari OM

It's a Journey can be ordered directly from Niel, via his website.

The next CD, is a more recent acquisition - Tibet2Timbuk2's Music is Life (released in 2009). Tibet2Timbuk2 is a project of longtime Internet friend and Benares gharana brother, Shen Flindell, who is based in Australia. Shen is a very talented tabla player, and aside from some online clips, this is the first full-length album of his that I have had the pleasure of listening to. Tibet2Timbuk2 is a trio that combines the musics of India, Tibet, and Africa. The result is a feel-good mix of upbeat world music. Honestly, every folk festival in Canada should book this band!

What really strikes me in Shen's playing on this album is his feel/groove, and above all, his truly exceptional baya playing. His baya's pitch is nicely tuned to the tonic (which surprisingly, not every tabla player does), and aside from that, he plays moving bass-lines with great accuracy. Who needs a bass player? :) The instrumentation of the trio allows each instrument to speak, with no one stepping on each other's toes. The singer's "super-vibrato" is certainly different! Of special note is guest artist Taro Terahara on bansuri.

Favourite tracks: Beautiful Girl/Bhumo Zhema, Ama

Music is Life can be ordered through EthnoSuperLounge. Proceeds from the sale of this album go to support Tibetan Children's Village in Dharamsala, India.

That's all for now. Please let me know what YOU think of these albums!

27th Annual Summer Tabla Workshop with Pandit Sharda Sahai

2009-01-12T18:18:00.003-05:00

I'm very pleased to announce the 27th Annual Summer Tabla Workshop with Pandit Sharda Sahai, which is being hosted by my guru-bhai, Niel Golden, in Victoria, BC, Canada.

Of course, Pandit Sharda Sahai needs no introduction. As gharanadar, he is the living torchbearer of the Benares tabla tradition.

The workshop is a great opportunity to become fully immersed in the world of tabla. The workshop is taking place from August 17th through August 29, 2009. The daily group tabla classes and practice sessions are a great way to experience tabla-culture, and the workshop is appropriate for all levels; participants are divided into one of three classes, based on previous experience.

For more information, please visit www.sahai.org

I hope to see some of you there!

X-Mas in Goa video

2008-11-13T22:14:00.005-05:00

Just in time for the holiday season! X-Mas in Goa is a duo for pandeiro and tabla, and was composed by Randy Gloss (of the group, Hands On'Semble) on one of his trips to India. This performance took place in September, 2007. Sorry for the delay in posting the video!

The tabla writing is mainly traditional, while the highly virtuosic pandeiro part makes use of both traditional and extended techniques. The piece opens with an improvised pandeiro solo, followed by two composed sections. After a short improvised tabla solo, the piece ends with a third composed section, based on the traditional Indian concepts of kaida and palta (theme and variations).

Fernando Rocha is playing the pandeiro part. Fernando is an incredibly talented percussionist, based in Minas Gerais (Brazil), where he is professor of percussion at Minas Gerais Federal University (UFMG). It was Fernando who first introduced me to this composition and some of the other Hands On'Semble repertoire. It makes for a great fusion of percussive cultures; traditional musics combined with some modern elements.

NAFDA North Frame Drum Fest 2008

2008-11-03T20:16:00.005-05:00

This past weekend, I drove down to Brattleboro, Vermont where N. Scott Robinson and Todd Roach hosted the NAFDA North - Cooperman Frame Drum Fest 2008. It was great to meet so many talented musicians, and get to see various frame drums performed in both traditional and innovative ways.

Of course, I brought my tabla along (though they're definitely not frame drums!), and was fortunate to be able to sit in, and perform in a couple of pieces at the Friday night concert in Grafton, VT.

The first piece that I participated in was an original composition by Carnatic singer K.S. Resmi, accompanied by N. Scott Robinson on frame drum, and myself on tabla. We had just met only 30 minutes prior, but Scott and Resmi are such great musicians, everything flowed naturally. I wonder what the performance would have been like had we actually practiced the piece before. :)

I was also really happy to play in one of Marla Leigh's compositions. I had met her a few years ago at PASIC, but never had the chance to play together. She played flute and frame drum, and was joined by Patrick Graham on kanjira and caxixi, Mac Ritchey on oud, Todd Roach on ghaval and bendir, and myself on tabla.

The next day was loaded with great workshops, and followed by a concert featuring all the workshop clinicians (minus Patrick, who had to return to Montreal for a gig). For more photos from the event, click here.

