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.  

    Here's  the Coyote Anderson Quartet's  live set as broadcast on WKCR,:   Corina Hernandez on Voice & Vocal Harmonizer, Carl Limbacher on Electric Bass &Diego Maldonado on Drums. Coyote has quickly become regarded as one of the most promising up-and-coming artists in New York, both as a guitarist and a composer. As a member of the BMI Jazz Composer’s Workshop he has honed his compositional & arranging voice, which has culminated into a recording project and the formation of The Coyote Anderson Quartet. One thing that makes this ensemble unique is that vocalist Corina Hernandez is used to replace the traditional role of a horn. This allows the ensemble to not only do 'instrumental' tunes but also newer works of Coyote’s that set the poetry of others into a jazz context.  'Innervoices' is Coyote’s first official release as a leader and the debut of this fantastic band. Through the Quartet’s incorporation of vocals, poetry & electronics into arrangements, Coyote’s compositions have become fully-realized in a form that has been described as “...pure musical genius Thanks to Dan Crowley for editing and mastering this performance.

  Kiran Ahluwalia, a powerful and elegant singer/composer with roots in Hindustani Music and Ghazal, came by the radio station to share her new album:  Sanata : Stillness.  Her CD Release Concert is Febuary 21st at Roulette in Brooklyn.    

  NYC Radio Live is collaborating with Brooklyn Raga Massive and Afro Roots Tuesdays to present a new monthly live event: The Africa/India Series at Art Cafe. This is the  jam session that followed Africa Meets India in the last podcast Kensuke Shoji on violin, Michael Gam, bass and Shivalik Ghoshal, tabla.  This is 100% improv.  These guys had never played together before.  Later, Kevin Nathaniel, joins on Mbira and Kenya Kawaguchi(shakuchachi) and me (on guitar) play on the last song. The next live concert in the Africa/India series will be Feb 4 at Art Cafe.  Come join us! \ Brooklyn Raga Massive, an artist collective dedicated to the Indian Classical Musicians of Brooklyn, hosts weekly concerts followed by jam sessions every Wednesday at 8pm  at Art Cafe,  884 Pacific st at Underhill, Prospect Heights, Brooklyn Art Cafe is a bar and venue connected to The Village @ Gureje, an arts center and creative community that brings together artists, teachers and leaders from Brooklyn and beyond.

  NYC Radio Live is collaborating with Brooklyn Raga Massive and Afro Roots Tuesdays to present a new monthly live event: The Africa/India Series at Art Cafe. It couldn't have gone better. The premier concert was last night,  with Afrika Meets India.   The line-up of Eric Fraser, bansuri; Kevin Nathaniel, mbira; Salieu Suso, kora; Giancarlo Luiggi, Hosho: Neel Murgai, sitar and Sameer Gupta, tabla.  I joined the band on the last song.  Despite being 10 degrees out, Art Cafe was packed and the band rewarded the audience with this great performance. The jam session with Kensuke Shoji, Michael Gam and Shivalik Ghoshal, was also stunning...that will be the next podcast. \ Brooklyn Raga Massive, an artist collective dedicated to the Indian Classical Musicians of Brooklyn, hosts weekly concerts followed by jam sessions every Wednesday at 8pm  at Art Cafe,  884 Pacific st at Underhill, Prospect Heights, Brooklyn Art Cafe is a bar and venue connected to The Village @ Gureje, an arts center and creative community that brings together artists, teachers and leaders from Brooklyn and beyond.

These two performances from members of the Brooklyn Raga Massive All Star Party Band  started off the 6 hour Pan-Global Flute Solstice Celebration broadcast on the radio throughout New York City on 12/21/2014.  In this podcast not only was the bansuri featured, as  played by Eric Fraser, in the last set Kevin Nathaniel puts down the mbira and plays a Mbuti style African reed flute.   They were joined by Michael Gam on bass and Neel Murgai on Sitar and frame drums. The Brooklyn Raga Massive All Star Party Band will perform in its full line-up this New Year's Eve!  At the end of this program I play a recording of a song I wrote to play with the BRM All Stars on New Years.  It was recorded last weekend with Michael D'Agostino on drums and myself on kamale ngoni and guitars. The Pan Global Flute Solstice celebration featured players from Indigenous Colombia traditions, Turkish Ney, West African Fula, Indian Bansuri, Japanese Shakuhachi and more.  In Podcast 126 we heard Tom Chess performing on Ney and Oud  with Dan Kurfirst on percussion. In later episodes we'll hear from the other musicians who partipated KenYa Kawaguchi, Sylvain Leroux, Sebastián López, Laura María Calderón, Robert Puesaquiyo.

