In September we present two special concerts with Anupama Bhagwat and Gurdain Rayatt. Ahead of the concerts we have collated some interesting musical facts about the artists for you to get to know them a little better.

See Anupama and Gurdain perform together in concert at St George’s Bristol (8 Sep) and Glastonbury Town Hall (9 Sep). 

Anupama Bhagwat – Musical Facts

Anupama was given a violin to learn when she was five. However, Anupama’s uncle  gave her his old sitar when she was nine.

Anupama Bhagwat met her teacher and Guru, the acclaimed sitar player Acharya Bimalendu Mukherjee, in her hometown Bhilai, India.

Acharya Bimalendu Mukherjee is doyen of the Imdadkhani Gharana (the North Indian school of sitar and surbahar music).

Anupama was advised to meet the Acharya when she was thirteen. And the rest was history!

As a young sitarist, when Anupama revealed her unsureness of succeeding to her teacher, the Acharya replied: “If nothing, you will at least know your self.” 

An Italian astronomer named an asteroid after Anupama in 2006.

Anupama gave inspirational advice during a TEDx talk:

“If you just keep on focusing on what you really love to do; and if you just work on it to get better and better, some day the rewards will start pouring in. And even if they don’t , the efforts will make you strong; will make you a better person.” 

She added:

“If I was not playing sitar, if I was not doing what I am doing now then I don’t think I would have evolved as the personality that I am today.”

Gurdain Rayatt – Musical Facts

Gurdain Rayatt was born in the UK and is one of the most exciting tabla players in the country.

His audience has included HRH The Prince of Wales at the Royal Albert Hall and the V&A Museum.

Gurdain hails from three major tabla gharanas (lineages) – Benares, Punjab and Farukhabad.

His teachers include the icons Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri, Ustad Zakir Hussain, Pandit Kumar Bose and Pandit Anindo Chatterjee.

Gurdain has recorded at the famous Abbey Road Studios in London!

Artists he has collaborated with include prolific Anoushka Shankar, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and Kala Ramnath.

He is the lead tabla player of three bands: Kefaya; Michael Messer’s Mitra; and Attuned.  The bands regularly tour UK and Europe.

We hope you enjoyed finding out more about these excellent musicians.

Experience Anupama and Gurdain perform at St George’s Bristol on Sunday 8th September and Glastonbury Town Hall on Monday 9th September.

BOOK TICKETS!

Indian classical raag is at the heart of Indian classical music. The Indian classical raag can portray a mood, a season or time of day. Traditionally it was believed that an Indian classical raag could invite the rain… or even fire!

Clearly, the Indian classical raag exudes much power.

We have selected a few Indian Classical Raag performances by our upcoming artists, Anupama Bhagwat and Gurdain Rayatt.

We are delighted to be presenting Anupama and Gurdain together in concert at St George’s Bristol (8 Sep) and Glastonbury Town Hall (9 Sep). 

Known as Surmani, ANUPAMA BHAGWAT is a musical jewel in the world of Indian Classical music. One of the leading female sitar players from India, Anupama hails from the Imdadkhani Gharana lineage (the North Indian school of sitar and surbahar music). The sitarist received her tutelage from the Doyen of the lineage itself, Acharya Bimalendu Mukherjee.

GURDAIN RAYATT is a tremendously gifted tabla player hailing from three different major tabla lineages. Trained both in India and the UK his teachers include iconic Ustad Zakir Hussain.

Anupama Bhagwat – Indian Classical Raag Selection

Morning Raag: Raag Bhairav

A poignant and picturesque performance! Filmed at 7am, watch Anupama’s performance of Raag Bhairav, the morning raag. This Indian classical raag is one of the few that can be played during any season. The mood of this raag encompasses meditation, devotion and emotional depth.

A Dedication: Raag Latangi

Anupama plays Raag Latangi, a Carnatic raag brimming with beautiful intensity. On Guru Purnima, Anupama performed this raag  in dedication to her guru, Acharya Bimalendu Mukherjee. Guru Purnima is the annual sacred day dedicated to a persons guru.  Anupama states at the beginning of the video that she chose this raag as it carries fond memories of her guru.

Gurdain Rayatt – Indian Classical Raag Selection

Raag Rageshree with Debasmita Bhattacharya

Raag Rageshree is a night time raag and performed between 9pm and midnight. Also known as the Queen of Raags, the mood of this raag is romantic. In this performance, Gurdain accompanies Debasmita Bhattacharya, the rising star of sarod.

Manj Khamaj with Anoushka Shankar

https://youtu.be/DZVDp2xyrno

Filmed at the home of Anoushka Shankar, Gurdain Rayatt provides tabla accompaniment whilst Anoushka Shankar performs on sitar.  The appropriate time to perform raag Manj Khamaj is late evening. The legendary sarod maestro Baba Allaudin Khan who was a teacher of Ravi Shankar is the composer of Raag Manj Khamaj.

Anupama and Gurdain Duo – Indian Classical Raag Selection

Part 1: Fabulous Raag Jhinjhoti  

Traditionally played at night, 9pm until midnight, Raag Jhinjhoti is light and playful. This raag is popular during wedding rituals and classical instrumentalist music.

Part 2: Fabulous Raag Jhinjhoti  

Raag Jhinjhoti sparked inspiration in the heart of Indian vocalist Bhimsen Joshi. It was after hearing this raag that Bhimsen Joshi felt inspired to become a musician. An icon known for singing in the style of Khayal Gayaki, and also for his popular renditions of devotional songs, he received the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour, in 2009.