The event was sponsored by the Cooperman drum company. Patrick Cooperman was on hand with a selection of amazing drums for sale. It took great self-control for me to only purchase one drum; I could have easily bought at least three or four!

There is talk of hosting an event such as this somewhere in Canada. I will certainly try to attend, and will pass on word as soon as I hear anything. In the meantime, there is the upcoming NAFDA festival in New Jersey.

A blast from the past...

2008-10-03T09:26:00.012-04:00

Well, it certainly took some time before I transferred these videos to my PC! Here are a couple of clips from a performance given on August 5, 2006 as part of the gala concert that ended the 25th Annual Summer Tabla Workshop with Pandit Sharda Sahai. You may remember that I had previously posted the links to clips from the second half of this concert; Pt. Sharda Sahai's tabla solo.

The concert opened with a performance of Bob Becker's Palta. As far as I know, this is the first piece to feature the tabla in a Western classical music setting. This was a very special performance, as Gurujee (Pt. Sharda Sahai) was in the audience (and he has played this piece many times in the past), Bob Becker was playing the piano part, and the audience was full of guru-bhais, tabla students, and Indian music afficionados.

The piece opens with a few moharas, followed by improvisations on an angrusthana.

Next on the program was Payton MacDonald's 1st Concerto for Tabla and Percussion Quartet. This piece continues in the tradition of Palta, and is the only of Payton's tabla concertos that wasn't written for me (I have since commissioned the 2nd and 3rd, and Samsara, a concerto with wind ensemble); an oddity in the repertoire! :) In this clip, I play variations on a well known Delhi kaida.

Payton was kind enough to conduct for this performance. With him at the helm, I know that I can get away will all kinds of things in my improvisations. :) Like Gurujee always says, "the train can only roll if the tracks are straight."

Next on the program was Bob Becker's Mudra, for solo snare drum and percussion ensemble, performed by Bob. I don't have the clip for this one ready yet. Maybe next year. :)

Tabla Solo Audio Clip

2008-09-25T17:35:00.003-04:00

Hi everyone,

I decided to post up a very short tabla solo on MySpace. Please have a listen!

http://www.myspace.com/shawnmativetsky

It was from a concert I gave in March, where I was asked to play a tabla solo that demonstrated the full range of Benarsi tabla repertoire, but in under 10 minutes! For a tabla solo, that's very short; I normally would have liked to play for at least 30-40 minutes. And no Benarsi theka if you can believe that ...

A quick analysis: bhumika, uthan, moharas, kaida, rela, Punjabi gat (in rela), gat-fard (in rela), farmaishi tukra, tukra.

Enjoy!

Video clip of Pt. Sharda Sahai in Montreal

2008-09-09T09:26:00.007-04:00

For those of you who were unable to attend Pandit Sharda Sahai's amazing performance in Montreal this past summer, here is a video excerpt from the performance. It's about eight-and-a-half minutes long, so you get a pretty good feel for the concert.

Pt. Sharda Sahai, tabla; Pt. Ramesh Mishra, sarangi; Ravi Singh, tabla; and me on tanpura!

Thanks to Ravi Singh for posting this video on YouTube!

Summer Tabla Workshop with Pt. Sharda Sahai

2008-08-13T18:48:00.010-04:00

Dear friends,

In my last post, I spoke about Pandit Sharda Sahai's performance in Montreal. Now it's time for a small report on his tabla workshop that I hosted at the Schulich School of Music of McGill University. This was the 26th edition of the Annual Summer Tabla Workshop with Pandit Sharda Sahai, and the second one that I have organised, in Montreal. Like last time, Guruji was assisted in teaching by Dr. Frances Shepherd (London, UK), Niel Golden (Victoria, BC), and myself. The workshop took place from June 22 through to July 5.

The workshop included group classes, group practice sessions, a series of three lectures, and two listening sessions. The lectures were open to the public and I was happy to see a few people from outside the workshop in attendance.

Niel Golden opened up the lecture series with a presentation of the tabla in various fusion settings. He is a very experienced tabla player, and over the years has participated in numerous fusion projects. He played recordings of a number of pieces from a variety of artists and styles, ranging from the Beatles to Steve Wonder (!), as well as some of his own compositions.

The next day, we had Todd Hammes, who is a tabla player and Western-trained percussionist, presenting a lecture on Pandit Sharda Sahai and his influence on contemporary Western compositions for tabla. The lecture demonstrated the connection between traditional tabla repertoire and the newly composed repertoire from such composers as Bob Becker, Payton MacDonald, and Robert Aldridge. Rather than use recordings of the pieces, Todd asked me to sit in to demonstrate the compositions for the audience.