The oldest instrument ever discovered was a 35,000 year old flute. That was 25,000 years before agriculture, before cities, before the idea of nations,... Yesterday, to celebrate the Winter Solstice, I produced a pan global musical event live on New York City radio. We had players from Indigenous Colombia traditions, Turkish Ney, West African Fula, Indian Bansuri, Japanese Shakuhachi and more. In this podcast we'll hear the set from the great Tom Chess performing on Oud  and Ney.  Dan Kurfirst provides amazing accompaniment on frame drum, calabash and various percussion. In later episodes we'll hear from the other musicians who partipated  Eric Fraser, KenYa Kawaguchi, Michael Gam, Sylvain Leroux, Sebastián López Laura María Calderón, Robert Puesaquiyo , Kevin Nathaniel Hylton, Neel Murgai...    

Seven-time Grammy® winner Paul Winter has a body of work that chronicles his wide-ranging experiences in the musical traditions and natural environments of the Earth.  The saxophonist, composer and bandleader founded Living Music as the recording context for his ensemble, the Paul Winter Consort, and his community of colleagues, which includes some of the world’s finest jazz, world, and classical musicians, along with notable voices from the great symphony of wildlife. It was a blast when he came by my apartment,  played some instruments,  hung out and talked about the big event coming up:  His 35th Annual Winter Solstice Celebration.  

The Arun Ramurthy Trio  perform centuries old classic South Indian compositions with jazz instrumentation and improvisation.   This live performance, recorded this Wednesday at the Brooklyn Raga Massive Jam  was a a celebration of  the release of their new album Jazz Carnatica.The trio’s collaborative sound is driven by the propulsive rhythm section of drummer Sameer Gupta & and bassist Perry Wortman. The Carnatic canon is remixed in this seamless integration of styles as the group expands on the traditional compositions in explosive, improvisational flights of fancy. Arun’s original compositions pay homage to Carnatic rhythmic structures and rich tonalities while expanding the music with a modern jazz backbeat. This performance was recorded to a packed house this  Wednesday at the  Brooklyn Raga Massive Jam Session at the Art Cafe.   Max ZT sat in with the group on Hammered Dulcimer.       Brooklyn Raga Massive, an artist collective dedicated to the Indian Classical Musicians of Brooklyn hosts weekly concerts followed by jam sessions every Wednesday at 8pm  at Art Cafe,  884 Pacific st at Underhill, Prospect Heights, Brooklyn Art Cafe is a bar and venue connected to The Village @ Gureje, an arts center and creative community that brings together artists, teachers and leaders from Brooklyn and beyond.

    Trilok Gurtu is one of the most inventive percussionists of all time. I was thrilled to have a chance to sit down and talk with him and renaissance man Christopher Janney. A world class, virtuoso percussionist, now in his mid fifties, Trilok has attracted a world class set of collaborators over a long career; these started with John McLaughlin in whose trio, Trilok flourished as the featured soloist for 4 years, other jazz greats continued this path – Joe Zawinul, Jan Garbarek, Don Cherry, Bill Evans, Pharoah Sanders, Dave Holland were all attracted to Trilok’s burning sense of rhythm. Of course he is deeply rooted in the Indian tradition, so it is no surprise to see that collaborations also took place with the glitterati of Indian musical society – his mother, Shobha Gurtu, Zakir Hussain, L. Shankar, Shankar Mahadevan, Hariprasad Chaurasia, The Misra Brothers and Sultan Khan. World music has become an established genre in which Trilok has further “ploughed his own furrow” with his own group, to great effect, performing and recording with Salif Keita, Oumou Sangare, Angelique Kidjo, Neneh Cherry, Omara Portuondo, Tuvan throat singers, Huun Huur Tu, to such effect that . Rita Ray of BBC Radio described him as “a serial collaborator”.         Christopher Janney  is an American composer/artist/architect known for his work on the interrelation of architecture and music. Sometimes he attempts to make architecture more like music as in his sound sculptures titled "Urban Musical Instruments" of which "Soundstair" (musical stairs)and "Sonic Forest" are examples. Other times, he develops performance projects which make music more like architecture as in his "Physical Music" series which includes "HeartBeat," a piece danced by Mikhail Baryshnikov. Much of Janney's permanent work has sought to create "permanent participatory soundworks for public spaces," including installations for airports in Dallas, Boston, Miami and Sacramento, Atlanta and the New York City Subway. Janney has toured his "Sonic Forest" in both the US and Europe at major music festivals including Bonnaroo and Coachella as well as Glastonbury and Hyde Park Calling in the UK. A book on his work, titled Architecture of the Air was released in February, 2007.

