NYC Radio Live

 
Their first time playing together, Max ZT (Hammered Dulcimer) Karsh  Kale (tabla) and Kane Mathis (kora) played an amazing set from 3am-4am on the Ragas Live Festival 2015.
 

 

 
Sandip Bhattacharjee  and Anirban Roy Chowdhury (tabla) open the 24 hour Ragas Live Festival from Midnight-1am
Sandip will be teaching and performing in the New York Area until November 5th.. He can be reached at www.Sandipraga.com and sandipvocal@yahoo.com.
 
 

The spontaneous jam sessions that close the weekly  Brooklyn Raga Massive are reaching epic proportions with established masters sitting in with young musicians from inside and outside the classical tradition.  Clearly we are in a Raga Renaissance  This latest one 6/11/2015 (last night!) features
Jessica Lurie (sax); Kane Mathis (oud), Hadar Noiberg (flutes), Jay Gandhi (bansuri), Subhen Chatterjee (vocal tabla bols),  Shivalik Ghoshal (tabla); Michael Gam (bass), Adam Maalouf (frame drum), Anirban Roy Chowdhury (vocal tabla bols),  Ken Shoji (violin) David Ellenbogen (guitar) Neel Murgai (frame Drum), Megumi (violin)

Jump  six and half minutes into this podcast and you'll hear music as organic as it gets: a group of children playing traditional rhythms on pots and pans as they sing the songs of their village.  Tom Rossi recorded this  25 years ago as he was biking from from Lome, Togo to Accra, Ghana.
The podcast continues with Tom's recordings with the all-star world musicians of New York City, Yacouba Cissoko, Dave Eggar, Matt Kilmer, Rob Garcia and many others and to top it off Tom performs live on the Kora of his own invention.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Tom Rossi is a composer, producer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, whose musical style is indeed a global mosaic, a border-dissolving symphony of tones and beats and harmonies from Africa and Asia and the Middle East, South America and the Caribbean and Brooklyn, USA.
Rossi himself was born in Texas, raised in Massachusetts, and went to college in the Pacific Northwest, but a moment of transformation came in a village of unpaved roads and mud huts in Togo, where Rossi grasped the raw psychotropic power of music in voodoo ceremonies.
Already an accomplished guitarist, Rossi kicked his polyglot education into a high gear. He went to Ghana to enroll in a drum and dance school run by the master percussionist Mustapha Tetty Addy.
After returning from further expeditions to Brazil, Cuba and Turkey, Rossi released his world music debut record, Salma Har, in 2005.
Hospice Work
Drawing from his talents as a musician and his love for humanity, Tom Rossi gives peace and serenity to those facing the most difficult time in their lives… their death.
His travels around the globe have not only given Tom a broad musical education, but a unique perspective on humanity as well.
During six months of arduous recovery from a surgery to remove a debilitating blood clot, Tom taught himself the kalimba, a South African thumb piano. Through music, he created an atmosphere which helped to facilitate his healing process and alleviate much of his stress and pain.
Upon his recovery, Tom immediately enrolled at the IM School of Healing Arts in Manhattan where he spent six years studying the art of healing and developed ways to channel it into his music. He now plays for terminally ill patients in Hospice care several days a week.
"I sing softly and play either the kora, kalimba or guitar. The music is not performance, but creating an atmosphere for the patient and family to relax, savor the passing moments or to bring new energy into what can easily become a dark place. The patients and families remind me of how precious life is, how important it is to keep growing towards fulfillment and to enjoy, and how something so simple and sincere can touch so deeply."
Tom's efforts have helped literally hundreds of families, prompting many of them to write poignant, moving letters of gratitude...
"Thank you again for being such a warm, shining light – showering others with the peace that is so obviously within your heart and soul. You will always be in my heart, Tom, and I will never forget the gift you gave to my mom… and to me."
"It's been difficult to be with my Mom these days, but listening to your heavenly sounds puts a totally different perspective on things. I know that you will always be remembered in my heart as someone who was 'there' through these times."
"David loved the music. He said it relaxed him. He passed away today and he was listening to your music when he did. I feel that you led him peacefully toward his light, and I am forever grateful."

 
 
It was great to spend an hour on the radio with the great saxophone player, Lisa Parrott.
The annual 2013 and 2014 Down Beat Critics Poll recently voted hera Rising Star for baritone saxophone players. Lisa was featured alongside her sister, bassist Nicki, at the prestigious Tribute to Mary Lou Williams Festival at the Kennedy Centre in Washington D.C. in 2002. She has also performed with such names as Dave Brubeck, Nancy Wilson, Rachel Z, Cindy Blackman, Virginia Mayhew, Gunther Schuller, Jason Linder’s Big Band, the Diva Jazz Orchestra and the Jimmy Heath Big Band. Her own trio features bassist Chris Lightcap, and either Gerald Cleaver or Matt Wilson on drums.
More recently, her latest album Round Tripper recorded May 2014 in Brooklyn NY, features bassist Chris Lightcap, Matt Wilson on drums, and fellow Australian musicians Carl Dewhurst on guitar and Nadje Noordhuis on trumpet.