The last lecture was presented by Dr. Frances Shepherd on the subject of Guru-shishya-parampara, the teacher-disciple tradition. During the course of the lecture, she presented a video of a recent Guru Vandan ceremony in Benares, in which Guruji was honored by numerous dignitaries and disciples.

The two listening sessions took place during the second week of the workshop. First up was Eric Phinney, who presented numerous audio recordings in order to demonstrate some of the main differences between the tabla gharanas. One of the big topics was peshkar, as opposed to Benarsi theka. He also demonstrated differences in technique and fingering, especially between Delhi and Benares styles.

Ravi Singh gave a presentation on sangat, and used numerous videos to demonstrate his points. He discussed accompaniment of dhrupad, khyal (vocal and instrumental), and lighter forms such as thumri, ghazal, and dadra.

Last, but not least, the workshop couldn't have taken place without the generous participation of Pandit Sharda Sahai, and the 20 students who travelled to Montreal from across Canada and the USA. Students had four tabla classes per week, and daily group practice sessions. The group practice sessions involve all the students, doing technique practice together; a combination of hard work and good fun! In the practice session photos below, you can also see Bob Becker and Joanne Tod, two senior disciples of Guruji, who were in town visiting for a few days. In fact, it was Bob who got this workshop series started in Toronto, sometime around 1980.

These annual workshops are a great experience for all involved. Old friends who haven't seen each other since the previous workshop; new friendships forming with first-time participants; overall, a great sense of community and cameraderie. After two intense weeks of playing tabla, everyone was definitely energized and motivated. Until next year!

Pt. Sharda Sahai's performance in Montreal

2008-08-13T11:52:00.006-04:00

Hi everyone,

This past summer, I was very fortunate that my tabla guru, Pandit Sharda Sahai came to perform and teach in Montreal. On June 22, he performed a concert as part of the Festival Montreal Baroque. This was the first time that Indian classical music was included in the festival, and Guruji performed to a packed house, accompanied by Pandit Ramesh Misra on sarangi. I am very thankful to the festival's Artistic Director, Susie Napper, who was instrumental in making this concert a success. The concert took place at the Cirque Eloize, which had a great acoustic, and a really nice feeling to it. The tech crew did an amazing job with the sound and the lights.

Hanging out with Niel Golden and Pandit Ramesh Mishra before the concert.

The concert opened with Ramesh-ji performing sarangi solo, accompanied by Niel Golden (from Victoria, BC), who is one of my senior guru-bhais. I was very happy to be playing tanpura for this special occasion.

Niel Golden accompanying Pandit Ramesh Mishra.

In the second half of the concert, Pandit Sharda Sahai performed a tabla solo in teentaal, accompanied by Pandit Ramesh Misra and another of my guru-bhais, Ravi Singh (from Toronto, ON). Again, me on tanpura. :)

From left to right: Ravi Singh, Pandit Sharda Sahai, myself, and Pandit Ramesh Misra.

Prior to this concert was a performance by the early music ensemble, Notturna. I was invited to play tabla with them, Andrew Maruzzella on sitar, and a kathak dancer, for a performance of music from the days of the East India Company in Kolkatta (sorry, no photos). Earlier in the day, I also performed with sitarist Guy Bernier in an outdoor concert of Indian classical music. It was a mix of classical and light classical pieces. Sorry, I don't remember the raga, it was too long ago. :)

A Tribute to Pt. Kishan Maharaj

2008-08-06T14:47:00.002-04:00

Hi everyone,

The journalist Kavita Chhibber has written an excellent tribute to the late Pandit Kishan Maharaj. Many interesting stories and interviews with leading exponents of Indian classical music. (Aside from the articles, she has also posted a number of audio interviews/webcasts.)

Part One, featuring Pandit Ravi Shankar, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and Ustad Imrat Khan.

Part Two, featuring Sitara Devi, Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia and Ustad Shujaat Khan.

Part Three, featuring Pandit Sharda Sahai, Pt. Puran Maharaj, Pt. Kumar Bose, Sukhvinder Singh, Sandeep Das and Shubh Maharaj.

Highly reccomended reading!

Coming soon - a report on the 26th Annual Summer Tabla Workshop with Pt. Sharda Sahai held in Montreal!