    Radhika Joshi-Ray, Vocal;  Amod Dandawate, tabla; Achyut Joshi, harmonium Live at Brooklyn Raga  Massive 's Jam Session at Art Cafe Radhika Joshi-Ray is a Indian classical vocalist of the Jaipur Atrauli Gharana. She is a versatile singer and has a firm grounding in Hindustani classical music, as well as semi-classical forms of music such as Thumri, Dadra, Kajri, Hori and Chaiti. Over the years, Radhika has evolved into a fine musician with a characteristic style of her own. The alaaps she renders in each Raga are a reflection of her deep thought on the various emotions and moods portrayed by various notes in a Raga. As a result, her music is a fine blend of both emotion and intellect. Although classical music is Radhika’s forte, her Gurus have inspired her to respect and learn from all musical forms and traditions. Radhika has been eager to explore different styles of music and has sung in various Indian regional languages. In addition to her pursuits in music, Radhika has a masters in Economics from Tufts University, Boston and is presently pursuing a PhD in Economics at the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore. Brooklyn Raga Massive, an artist collective dedicated to the Indian Classical Musicians of Brooklyn hosts weekly concerts followed by jam sessions every Wednesday at 8pm  at Art Cafe,  884 Pacific st at Underhill, Prospect Heights, Brooklyn Art Cafe is a bar and venue connected to The Village @ Gureje, an arts center and creative community that brings together artists, teachers and leaders from Brooklyn and beyond.

      Back from his successful mission to start teaching music literacy in Guinea, Sylvain Leroux returns to NYC Radio Live to share the recordings he made with the children out there and tell us of his experience.  The episode starts with a a spontaneous live performance from Sylvain Leroux accompanied by our host. Sylvain will be producing an event this week in celebration of this effort. CD release / film premiere / performance / photo & flute exhibition Judson Memorial Church 7pm, Thursday, November 20, 2014 Manhattan at 55 Washington Square South & Thompson Street Admission is free.  

  This podcast we were joined by Hatim Belyamani, executive director of remix ←→ culture.  Hatim has been making incredible field recordings throughout Morocco in remote locations.  (Check out the picture below).  He will share these amazing recordings with the WKCR audience and conclude with a live remix of his own.  remix ←→ culture is a nonprofit artist collective committed to growing a conversation between traditional music(ians) and digital remix art(ists). They love folk music traditions that have been evolving for a long time, and so and go find them in remote corners of the world.  They make high quality audio and video recordings of their live performances, using several microphones and cameras, each on different instruments.  This allows them not only to make beautiful videos of the original performance, but also to then create vide o remixes of the separate instruments, and bring them to the public via participatory remix experiences.

  The Brooklyn Raga Massive All-Stars perform a live, in-studio performance of Terry Riley's masterpiece, "In C" live on the airwaves of WKCR-FM NY. Riley was deeply influenced by his studies of Hindustani vocal music but according to the composer himself, as far as he knows, the Massive is the only group that performs  “In C” with an ensemble of mostly Indian instruments. The group includes  sitars, tablas, sarods, bansuri, vocals, cello, guitars, vibes, dilruba, and more. Led by Neel Murgai, on sitar, the group's lineup for this broadcast is: Neel Murgai, sitar Camila Celin, sarod Eric Fraser, bansuri Sameer Gupta, tabla Ehren Hanson, tabla Andrew Shantz, harmonium, vocals Dawood Kringle, dilruba David Ellenbogen, guitar Michael Gam, bass Dana Leong, cello Christian VerHalen, guitar Vin Scialla, vibes Joel Harrison, guitar Timothy Hill, vocals Alan Rigoletto, guitar Timothy Hill, vocals Rima Fand, violin Brooklyn Raga Massive began in the Fall of 2011 as a cooperative alliance between several Indian Classical Musicians in the Brooklyn, NYC area. Brooklyn Raga Massive is not a band, and it is not an exclusive club with members. The Massive is a platform for all lovers of Raga music, listeners and practitioners, to get closer to the pulse of NYCs live Raga music scene. The Brooklyn Raga Massive is managed by artists, and is meant to help bring the community of Raga lovers together. The Massive’s collaborative approach towards unifying and building the scene of Raga music in NYC leads its members towards each other, as well as provides the spark for the Brooklyn Raga Massive events and gatherings. The Massive is dedicated to presenting and representing Indian Classical Music in all its diversity of today. The Brooklyn Raga Massive has a weekly residency at the “Art Cafe”- 884-886 Pacific St., Brooklyn, New York 11238.  Every Wednesday night from 8pm-11pm $5-10 admission

