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HarmoNYom’s First Anniversary Concert
by Ruchit Desai - Masala Junction on 2010-05-20May 18th, 2010
New York, NY – HarmoNYom, in association with the World Music Institute and WKCR 89.9 FM, celebrated its first anniversary with a concert showcasing the talent of two Indian classical music stars – Hindustani vocalist Debapriya Adhikary and sitarist Samanwaya Sarkar, disciples of the legendary Padmabhusan Girija Deviji of Benaras Gharana. The concert was held at the quaint St. John’s Lutheran Church, its candlelit stage and dim lighting giving an intimate touch to the evening.
The event marked the internationally renowned duo’s first ever performance in New York. The musicians were also accompanied on the tabla by the talented Nitin Mitta, whose extensive experience has allowed him to perform with just about every acclaimed musician in the field.
Veronique Lerebours, founder/project director of HarmoNYom, started the evening off expressing her gratitude, zeal, and own personal passion for Indian classical music. She excitedly explained the goal of the organization, which is to bring together people who share the same love and respect for this particular type of music. The mic was then passed to David Ellenbogen, a DJ from WKCR, who jokingly remarked, “I am so thankful I’m not playing an instrument right now” in reference to the multitude of acclaimed musicians seated in the audience.
Prestigious guests of the night included master vocalist Ustad Mashkoor Ali Khan, sitar maestro Krishna Bhatt, singer Smt. Purvi Pathik, and many other distinguished members of the classical music community. After their introduction, the featured artists moved humbly toward the dais and bowed with deference to each of their respective instruments, meticulously fine-tuning and tweaking them to prepare for their performance. “We are very scared actually today,” Adhikary admitted, “but it is also a fortunate moment that such masters are present.”
Perched right below the stained glass image of Jesus, the juxtaposition of classic Indian culture with Western Religious symbols created a harmonious display that served as a reminder of what the organization is all about – uniting people from all different backgrounds to enjoy world class music. As soon as they began to perform, the trance like visage on the artists’ faces depicted the intense passion and fervor they all shared for their music.
Adhikary started off with high, classical notes with heavy bass that he maintained for quite some time before changing it up and implementing different styles of vocals with words. That’s when one can see the versatility in his singing as he effortlessly changed the raga and just sort of dragged the words along. This performance stands out as it wasn’t in the monotonous manner of most vocalists, who usually stick with one technique, but rather a medley of many different styles as he blended different ragas and subtly changed his dulcet tones to keep up with the rhythm of the tabla and sitar.
The audience intently watched on in awe of the musicians’ dexterity with their instruments, which seemed more like extensions of their hands more than anything else. Enthused fans bobbed their heads to the rhythm of the music as if the very pluck of the string or tap on the tabla commanded it. “They’re fantastic, and they play together so well!” exclaimed Susanne Falko, long time fan of the music. A native from Germany, her penchant for Indian classical music reaffirms its global appeal, with fans of the genre coming from every corner of the world. As for her observation, its veracity became evident as the way they communicated through music said volumes about their synergy.
The evening came to a conclusion with a standing ovation for the skilled musicians and a reception celebrating both the accomplishments of the artists as well as HarmoNYom’s first anniversary. Please visit www.harmonyom.org for more information on upcoming events of Indian classical music and also www.devasaman.com for further information on the talented artists.
http://www.masalajunction.com/index.php?event=newsview&id=316
Debapriya Adhikary, Samanwaya Sarkar
& Nitin Mitta
HarmoNYom, which produces some first-rate Indian classical music concerts, celebrates its first birthday with three emerging dynamos. If you've never experienced a traditional jugalbandi, wherein two soloists duet together accompanied by tabla (here Nitin Mitta), you could do worse than getting your feet wet with Debapriya, a gifted singer, and his frequent musical mind-melding cohort, the sitarist Samanwaya.
Tue., May 18, 8 p.m., 2010Classical Indian Artists To Play Haiti Benefit
On Monday, March 8, a number of classical Indian musicians will join forces with African and Haitian artists in a benefit concert for Project Haiti and MADRE. The show will happen at Drom, in New York City, from 6 pm until midnight, with a $20 minimum donation.
Sponsored by HarmonyOM, a local marketing and production company that specializes in Indian classical music, the evening will feature Pandit Ramesh Misra on sarangi, Carnatic violinist Arun Ramamurthy, sitarist Ustad Ikhlaq Hussain, Nitin Mitta on tabla, and A.R. Balaskandan on mridangam, as well as singer James Ruff, percussionists Tiga Jean-Baptiste & Tchaka, African guitar player/vocalist Abdoulaye Diabate, Zing Experience and kora player Yacouba Sissoko.
br />The evening is also sponsored by WKCR 89.9, and features an after party with DJ Kamala. 100% of the proceeds will go to the two charity organizations.
http://www.shoutcastblog.com/2010/02/23/classical-indian-artists-to-play-haiti-benefit/?sms_ss=facebook
"An Indian Evening of Enchanting Music"
By Partha Banerjee(Author is a writer, teacher and media professional. His writing agency www.thescriptline.com works with for-profit and non-profit organizations.
Email: banerjee2000@hotmail.com.)
Congratulations to Veronique Lerebours for hosting a
wonderful recital! I felt privileged to experience an evening of Indian classical music, and that too, high quality Hindustani classical music – something that doesn’t happen very frequently even in a place like New York. Enchanting – yes, it was indeed like chanting and meditating, with melody.