Other upcoming tabla events, June 21 to June 27

2008-06-17T12:52:00.005-04:00

Dear friends,

As the tabla workshop is quickly approaching (June 22-July 5), there will be a number of tabla-related activities happening in Montreal! Of course, Pt. Sharda Sahai's concert on June 22, which I mentioned in the previous posting. Here are some other events:

Saturday, June 21 at 3:00pm - An Indian improvisation
Masterclass with Pt. Sharda Sahai, hosted by me
This is part of the Montreal Baroque Festival's activities, and is taking place at the Château Ramezay in Old Montreal.

Sunday, June 22 at 11:00am - Sitar & Tabla
An outdoor Indian classical performance with Guy Bernier on sitar, and myself on tabla.
This is also part of the Montreal Baroque Festival's activities, and is taking place at the Place de la Dauversière in Old Montreal.

Wednesday, June 25 at 7pm
Tabla Lecture Series, presented as part of the 26th Annual Summer Tabla Workshop with Pandit Sharda Sahai
Niel Golden (Victoria, BC) - Tabla Fusion: Tabla Performance in Non-Classical Music
Tanna Schulich Hall, McGill University, 555 Sherbrooke Street West
FREE ADMISSION

Thursday, June 26 at 7pm
Tabla Lecture Series, presented as part of the 26th Annual Summer Tabla Workshop with Pandit Sharda Sahai
Todd Hammes (DMA candidate the University of Wisconsin-Madison) - The Influence of Pandit Sharda Sahai on Western Chamber Music
Tanna Schulich Hall, McGill University, 555 Sherbrooke Street West
FREE ADMISSION

Friday, June 27 at 7pm
Tabla Lecture Series, presented as part of the 26th Annual Summer Tabla Workshop with Pandit Sharda Sahai
Dr. Frances Shepherd (Pandit Ram Sahai Sangit Vidyalaya; London, UK) - Guru-Shishya-Parampara (the guru-disciple tradition)
Tanna Schulich Hall, McGill University, 555 Sherbrooke Street West
FREE ADMISSION

Hope to see you there!

Shawn

Pandit Sharda Sahai in concert, June 22!

2008-06-17T12:47:00.003-04:00

Dear friends,

I am happy to announce that my tabla guru, Pandit Sharda Sahai will be returning to Montreal to perform a recital with the sarangi player, Pandit Ramesh Mishra. Here are the details of the performance:

TABLA VIRTUOSO
PANDIT SHARDA SAHAI
IN CONCERT
Sunday, June 22, 21h30
Cirque Éloize, 417 Berri Street (in Old Montreal)

Tickets & information : http://www.montrealbaroque.com/ / 514.845.7171 / 1.866.845.7171
35$ adults ; 25$ seniors ; 10$ students

World renowned virtuoso tabla player Pandit Sharda Sahai will be accompanied by Pandit Ramesh Mishra on the sarangi for this recital of Indian classical music. Pandit Sharda Sahai is a direct descendant of Pandit Ram Sahai, who created the Benares style of tabla playing in the late 18th century. The recital, titled TABLA D’HAUTE, will be held Sunday, June 22nd at 21h30 at the Cirque Éloize building in Old Montreal (407 Berri street).

The recital will be preceeded by ‘Ohso Square’, a concert inspired by the famous musical evenings of the British East India Company employees, and presented by Notturna, a young & up-coming Montreal group.

Both events are part of the Montreal Baroque Festival. Entitled Syrup, Silk, Saffron, the 6th edition of the Festival celebrates the cultural diversity of Montreal with early music from all corners of the globe. From June 20th to the 23rd in Old Montreal.

The Festival’s programming is available via its Website, http://www.montrealbaroque.com/. Tickets for all the concerts can be purchased online, or by calling the Festival at 514.845.7171.
Prices : 20-35$ adults; 15-25$ seniors; 10$ students under 25.

Hope to see you there!

Shawn

Tabla Maestro, Pandit Kishan Maharaj

2008-05-05T17:54:00.004-04:00

Dear friends,

It is a sad day for tabla-fans around the world. Pandit Kishan Maharaj has passed away.

From The Hindu News:

"Varanasi (PTI): Well-known tabla player Kishan Maharaj died here after a brief illness. He was 84.

He died at a private hospital at Khajuri at 11.45 pm on Sunday night, family sources said.

The tabla maestro was admitted to the hospital after he suffered a paralytic attack on April 29.

Maharaj suffered the attack while eminent sarod player Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and his family were visiting him. The sarod exponent was here with his sons, Aman and Ayaan, to attend a music function.