  Ba-Ere Yotere a master of the African Gyil performs live with great percussionists Valerie Naranjo  (also on Gyil)  and Barry Olsen.   We hung out at Valeries house and recorded a few songs as well as talking to Ba-Ere about his early days with a man I searched for but never found, the great Kakraba Lobi.  

  This was  pure joy: hanging out with the master jazz pianist, Jean-Michel Pilc, in his Brooklyn home.  Speaking about music,  he illustrated his ideas by playing compositions, improvisations and even a Chopin waltz. We recorded this session for WKCR's musician show to be broadcast in New York City, Wednesday Oct 22nd at 6pm on 89.9 FM-NY and stream at www.wkcr.org.   Later in that broadcast, guitarist Coyote Anderson will perform live with his quartet. Jean Michel Pilc has been described as a "musical genius" by the Washington Post and "dazzlingly inventive" by the New York Times, he's worked with the greatest musicians in the world from Roy Haynes to Harry Belafonte with whom he served as musical director. "Coyote Anderson has quickly become regarded as one of the most promising up-and-coming artists in New York, both as a guitarist and a composer. As a member of the BMI Jazz Composer’s Workshop he has honed his compositional & arranging voice, which has culminated into a recording project and the formation of The Coyote Anderson Quartet. Coyote Anderson: Guitar & Compositions Corina Hernandez: Vocals & Harmonizer Carl Limbacher: Bass Diego Maldonado: Drum

  Shubhangi Sakhalkar-Vocal Samit Banik - Tabla Rohan Prabhudesai - Harmonium Samita Sinha - Tanpura and Vocal Support August 27th 2014. Another amazing night at the Art Cafe.  Shunbhangi Sakhalkar began the evening with this ethereal performance of Rag Bihag Shubhangi Sakhalkar brings a brilliant pedigree to her music. After her early tutelage with Smt. Kunda Vaishampayan, she spent several years learning from the renowned artistes Dr. Prabha Atre and Smt. Padma Talwalkar. In addition, Shubhangi has brought her own ardent riyaaz, creative imagination, and keen intellect to bear upon her art. She has developed a dynamic yet thoughtful vocal style that remains rooted in tradition while being uniquely her own. Besides accompanying her guru in concerts all over the country, she has performed in several musical circles in cities in India including Mumbai and Pune. After moving to the United States in 1992, Shubhangi has captivated music aficionados with numerous charismatic concerts from coast to coast. Some of the cities where she has performed are Atlanta, St. Louis, Minneapolis, Phoenix, San Jose, and Los Angeles. Some of her more prestigious concerts include a SPICMACAY concert at U.C. Davis, a concert hosted by Lata Mangeshkar Foundation U.S.A. where she was accompanied by Ustad Tari Khan, and Basant Bahar's first annual music festival where she was accompanied by Pt. Swapan Chowdhari and Pt. Ramesh Mishra. Her energetic yet melodious singing has met with enthusiastic appreciation and has created many fans in several U.S. cities. A gold medallist with an M.A. degree in Hindustani classical music, Shubhangi believes in sharing her knowledge and raising awareness about Indian Classical music. She is recognized as one of the finest artistes and teachers in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is an inspiring mentor to many students, some of who have begun to give performances of their own.   Brooklyn Raga Massive, an artist collective dedicated to the Indian Classical Musicians of Brooklyn hosts weekly concerts followed by jam sessions every Wednesday at 8pm  at Art Cafe,  884 Pacific st at Underhill, Prospect Heights, Brooklyn Art Cafe is a bar and venue connected to The Village @ Gureje, an arts center and creative community that brings together artists, teachers and leaders from Brooklyn and beyond.            