This podcast features three weeks of live recordings I made recording traditional music, while serving as the artist-in-residence at the Ureuk World Music House in Chungju Korea.  We'll hear performances on a dozen instruments like the  Gayageum,  Haegeum and Piri  arranged by WonHaeng Cho he Conductor of the Chungju Municipal Ureuk Orchestra for Korean Traditional Music.
We'll even hear a recording I made of the music they played during a private Shamanic ceremony.
This is the most work I've put into a podcast since the recordings from Mali episode . Enjoy!

The weekly Brooklyn Raga Massive Jam Sessions have an incredibly deep bench. The same night Neel Murgai proposed in 7.5 beats (podcast 139) the next set was Max ZT and Ehren Hanson.
This recording sounds particularly good because it was mixed and mastered by Phil Duke at Continental Studio in Long Island City, NY.
 
Lauded as the “Jimi Hendrix of Hammered Dulcimer" by NPR, and a "Force of nature" by NY Music Daily, Max ZT is an innovator of the instrument. Taking his roots from classical Irish folk music, Max has transplanted his compositional techniques to both Senegal, where he studied the Mandinko technique with the Cissoko griot family, and to Mumbai, India, where he received a grant to study under the great santoor master Pandit Shivkumar Sharma. His fresh perspective and bold experimentalism have been the backbone to beautiful, complex, and genuine compositions, while his unorthodox playing style has been a pioneering force in revolutionizing dulcimer techniques.
Max has enlivened the conceptual framework of traditional folk music by fusing multi-cultural roots and traditions to create a truly compelling sound.
Max ZT has shared the stage with some of the most influential international and national musical leaders of the century including Pt. Ravi Shankar, Jon Bon Jovi, Karsh Kale, Bela Fleck, Victor Wooten, Tinariwen, Jimmy Cliff, and more. With his eighth record released, he is, as Timeout NY states “A sight to behold."
MaxZT is based out of Brooklyn, New York, and in 2005, won the National Hammered Dulcimer Championship. He's recorded with a vast array of artists across musical genres, ranging from Victor Wooten, to The Goo Goo Dolls, to 2012 American Idol Phil Phillips, to Of Montreal.
 
 
 
 
 

After a beautiful set from the Neel Murgai Ensemble,  Neel proposes to Brooklyn Raga Massive member Seema Pandya, in 7 and half beats! Not a dry eye in the house...
 
 

The brilliant pianist Michele Rosewoman shares the music of her incredible ensemble New Yor-Uba, a group that has been exploring the beauty of the Jazz/Cuba/Yoruba traditions.  They'll be at Dizzy's at Lincoln Center 3/27-29.
 
Michele Rosewoman, a vanguard and pioneering artist in her field, mines acoustic modern jazz, sophisticated funk, dynamic electric fusion and elements of Cuban folkloric music, to create a distinct musical experience. Her command and rich vocabulary elegantly expands the horizons and boundaries of jazz while remaining firmly rooted in tradition. With a more than 30-year history, Rosewoman stands out in her class as a visionary pianist, composer bandleader and gifted performer.  
Before moving to New York in 1978, Rosewoman performed at venues in the San Francisco Bay Area with her own ensembles, including the renowned Keystone Korner, and with Julian Priester, Julius Hemphill, Baikida Carroll and Oliver Lake and other fellow jazz innovators. In New York, she formed new ensembles and continued to present her music with New York- based jazz masters and collaborators.
 Her debut recording as a leader, THE SOURCE (Soul Note/1984) was praised for its radiance and ingenuity, and in a review published by DownBeat, Rosewoman’s direction was likened to that of master innovator Charles Mingus. With her maiden voyage on record, she distinguished herself as both a talented player and a composer of unique vision and had began to establish a reputation as one of the most ingenious and prolific bandleaders of her generation. 
Rosewoman went on to perform with notable New York-based jazz artists Jimmy Heath, Freddie Waits, Billy Hart, Reggie Workman, Oliver Lake, Julius Hemphill, James Spaulding, Gary Bartz, John Stubblefield, Rufus Reid, Howard Johnson, Billy Bang and Carlos Ward, among many others. Her very first recording was as pianist and arranger for the Cuban songo group, Los Kimy in 1984 and in the Latin genre she has performed with Celia Cruz, Paquito D’Rivera, Chocolate, Orlando 'Puntilla' Rios' “Nueva Generacion,” Daniel Ponce, Chocolate, Pedro Martinez, Roman Diaz, Ernesto Gatell, Nicky Marrero, Andy Gonzales and many others.
 