Maharaj, who was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 2002, was one of the finest tabla players of the country and had a career which spanned over half a century. He began playing tabla at a tender age of 11 years.

He learned the art under the watchful eyes of his father Pandit Hari Maharaj. After the untimely death of his father, Maharaj's training was taken over by his uncle, Pt Kanthe Maharaj, one of the great old masters and himself a disciple of Pt Baldeo Sahai. Pt Baldeo Sahai was the grandson of Pt Ram Sahai, founder of the Banaras gharana.

Maharaj's ability to play cross rhythms and produce complex calculations, particularly in 'tihai' patterns has made him one of the most respected and popular tabla players of his time. He had immense versatility with regard to playing any kind of accompaniment, be it with the sitar, sarod, dhrupad, dhamar or dance."

REFUGE dance project

2008-04-08T16:31:00.004-04:00

Hi everyone,

Tomorrow night will be the premiere of Manijeh Ali's new dance choreography called Refuge:

"Refuge is a dance project dedicated to Sufism, a mystical tradition of Islam that is based on the belief that love is a projection of the essence of God in the universe. The practitioners of Sufism have coloured Persian literature with beautiful images of gardens, with passionate words for divine love, and with a beautifully defined profile of the beloved in a state of ecstasy. Through these dynamic images, Refuge celebrates the essence of Sufism using an elegant dance vocabulary derived from the precision of Bharata Natyam, the fluidity of Kathak, and the subtlety of Persian dance."

A production of Silken Dance, choreographed by Manijeh Ali, Refuge will be performed by Manijeh Ali, Marjolayne Auger, Elise Legrand, and Magdalena Nowecka at Art Neuf (3819 rue Calixa Lavallée, Montreal) on April 9, 10, 11, and 12, 2008 at 8:00 PM.

While I'm not personally performing in this production, I mention it because I have performed with Manijeh in the past, and that excerpts from my CD, Payton MacDonald: Works for Tabla will form part of the musical score. I look forward to seeing how the tabla concertos will be re-interpreted with dance!

Super Marimba performance with Payton MacDonald

2008-04-05T15:10:00.006-04:00

Hi everyone,

I feel that I've been very lucky this spring - many great performances with great musicians. Another recent performance was this past Wednesday, April 2 with the American percussionist (also a tabla player), Payton MacDonald.

Tim Brady, from Bradyworks, invited us to perform a concert together as part of his series entitled VOYAGES: Montreal-New York. With Payton representing New York, and myself representing Montreal, the idea was to combine my tabla playing with Payton's tabla-inspired marimba playing.

Payton describes his Super Marimba like this: "Super Marimba is the nexus point of all of my artistic activities. Here I combine my study of tabla drumming, Western classical composition, and Jazz improvisation. All of my Super Marimba compositions are notated, but the pieces include improvisation. Sometimes the improvisation is free and spontaneous, but more often it is of a unique sort that I have developed over the past couple years, based on the kaida/palta theme and variation processes used in tabla drumming." He also uses loop and distortion pedals to record, loop, and modify the marimba sound in real-time.

The concert program was quite varied. We began with a tabla solo, accompanied by the marimba (perhaps an unusual take on a very traditional concept). Next was Hazel, Orange, for Super Marimba and tabla. Here, I was able to accompany Payton on tabla, while adding some extra colour on various percussion instruments. Next, Payton performed Vignette for solo Super Marimba, and I followed with Paul Frehner's composition for solo tabla, Ke-Te.

After the intermission, we performed Spider and Four Places of Prophecy in the Fire Ritual, for Super Marimba and tabla, followed by Bruno Paquet's Les arbres célestes, for tabla and pre-recorded tape. We concluded the concert with Payton's composition for marimba and tabla, Jugalbandi.

After 10 years of collaboration with Payton, it was really a pleasure to perform this concert with him. I look forward to the next time we are able to perform together!

This was also the first time I used my Sabian "sprimbal" in concert. It's the weird looking cymbal to my left. It basically sounds the way it looks. :) It was also a pleasure to perform at the Theatre La Chapelle. The acoustic was great, and the sound and lighting crew were extremely professional.

Performance with Catherine Potter for Insightful Events

2008-04-05T14:47:00.009-04:00

Hi everyone,

Last weekend, on Friday March 28, I had the pleasure of performing with Canada's premiere bansuri player, Catherine Potter. A disciple of Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia, she has been performing Indian classical music for over 20 years.