After a smoking live set last night from Foday Musa Suso, the great guitarist Raja Kassis came into WKCR with his smokin' new album Human Being.  Raja is known for his work with Blitz the Ambassador, Damian Marley, Angelique Kidjo, Seun Kuti, Antibalas and many others. We conclude the broadcast with  a track from Edwin Quirk's new  Fractal Caravan album.  

   Samarth Nagarkar, Arun Ramamurthy and Sameer Gupta - Live! Brooklyn Raga Massive at Art Cafe 9/2014 Last Wednesday was another legendary evening at Art Cafe.  First,  virtuosos Andrew Mendelson and Ehren Hanson on sitar and tabla tore it up.  Then sitar maestro Pt. Krishna Bhatt  and San Francisco based saxophonist George Brooks wowed the crowd with Michael Gam on bass, Sameer Gupta on drums and Jay Gandhi on bansuri.  Jaws were dropping at the level of musical conversation these great players were exchanging, a vocabularly from raga to Coltrane.   I hope to share this if I can get the recording close enough to honor the music.  Finally the evening was capped off with this performance from the Godfather of the Brooklyn Raga music scene, Samarth Nagarkar who was joined by Arun Ramamurthy on violin and Sameer Gupta on tabla.   It was an electrifying evening. Brooklyn Raga Massive, an artist collective dedicated to the Indian Classical Musicians of Brooklyn hosts weekly concerts followed by jam sessions every Wednesday at 8pm  at Art Cafe,  884 Pacific st at Underhill, Prospect Heights, Brooklyn Art Cafe is a bar and venue connected to The Village @ Gureje, an arts center and creative community that brings together artists, teachers and leaders from Brooklyn and beyond.    

  Live! Brooklyn Raga Massive Presents:  T.H. Subash Chandran’s Rhythms of India, at Art Cafe Rhythms of India – led by T.H. Subash Chandran T.H. Subash Chandran – ghatam/konnakkol Akshay Anantapadmanbhan – mridangam Arun Ramamurthy – violin Abhik Mukherjee – sitar Max ZT – hammered dulcimer Sri T H Subash Chandran is legendary figure in the world of percussion. He is a master of multiple Carnatic percussion instruments including Mridangam (Barrel Shaped Drum), Ghatam (Claypot), Kanjira (South Indian Frame Drum), Morsing (Jaws Harp) and Konnakkol (Vocal Percussion).  His compositions were performed by an ensemble of some of Brooklyn Raga Massive’s finest musicians. Sri T H Subash Chandran has developed international repute through his spellbinding performances at the United Nations, the Festivals of India in USA, Russia, Switzerland, Japan and with the various philharmonics such as, NY Philharmonic with conductor Mr Zubin Mehta, Norwegian Philharmonic, Oslo Philharmonic with renowned violinist Dr L Subramaniam.   Subash Chandran has shared stages with all time greats Yehudhi Menuhin, Stephen Grapheli, renowned drummers Tony Williams, Max Roach and Indian great artists Smt M S Subbulakshmi, Dr Bala Murali Krishna, Dr L Subramaniam, U Srinivas and others. Brooklyn Raga Massive, an artist collective dedicated to the Indian Classical Musicians of Brooklyn hosts weekly concerts followed by jam sessions every Wednesday at 8pm  at Art Cafe,  884 Pacific st at Underhill, Prospect Heights, Brooklyn Art Cafe is a bar and venue connected to The Village @ Gureje, an arts center and creative community that brings together artists, teachers and leaders from Brooklyn and beyond.    

