Cycles Review in The WholeNote

Today I was really happy to learn that Cycles got a glowing review from Andrew Timar in Toronto's The Wholenote. Click here to read the review.

As always, Cycles is available for purchase here, and is also downloadable via iTunes.

Some Photos from the Cycles CD Launch

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

Announcing the Cycles CD Launch Event - November 14!

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!

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. 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. 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.

New CD release - Shanta

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.

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Attar Project CD Launch

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.

Tabla Tracks - New CD Release by Pandit Sharda Sahai!

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

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!