Catherine performing alap

The event in question is called DOC~Illumination, which is a monthly series put on by Insightful Events to raise money for the Prevent Cancer Now organization. The event began with an Ayurveda workshop given by Nicole Thériault, followed by our performance, which was then followed by a film about Ayurveda.

Unfortunately, we only had a short time to perform, but it was a lot of fun. After a short alap (Raag Jog), we followed with a gat in Jhaptaal. We then did another piece in Teentaal, though now I forget which raag (sorry!).

Many thanks to Risa for her warm welcome and Kai for his help with the sound.

Next month's event will include a santoor performance and Bharat Natyam dance.

Videos of Samsara, Concerto for Tabla

2008-03-09T12:19:00.002-04:00

Hi everyone,

Vicky Shin, who conducted the premiere of Samsara, posted this video up on you tube. It's the premiere performance with the McGill Chamber Wind Orchestra, and myself on tabla. Samsara is a concerto for tabla and wind ensemble by American composer (and tabla player), Payton MacDonald.

The piece has been separated into two video clips because of the YouTube length limitations. Comments welcome!

Samsara - Part 1

Samsara - Part 2

Enjoy!
Shawn

Toronto Area Performances

2008-02-18T08:37:00.013-05:00

Hi everyone,

I'm just back from a week in the Toronto area. My first performance was at the University of Guelph. After giving a guest lecture for the Music of the Near and Far East class, Parmela Attariwala and I gave an afternoon performance of a traditional tabla solo and LA, a contemporary piece by Canadian composer Robert Rosen.

Parmela Attariwala and Shawn Mativetsky performing at the University of Guelph. (Photo by Phil Musgrave)

That evening, I accompanied the extremely talented soprano, Zorana Sadiq in her Music-Toronto vocal recital at the Jane Mallet Theatre in Toronto (St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts). We premiered a new arrangement of Shirish Korde's Songs of Ecstacy, which was a big hit with the audience. (No photos, unfortunately.)

The next evening, Parmela and I performed in the Canadian Music Centre's New Music in New Places series, which took place at the Hamilton GO Station. This is the main public transportation hub for Hamilton, serving both bus and train commuters. Many people were quite surprised to see a performance of new music during their evening commute home! Many people sat down for the entire performance, while others stood around for a few minutes, waiting for their bus or train to arrive. It was certainly different to perform in such a milieu, but it was quite a successful event. Many audience members had never seen tabla, or heard contemporary/new music before, and Parmela and I both received many comments from audience members after the performance.

Performing at the Hamilton GO Station

The concert began with Christien Ledroit's Trade Winds, a concerto for tabla with electronics (some of you may remember that I performed the orchestral version of this piece just a couple of weeks ago), followed by Vintal Bolia, an improv-based piece by Parmela and myself. Next, was Parmela's solo violin composition, Piercing Embrace and Payton MacDonald's Alap, for solo tabla. We concluded the programme with two duo pieces - the premiere of Christien Ledroit's Never the Twain Shall Meet, followed by Robert Rosen's LA.

Christien Ledroit, who composed two of the pieces on the program, and who also organised the concert for the CMC, put in an exceptional effort in putting this concert together. He designed the programs, newspaper advertisements, and even built the stage! On the evening of the concert, we rushed to put together the stage, run the wiring for the speakers and mixer, and do the sound-check. In the end, it all came together, and the concert ran very smoothly. Congratulations to Chris for a very successful event!

This week, I'll be premiering Payton MacDonald's Samsara, a new concerto for tabla and wind ensemble with the McGill Chamber Wind Orchestra. More news to come...

Regards,
Shawn

Summer Tabla Workshop with Pandit Sharda Sahai

2008-02-09T14:07:00.000-05:00

Dear friends,

I am happy to announce that the 26th Annual Summer Tabla Workshop with Pandit Sharda Sahai will take place in Montreal from June 22 to July 5, 2008 at the Schulich School of Music of McGill University.

Pt. Sharda Sahai will also perform a solo recital on June 22.

More details to come soon. If you are interested in participating, please contact me so that I can add you to the list of attendees. Tuition will be $600 (Canadian funds), with a $100 discount for early registration (before May 1). Dorm rooms are available at $40 per night (breakfast is included).