Kane Mathis and Brandon Terzic performed live sets of incredible beauty of the NYC radio airwaves.  First Kane Mathis played solo  (on the 21-string Mandinka Harp) and then he was joined by Brandon on the Oud and later the Ngoni. Kane began taking trips to The Gambia, West Africa in 1997 and has continued rigorous study of the Mandinka Kora. Over the past ten years his performances have earned him recognition by the Gambian president, The Gambian minister of culture, and both national television and radio of The Gambia. Kane’s primary kora teachers are Malamini Jobarteh of Brikama, The Gambia and Moriba Kouyate of The Gambia. The Jobarteh family remain one of The Gambia’s most important musical legacies. Tata Din din Jobarteh, Pa Bobo Jobarteh, and Siffai Jobarteh are the families current most visible exponents touring the world. Brandon Terzic has performed in the states and Internationally, traveled to Morocco, Senegal and Egypt studying music, and playing with many incredible Musicians, amongst them Tomchess, Matt Kilmer, Matt Darriau, Rufus Cappodocia, Shane Shanahan, Luke Notary, Hassan Houkmoun, Peter Slavov, John Shannon, Gilad Dobrecky, Mal Stein, George Stathos, Sylvain Leroix, Tom Rossi, Max ZT and many many more. He currently teaches and performs in his band Xalam Project amongst other projects. Both Kane and Brandon also perform on the Oud.         

Fela used music as a weapon against injustice. He was beaten, arrested over 200 times, married 27 women and was buried in a glass coffin with a spliff in his hand. We're still trying to get a handle on who he was and what he means. In this podcast we'll be talking with his son Femi Kuti, Alex Gibney, Academy Award winning director of the new documentary "Finding Fela," his friend and manager Rikki Stein and producer Stephen Handel. 

The Hills and The Rivers and  Cousin Boneless bands perform Street Folk Music. The Hills and The Rivers This band formed when Isaac Hill and his sister Heidi began recording an album of Isaac's new songs. Gathering their street musician friends together they formed a band that became bigger than the initial project. Cousin Boneless Solo acoustic acts Average Joey and Crisp Lake went on tour together, and eventually joined forces. Cousin Boneless plays Spooky Folk Punk with a revolving door of other members. They're trying to raise funds in the next week or so to buy a van to more efficiently tour.  If you'd like to support them, check out their indiegogo campaign.  

Fresh from the inspiration of Ragas Live Festival, we tried our hand at a novel combination of styles an instruments.  Mauritania's greatest singer, Noura Mint Seymali and her husband/guitarist, Jeiche Ould Chighaly performed live in studio with two Brooklyn-based Hindustani musicians Jay Gandhi (bansuri flute) and Ehren Hanson (Tabla).  They met at the ASAMAAN Festival of Music & Astronomy in the Gorée Island – Dakar, Sénégal on April 2013 but had never performed together until this day. We also got a chance to share a track from Noura's burning new album Tzenni. Noura Mint Seymali is a nationally beloved star and one of Mauritania’s foremost musical emissaries.  Born into a prominent line of Moorish griot, Noura began her career at age 13 as a supporting vocalist with her step-mother, the legendary Dimi Mint Abba.  Trained in instrumental technique by her grandmother, Mounina, Noura mastered the ardine, a 9-string harp reserved only for women.  Seymali Ould Ahmed Vall, Noura's father and namesake, sparked her compositional instincts, himself a seminal scholar figure in Mauritanian music; studying Arab classical music in Iraq, devising the first system for Moorish melodic notation, adapting the national anthem, and composing many works popularized by his wife, Dimi.  Reared in this transitive culture where sounds from across the Sahara, the Magreb, and West Africa coalesce, Noura Mint Seymali currently drives the legacy forward as one of Mauritania's most adventurous young artists. Fueled by the exploratory sound of her husband Jeiche Ould Chighaly’s emotive psych guitar lines, Noura and Jeiche formed their first "fusion" band in 2004.  Jeiche, a master of the tidinit (aka. ngoni, xalam), brings the force of yet another important line of Moorish griot to bear, translating the tidinit's intricate phrasing to a modified electric guitar with heroic effect.  His unique sound, mirroring vocal lines and then refracting their melodies into the either, was born out of years presiding over wedding ceremonies, directing the dance often as the sole melodic instrument.  In addition to his work with Noura, Jeiche remains one of Nouakchott's most sought after guitarists for traditional ceremonies. After two albums - Tarabe (2006) & El Howl (2010) - released locally in Mauritania and years of experimentation adapting Moorish music to various pop formations, Noura Mint Seymali's current band is a concise return to the roots, a light formation led by the "azawan," a word in Hassaniya that refers to the collective ensemble of traditional instruments; the ardine, tidinit, guitar.  Backed by a declarative, funk-speaking rhythm section, composed of Ousmane Touré (bass) and Matthew Tinari (drums), the band has made a formidable debut on the international stage, releasing two EPs - Azawan (2012) & Azawan II (2013) - and touring widely.  The band's first full-length album for the international market - TZENNI -  is set for release via Gliiterbeat Records on June 20, 2014 and to be followed by an extensive North American tour. Though performances at events like globalFEST (USA), Festival-au-Desert (Mali), Hayy Festival (Egypt), Jeux de Francophonie (France) and Festival Timitar (Morocco) and collaborations with artists like Tinariwen, Bassekou Kouyaté, and Baaba Maal, the band is actively exposing Mauritanian roots music to the world.  In a rare merger of cultural authority and experimental prowess, Noura Mint Seymali applies the ancient musical traditions of the griot with a savvy aesthetic engagement in our contemporary moment, emerging as a powerful voice at nexus of a changing Africa.    