A fearless bandleader and mentor, her Quintessence ensemble, with 5 releases to date, brings together some of the most inventive voices in jazz including Steve Coleman, Greg Osby, Gary Thomas, David Sanchez, Steve Wilson, Miguel Zenon, Steve Lehman and Mark Shim; trombonists VIncent Gardner and Robin Eubanks, bassists Kenny Davis, Lonnie Plaxico and Brad Jones, drummers Terri Lyne Carrington, Gene Jackson and Tyshawn Sorey and guitarist Liberty Ellman, while New Yor-Uba, with its uncompromised synthesis of contemporary jazz and traditional Cuban folkloric music, unites master musicians from both musical worlds. Many have cited that working with Rosewoman made an indelible mark on their artistic development as musicians, composers and bandleaders.

 
Guitar legend Stanley Jordan returns to NYC Radio Live to share his ideas of finding one's voice and role as an artist and bringing his heartfelt new duet album with Kevin Eubanks.
“Genius is a word too often tossed around in musical circles, but it has been applied rightfully to Stanley Jordan, the guitar virtuoso.” -Leonard Feather
Stanley’s original style of two handed tapping, the touch technique, allows him to play the guitar with the freedom of a keyboardist.  The voices are so independent on his instrument that on record it is almost hard to believe that the music is coming from one person  (See the video below!).   A four time-Grammy nominee, Jordan’s album Magic Touch was #1 on Billboard’s jazz chart for 51 weeks, setting a new record.  He has toured in over 60 countries and now focuses much of his attention to the direct healing power of music: music therapy.
You can hear Stanley play live at WKCR on NYC Radio Live Podcast 80 

 
 
The OM Gam ensemble turned it out at Studio 487 last night!  Another packed house and inspiring music.
The was the third concert in out Africa/India series, co-presented by NYC Radio Live, Brooklyn Raga Massive and Afro-Roots Tuesdays.
Om Gam ensemble takes it’s name from the mantra for the Hindu deity Ganesh – “Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha.” Ganesh is often referred to as the “remover of obstacles” and in reference to this, Om Gam ensemble seeks to remove musical obstacles, specifically by bringing together musicians from Indian Classical and Traditional African musical backgrounds, while also drawing upon the more modern influence of Jazz music. This group features Kane Mathis (kora), Arun Ramamurthy (violin), Pawan Benjamin (saxophone), Shiva Goshal (tabla), and is led by Michael Gam (bass & composition).
 
 
 
Michael Gam is a sought after upright and electric bassist/composer living in New York. As a versatile musician skilled in many styles of music, Michael has performed with cutting edge jazz musicians like Ambrose Akinmusire and Tigran Hamasyan, top classical virtuoso Hillary Hahn, and Indian classical stalwarts Subash Chandran and Ganesh Kumar. Michael has also been studying Indian classical music since 2010, and is a budding sarod performer of the Maihar gharana.

Juan Ospina of M.A.KU. Soundsystem joined me on the radio last night.
M.A.K.U. is an exciting and eclectic band which hails mostly from Colombia. On stage MA.K.U juxtaposes traditional Colombian percussion, drum-set, synthesizers, electric base, guitar and sizzling horns, creating an explosive performance filled with unshakable grooves. Lyrically M.A.K.U talks about the realities of everyday people, encompassing love, hardships, culture, and the immigrant experience, but with a positive, spiritual and sometimes humorous spin.
Check out their new vinyl release M.N.D (Music Never Dies).

 
 
Robert Browning, New York City's most prolific producer of World Music events shares his personal recordings, highlights from his concerts from over the last 30 years.
We'll hear rare recordings from Abida Parveen of Pakistan, Dimi Mint Abba from Mauritania, Noura Mint Seymali of Mauritania, Said Shanbehzadeh-bagpipe from Bushear Iran a; Village group from Luristan (South West Iran), Hassan Hakmoun of Morocco, Farid Ayaz, Abu Muhammad & Brothers Qawwal  from Pakistan  and a rare recording from India's master of the Rudra Veena, Ustad Asad Ali Khan.
Robert Browning has produced over 1,500 concerts of World Music,  including the Musical World of Islam (1993-94, 1995-96) concert series that featured artists such as Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (Pakistan), Simon Shaheen (Palestine), Sabah Fakhri (Syria), Necdet Yasar (Turkey), Alim Qasimov (Azerbaijan), the Master Musicians of Jajouka (Morocco), Shahram Nazeri (Iran) and Dimi Mint Abba (Mauritania).  The Festival of Greek Music & Dance (2000-2005) which included rembetika music as well as regional styles from throughout mainland Greece and the islands; and the New York Flamenco Festival(2001 - 2011), which featured many of Spain's greatest musicians and dancers. Artists from Africa and the African diaspora played a major role in his concerts and included Kandia Kouyate, Oumou Sangare and Toumani Diabate (Mali). Ladysmith Black Mambaso (South Africa), Les Ballets Africains  (Guinea) and Los Munequitos de Matanzas (Cuba) and the Skatalites (Jamaica).
His Festival of India featured some of India’s must celebrated classical artists, including Lalgudi Jayraman, Maharajapuram Santhanam, Hariprasad Chaurasia, Shivkumar Sharma, and Zakir Hussain. The festival continued the following year with a concert at Carnegie Hall with some of the finest Rajasthani folk musicians opening for the celebrated sitarist Nikhil Banerjee.