Regards,
Shawn

Windsor Canadian Music Festival

2008-02-05T22:08:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone,

I just got back from a week in Windsor, Ontario where I performed as part of the Windsor Canadian Music Festival. There were a number of talented composers in residence for the week, invited by composer and artistic advisor of the series Brent Lee: Geof Holbrook, Christien Ledroit, Christopher McNamara, Francois Rose, and Andrew Staniland. Normally, a new music festival like this wouldn't be likely to have any tabla-related content, but this time around, there were two tabla pieces in the festival, which I performed: Christien Ledroit's Trade Winds (tabla concerto with orchestra) and Elementalities (trio for flute, vibraphone, and tabla).

Rehearsing with the Windsor Symphony Orchestra, directed by Maestro John Morris Russell

First was the performance of Trade Winds with the Windsor Symphony Orchestra on Friday, Feb. 1. Aside from a pair of tabla, the piece also calls for an octave of Sabian Resonating Bells, a C gong, and a wind gong.

Performing Trade Winds with the Windsor Symphony Orchestra

(Photo credit: Windsor Star; used with permission.)

Next was the performance of Elementalities as part of the University of Windsor faculty concert on Feb. 2, with Jaimie Wagner (flute) and Nick Papador (vibraphone). It was really enjoyable for me to perform the piece with these two talented musicians.

Performance of Elementalities.

Both concerts were recorded by CBC for future broadcast on The Signal. Unfortunately, I don't know the broadcast dates right now.

Congratulations to the WSO and the WCMF for an extremely successful and well organised event. It's great to see new Canadian music being promoted so well.

Canadian concert tour

2008-01-28T20:51:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends,

February is going to be a busy month of concerts, with performances mainly in Ontario and Manitoba.

First, I’ll be performing as part of the Windsor Canadian Music Festival. CBC will be recording both concerts. For more information on the festival - http://www.windsorsymphony.com/season/wcmf.html

Friday, Feb. 1 at 7:30pm
Guest soloist with the Windsor Symphony Orchestra (dir. John Morris Russell) in a performance of Trade Winds, a concerto for tabla and string orchestra by Christien Ledroit.
Assumption University Chapel, Windsor, ON

Saturday, Feb. 2 at 7:30pm
Guest artist in the School of Music Faculty Concert in a performance of Elementalities, a chamber work for flute, vibraphone, and tabla by Christien Ledroit.
Jaimie Wagner, flute; Nicholas Papador, vibraphone.
Assumption University Chapel, Windsor, ON

Next, a short concert tour in the Toronto area.

Thursday, February 14 at 12pm
TABLEAUX – New Music for the Tabla of North India
With Parmela Attariwala, violin.
Traditional tabla solo and works by Payton MacDonald and Robert Rosen.
Thursdays at Noon Concert SeriesGoldschmidt Room, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON

Thursday, February 14 at 8pm
Accompanying soprano Zorana Sadiq, in a performance of Shirish Korde’s Songs of Ecstacy; Peter Tiefenbach, piano.
Music Toronto Vocal Recital
St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, Toronto, ON

Friday, February 15 at 8pm
TABLEAUX – New Music for the Tabla of North India
With Parmela Attariwala, violin.
Works by Christien Ledroit, Payton MacDonald, and Robert Rosen.
Tradewinds, presented by the Canadian Music Centre’s New Music in New Places series.
http://www.musiccentre.ca/nmi.cfm
Hamilton GO Centre, Hamilton, ON

Then, back to Montreal for a concert at McGill.

Thursday, February 21 at 8pm
Guest soloist with the McGill Wind Orchestra, guest conductor Vicky Shin.
Premiere of Samsara, a new tabla concerto by Payton MacDonald.
Pollack Hall, Montreal, QC

Then, last but not least, a short residency in Winnipeg, which will include guest lectures and workshops at the University of Manitoba.

Monday, February 25 at 8pm
TABLEAUX - New Music for the Tabla of North India
With Julie Lebel, harmonium and Laurel Ridd, flute
Groundswell New Music Series
Works by Paul Frehner, Bruno Paquet, Jim Hiscott, Patrick Saint-Denis, Nicole Lizée, and a traditional tabla solo.
Eckhardt-Gramatté Hall, Winnipeg, MB

Wednesday, February 27 at 8:00pm
Guest soloist with the Brandon University Percussion Ensemble, dir. Ben Reimer
Brandon University New Music Series
Payton MacDonald’s 2nd Concerto for Tabla and Percussion Quartet and Jugalbandi, duo for marimba and tabla.
Lorne Watson Hall, Brandon University, Brandon, MB

That's all for now. :)

Best regards,
Shawn

Surtaal, live at ZaZen

2008-01-26T12:17:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone,

Happy new year! Unfortunately there hasn't been much to report for some time now. So, here's the first bit of news for this year - Nicholas and I had the pleasure of performing together again at Spa ZaZen. This location is truly ideal for Indian classical music concerts. It's all wood and stone, located in Old Montreal (Montreal's old historic neighbourhood). The building must be two hundred years old and the acoustic is really great.