Samarth Nagarkar (vocal) Amod Dandawate (tabla)  and Arun Ramamurthy (violin) performed raga Kausi Kanada (Nayaki ang) from 11pm-midnight to conclude the 24 hour, Ragas Live Festival 2014. Samarth Nagarkar is acknowledged to be one of today’s foremost and prolific artists representing Hindustani classical music traditions. He is known for his eclectic, captivating performances reflecting extensive training and an artistic vision encompassing tradition and modernity in a rare balance.   After years of rigorous training under the celebrated performer and guru, Pt. Ulhas Kashalkar, he graduated as a Grade-A scholar of the ITC Sangeet Research Academy, Kolkata in 2009. Prior to this, he trained under the eminent late Pt. Dinkar Kaikini in Mumbai, following an inspired early initiation into music by Smt. Aditi Kaikini Upadhya in his hometown Bangalore. By virtue of intense and extensive guru-shishya parampara training Samarth’s performance repertoire encompasses styles, ragas and compositions of three prominent gharanas – Gwalior, Agra and Jaipur.   Samarth performs regularly in most reputed concert platforms and venues in India and the USA, as well as frequently features in television and radio programs across the world. Some of his recent concerts in the US include the Ali Akbar College of Music and Basant Bahar, CA, Chhandayan All Night Concert, New York, Woodstock 2012, and Universities of Stanford, Indiana, Penn State and UPenn, to name only a few. In India he recently performed at several top ranking music festivals and venues including the ITC Sangeet Sammelan, Kolkata, Saptak and D. U. Yuva Sangeetotsav, Bangalore, The National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA), Mumbai and India Habitat Center, New Delhi, among others.   He is a recipient of prestigious national awards including the President’s award for the AIR competition in 2000, which also made him a graded artiste of the AIR. The Government of India awarded him a fellowship in 2009 for his research and documentation of the music of Gwalior gharana through the past century.   He has composed and continues to record music and soundtracks for international and cultural conventions and films. Samarth also authored his first book ‘Raag-Sageet’ published in 2013. He has two CDs/Albums titled ‘Pravah’ and ‘Pranali’ to his credit.   Former head of the K. K. Kapoor Sangeet Research Academy, Lucknow, Samarth has been conducting very successful and popular lecture demonstrations and music workshops across India and the USA. Samarth also spearheaded an Indian Music Choir.   Samarth currently divides him time between the US and India pursuing an active career as a leading performer, composer, teacher and author.  

Rajas : Rajna Swaminathan (mridangam), Amir ElSaffar (trumpet), Miles Okazaki (guitar) and Arun Ramamurthy (violin) performed from 10-11 pm for the 24 hour, Ragas Live Festival 2014.

Aashish Khan (sarod) Dan Weiss (tabla) and Anupam Shobhakar (Sarod) performed from 9-10 pm for the 24 hour, Ragas Live Festival 2014. Aashish Khan is considered among the top handful of India’s greatest living Sarod players. His pedigree of training and lineage is unquestionable, having descended from the illustrious family of great musicians.   Aashish Khan was initiated into North Indian classical music at the age of 5 by his grandfather, the legendary Acharya Baba Allauddin Khan, exponent of the “Senia Beenkar” and “Senia Rababiya” Gharana. His talim (training) continues under the guidance of his father Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, and his aunt, Smt. Annapurna Devi, presently the leading exponents of the “Senia Gharana”, in the Beenkar and Rababiya anga of the Druvapada style. Aashish has collaborated with such diverse western musicians as John Barham, George Harrison, Ringo Star, Eric Clapton, Charles Lloyd, John Handy, Alice Coltrane, Emil Richards, Dallas Smith, Don Pope, Jorge Strunz, Ardeshir Farah, and the Philadelphia String Quartet. His recordings include: The Wonder Wall, Young Master of the Sarod, California Concert, Sarod and Piano Jugalbandi, Shanti, Live at the Royal Festival Hall London, Homage, Inner Voyage, Monsoon Ragas, The Sound of Mughal Court, and the latest, Jugalbandi Sarod & Sarangi Duet, with Ustad Sultan Khan. Aashish Khan is a respected guru and teacher, formerly on the faculties of the Ali Akbar College of Music in San Rafael, California, and the University of Washington, Seattle. While pursuing a busy career as a concert artist and composer, he teaches students throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Africa, as well as India.  