Veronique floated her new organization HarmoNYom (www.HarmoNYom.org), and invited three younger-generation artistes to present their craft in front of a sold-out New York audience at Lower East Side’s Drom. Milind Tulankar on Jal Tarang, Sunil Avachat on Indian Flute and Ramdas Palsule on Tabla created melodious, harmonious music on a Sunday afternoon of May 17, doing great justice to Veronique’s efforts and her new organization.
A Jal Tarang recital is rare today, even in India, where classical music is dwindling with the rapid rise of “Americanized” music that’s more for the eyes and less for the ears. To see someone carrying the Jal Tarang tradition is thus even more reassuring, because honestly, you can close your eyes and be engrossed by its soothing tinkles. Combine that with the deeply meditative Indian bamboo flute and an able, rhythmic tabla accompaniment, and you’ve found a fantastic concoction that’s bound to make you high. That is Indian classical! If you don’t believe me, come to the next recital Veronique does.
For those who don’t know much about the instrument, I’m revising here after what Wikipedia describes. Literally the Sanskrit word means "waves in water" but indicates motion of sound created with the aid of water. Jal Tarang, that sounds somewhat like a xylophone, developed on the pattern of Gong and Gamelan played in Java, Bali, and Burma. Gong or Gamelan are made up of copper and other metal alloys and are molded in different shapes to create various musical notes. Holding bamboo sticks in both hands with cotton on the striking end of sticks, the gongs are gently struck to create the desired sound. Bowls of varying sizes were made of either bronze or porcelain. Today, artists prefer about sixteen china bowls. Bowls for Mandra Swar (notes of lower octave) are large while those for Taar Swar (notes of higher octaves) are smaller. Water is poured into the bowls, and the performer changes the pitch by adjusting the volume of water. The bowls are arranged in a half-circle in front of the player who can reach them easily. The player softly hits the bowls with a wooden stick on the border. Ancient Indian literature mentions that if the player can rotate the water through a quick lithe touch of the stick, nuances and finer variations of the note can be achieved.
Milind Tulankar took his Jal Tarang lessons from his grandfather the late Pandit Shankar Rao Kanhere. Among noted Indian exponents of the instrument, we can mention Ranjana Pradhan, Seetha Doraiswamy and Ragini Trivedi, notably many women. Visit this YouTube clip of the performance by Ranjan Pradhan. The link is at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDm2uhcgIPY.
Sunil Avachat trained under maestros like Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia. Seasoned admirers like myself would find easy resemblance between the disciple and his guru: the flute-holding style, the soft and gentle manners, their emphasis on certain softer notes as well as quick transition from Mand (very slow) to Drut (fast-paced) segments are all comparable.
The evening’s percussionist Palsule has strong palms that can produce storms on the skins of his tabla. The characteristic North Indian drums are now quite a household name with elite American music lovers, thanks to the relentless efforts and fascinating performances of Zakir Hussain or Swapan Chowdhury especially with legendary Ravi Shankar and Ali Akbar. Young Palsule is already well known for his accompaniments with celebrity musicians. He will go a long way, I’m sure.
Before the two-hour-long recital of the trio, young Max ZT displayed his virtuoso on the Hammered Dulcimer. It was rather incredible to see such a young man already so proficient with such a difficult instrument. His performance reminded me of a young Tarun Bhattacharya of Kolkata on the Indian variety of the instrument Santoor. I post a YouTube clip of Bhattacharya playing the Raaga Hansadhwani together with a young vocalist. The link is at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJoIVpaCD2U .
Milind and Avachat also played Hansadhwani as their third and final composition. But before, they started off with the Raaga Charukeshi followed by a short composition of Khamaj. Their exposition of Charukeshi was quite rich. Nachiketa Sharma write: “This morning melody is a relatively recent import from the Karnataka stream into the Hindustani system. Its notes obtain from the 26th Karnataka melakartA and are: shaDaj, shuddha rishab, shuddha gandhAr, shuddha madhyam, pancham, komal dhaivat and komal nishAd. No consensus exists on the precise canonical phraseology for this rAga but typically the madhyam, pancham and dhaivat are accorded dominant roles.”
The performers played a Bilambit (slow) introduction and a traditional Drut or Jhala segment, interspersed by a traditional Jod – a connecting piece with no use of tabla. Even though we must always leave it up to the exponents’ discretion to perform the way they like, especially when it’s Hindustani classical music that largely resides on improvisation and maximum flexibility, my own preference would be that a softer, morning raga not be played so fast with such a vivid use of tabla that sometimes drown the essence of the raga. I’ve seen maestros like Ali Akbar, Nikhil Banerjee and Bismillah Khan to refrain from Drut and Jhala – the very fast-paced beats – while performing sad or softer ragas such as Bhairavi, Kafi or Malkaus. But really, it’s the artists’ preference.
The second piece on Raga Khamaj was also well done, although, I thought from time to time, Avachat’s flute took the center stage and Tulankar’s Jal Tarang took a back seat, only to find company with the senior partner. It’s not easy to hold steady on a more difficult instrument like Jal Tarang where the arms and fingers are bound to get tired after an hour of playing.
But those are minor points one could simply overlook. The end-of-the-day experience was marvelous, and very fulfilling. The enchanting music and its meditative attributes made the evening a rewarding experience.
I wish the performers and event organizers all the success.
May 20, 2009
Brooklyn, New York
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Un site exceptionnel specialise dans la musique classique indienne. Une mine d'or d'information sur les futurs concerts a New-York. Merci a son createur. A recommander a tous les fans de l'Inde et de sa musique.