Nicholas began with alap and jor in Raag Bhimpalasi, followed by a gat in Rupaktaal, which we then followed by a gat in Teentaal. After a short chai and samosa break, the concert resumed with Raag Darbari Kanada; alap and gat in Ektaal. What seems to have become tradition now, we ended with a short song in dadra.

Many thanks to Simon for his initiative in organising this concert, and Jen at ZaZen for hosting us again. I'm very much looking forward to the next time! My apologies for the blurry photos, but that's all we were able to get!

Coming soon:

Next week, I'm performing Christien Ledroit's Trade Winds, a concerto for tabla and string orchestra with the Windsor Symphony Orchestra as part of the Windsor Canadian Music Festival. Also, in March, the McGill Tabla Ensemble spring concert extravaganza. Stay tuned. :)

Lahara alternatives

2007-12-27T09:29:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone,

For the tabla players and kathak dancers out there, we all know how hard it is to find good lahara accompaniment outside of India. Many of us practice with Nagma machines, or computers playing back MIDI files that loop melodies for us to practice with. Ideally, we'd all have sarangi players for hire, but we don't. As an alternative to the above methods, I recently came across these links on chandrakantha.com's Indian music forums:

Sarangi lahara: http://www.kritiarts.com/lehra.htm (available for purchase at 5$ per lahara)
Harmonium lahara: http://www.riyazmala.com/htm/lehera_sathi.htm (300 Rs per CD)

Both sites have free samples available for download.

And of course, there's always the free TaalPulse software - http://taalpulse.sourceforge.net/

Happy holidays!

Recent performances (November/December)

2007-12-06T17:04:00.001-05:00

Hi everyone,

It seems like it has been a while since my last update. I've had a few concerts lately that I've neglected to post here, so here's a quick roundup (sorry, no photos!):

November 17 - ICM with Aditya Verma at the Freedom From Poverty Foundation Fundraiser
On November 17, I was fortunate to perform with the extremely talented sarod player, Aditya Verma, at the Freedom From Poverty Foundation's annual fundraiser. The Foundation is raising funds to start up a hospital in U.P. (India). The event was well attended, and the FFPF is surely a large step closer to reaching their goal.

December 1 - Galitcha at the Canadian Folk Music Awards
Galitcha performed at the Canadian Folk Music Awards, held at the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Gatineau (just across the river from Ottawa). We had a great time performing, and it was great to see and hear some of the other musicians who were in attendance.

December 4 - McGill Tabla Ensemble
The advanced class of the McGill Tabla Ensemble performed a tabla soli in Teentaal, with harmonium accompaniment. The performance included a composed bhumika and uthan, a few moharas, followed by a kaida, a rela, and a few tukras. The audience response was great, and we're looking forward to our full-length concert in March.

Also, coming up tomorrow:
Friday, December 7 at 9:00pm (Free yoga class at 8pm)
A performance of Indian classical music by Surtaal (Nicholas Williams, bansuri and myself on tabla), followed by storytelling and poetry by Mathieu Lippé. We'll conclude the evening with some bhajans.

Studio Bliss
3841 Saint-Laurent
Montreal, Qc
Info / reservations: (514) 286-0007
Admission: 15$

Galitcha in Tunisia and France

2007-11-15T10:01:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone,

Ok, maybe this news is a bit old, but I thought I'd share anyways. At the end of September, I went on a short tour with the Indian folk group, Galitcha, which included shows in Tunis (Tunisia), as well as Valauris and Nice (France). It was a great experience, and it was great to tour around the Mediterranean.

The main concert of the tour was at the Festival de musique spirituelle de Tunis. We were really happy to be performing to a packed house, and we received a great reception there.

Galitcha in Milwaukee

2007-11-15T09:55:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone,

I just returned from a great 3 days in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with the Indian folk music group, Galitcha. I'd never been to Milwaukee before, and while I didn't get to see much of the city, I can definitely say that it is a very friendly place! We performed two shows at the Wisconsin Lutheran College; a morning show/workshop for schoolkids and their teachers and a regular evening concert.

It was a real pleasure to perform there; the hall at the college has great acoustics. Also, many thanks to the staff at the WLC for their warm welcome, and for being very well organised!