Krishna Bhatt (Sitar) and Nitin Mitta (tabla) performed from 8-9 pm for the 24 hour, Ragas Live Festival 2014.   Krishna Bhatt’s performances of Hindustani ragas have won the admiration of audiences in India, Asia, Europe and North America. His innovative style of music combines a rich blend of Gayaki (vocal) and Tantrakari (instrumental) techniques and musical compositions. His music is noted for its virtuosity, originality and depth of feeling that is conveyed to the listeners. Krishna Bhatt was born into a family of musicians, poets and Sanskrit scholars who for five generations upheld their tradition in Rajasthan. His forefathers migrated from the south of India to Rajasthan (northwest), a princely state then, to seek employments in the "Gunijankhana" (department of learned scholars) of the Maharaja of Jaipur. Krishna was introduced to the musical traditions of Senia school by his father, who was a distinguished sitarist of his time, the late Pt. Shashi Mohan Bhatt. In recognition of his pioneering research into the folk origins of North Indian classical music, the Rajasthan Tourism Ministry sponsored several gala concerts featuring Krishna Bhatt with Manganiyar folk musicians in Rajasthan and Gujarat. In addition, Krishna has discovered previously unrecognized Rajasthani ragas and established their structures. He is now in the process of recording these ragas, and is also preparing an ethnomusicological study of the regional singing style called Maand.  

Africa Meets India: Kevin Nathaniel (Mbira) Eric Fraser (Bansuri) Naren Budhkar (tabla)  Salieu Suso (kora) Giancarlo Luiggi (Hosho) and Indrajit Roy-Chowdhury (Sitar) performed from 7-8 pm for the 24 hour, Ragas Live Festival 2014.  

Roopa Mahadevan (vocal) Arun Ramamurthy (violin) Rajna Swaminathan (mridangam) perform from 6-7 pm for the 24 hour, Ragas Live Festival 2014.  

Anirban Dasgupta (Sarod) Nitin Mitta (Tabla) perform from 4-5 pm for the 24 hour, Ragas Live Festival 2014.  

Daisy Paradis (sitar) and Samit Banik (tabla) perform from 4-5 pm for the 24 hour, Ragas Live Festival 2014.  

Shobana Raghavan (vocal) Rangashree Varadarajan (violin) Aparaajit Sriram (mridangam) perform from 3-4pm for the 24 hour Ragas Live Festival 2014.

Sanjoy Banerjee (vocal), Dibyarka Chatterjee (tabla) Andrew Shantz (harmonium) and Harry Einhorn (vocal accompaniment) perform  ragas  Bhimplasi and Patdeep from 2-3pm for the 24 Hour Ragas Live Festival 2014.

Swagata Chakraborty Vocal; Shivalik Ghoshal, Tabla; and Andrew Shantz, harmonium perform from 1-2pm  for the Ragas Live Festival 2014.

Navatman Music Collective with  Roopa Mahadevan: Janani Kannan, Preetha Raghu, Divya Jayashankar, Kalpana Gopalakrishnan, and Kamini Dandapani (all vocals) Aparajit Sriram (mridangam) and Rangashree Varadarajan (violin) perform from 12-1pm for the Ragas Live Festival 2014.

Jay Gandhi on Bansuri flute and Suryaksha Deshpande on Tabla perform from 11am-12pm for the Ragas Live Festival 2014.  

Camila Celin on Sarod and Ehren Hanson on Tabla perform from 10-11 am  for the Ragas Live Festival 2014.  

Alif Laila (sitar) and Ehren Hanson (tabla) pefrom from 9-10 am for the Ragas Live Festival 2014.