Sangeet Piyasi Performance, Kolkata

A short clip, yet the beauty of the Sitar and Tabla clearly shines. This event was India’s Sangeet Piyasi that took place in Kolkata, 2014. Sangeet Piyasi was formed in 1992 and is dedicated to the cause of Hindustani Classical music. This organisation arranges musical concerts, seminars, workshops and regular training programmes to promote and propagate the rich cultural heritage of Indian classical music.

Listen live in concert!

See Anupama and Gurdain perform at St George’s Bristol on Sunday 8th September and Glastonbury Town Hall on Monday 9th September.

BOOK TICKETS!

Our artiste introduction presents Anupama Bhagwat, one of the finest sitar players from India, and the excellent UK-based tabla player Gurdain Rayatt who will provide accompaniment during our two upcoming concerts in Bristol and Glastonbury.

Anupama Bhagwat

Born in Bhilai city in India, Anupama was five years old when she first began her musical exploration.  Her instrument initially was the violin coupled with Hindustani vocal training. However, at the age of nine Anupama was gifted her uncle’s sitar and she began to learn under Shri R. N. Verma.

Aged thirteen, Anupama and her father approached the  iconic sitar player and music teacher Acharya Bimalendu Mukherjee, Doyen of the Imdadkhani Gharana (the North Indian school of sitar and surbahar music).

Acharya is an honorific title meaning the enlightened teacher.

Anupama was asked by the Acharya –“Life will happen to you… but this is your commitment for life, until your last breath. Are you prepared for it?”

Anupama began her tutelage with Bimalendu Mukherjee.  

The 1994 All India Radio Music Competition saw her win first place, as well as a HRD Scholarship from the Government of India (1993-1996).  The prestigious title of Surmani (a musical jewel/sitar maestro) was bestowed upon her in 1995 by Sur Sringar Samsad, Mumbai’s leading cultural organisation.

And an asteroid discovered in 2006 was named in her honour! Anupama humbly shared in her TEDx Talk that she hadn’t been aware of this until a student had let her know. She expressed her gratitude to the Italian astronomer who felt inspired to name his asteroid discovery after her.

Watch Anupama’s TEDx Talk:

Anupama’s style of playing imbibes the essence of the Imdadkhani Gharana – the fast taans, the meditative alap and the brilliant fluency of melody (Raag Bhava). Her style of playing is in Gayaki style, a lyrical and subtly nuanced style modelled upon the human voice. 

Anupama also reflects the importance of developing individuality in playing and her varied approach is a reflection of her eclectic guru. She had stated in an interview to The Tribune, Chandigarh:

“Gayaki ang is quintessential to Imdadkhani Gharana, so, it is naturally secured in our presentations. All ‘gharanas’ have their nuances that enrich the repertory of Indian classical music. I have been taught not to be rigid when it comes to music. The discipline of any gharana only shows the way and does not prevent the artiste from adopting an individual style.”

Anupama has performed at prestigious venues all over the world, including London’s Southbank Centre, Ali Akbar Khan School of Music (Basel, Switzerland), Musée Guimet (Paris), and Musée Des Beaux Arts (Angers, France).

Gurdain Rayatt

Gurdain Rayatt is one of the UK’s most exciting tabla players. Hailing from three different major tabla lineages including Benares, Punjab and Farukhabad, Gurdain has been trained both in the UK and India, and has been taught by iconic teachers including Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri, Ustad Zakir Hussain, Pandit Kumar Bose and Pandit Anindo Chatterjee.

Gurdain has collaborated with top calibre artistes including  Anoushka Shankar, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and Niladri Kumar.

The leading tabla player has frequently performed on BBC Radio, Sky Arts and at venues including London’s Southbank Centre, Leeds International Music Festival, Songlines Encounters Festival, Latitude Festival, WOMAD Festival and Westminster Abbey. Gurdain has also had the honour to perform for HRH Prince of Wales at the Royal Albert Hall and the V&A Museum.

Experience Anupama and Gurdain perform at St George’s Bristol on Sunday 8th September and Glastonbury Town Hall on Monday 9th September.

Book tickets!

Debashish Bhattacharya, slide guitar maestro of India, performed at Glastonbury Town Hall as part of our recent UK & European Tour. The maestro was accompanied by Anandi Bhattacharya who is a Songlines 2019 nominee and Tanmoy Bose, the iconic tabla master who often toured with the great Ravi Shankar.

Debashish Bhattacharya played mesmerisingly on his slide guitar inventions including the Chaturangi and Anandi. Anandi Bhattacharya held her audience spell bound as she sang beautiful raagas. The hotly tipped upcoming artist also performed a song from her debut album, Joys Abound. Tanmoy Bose was the perfect companion to the father-daughter duo with his passionate yet sensitive tabla playing.

Watch a snippet of Anandi Bhattacharya performing a raaga –

https://www.instagram.com/p/ByDrlbXBCQ5/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

An audience member commented – 

"I have been to a wonderful concert tonight - Anandi had the most beautiful voice and the interaction between different instruments and her singing was beautiful."

The concert was a sold out success. Sadly, we had to turn people away due to lack of seats. We received  notes of appreciation from audience members. Here are a few –

"so enjoyed the concert in Glastonbury last night - having been deprived of Indian culture for a long time so glad to hear of your agency and the work it is doing - please keep 'stuff' coming to the SW corner of England ... what a phenomenal voice Anandi has - and combined with Debashish on slide guitar, and Tanmoy on tabla - a fantastic evening = thank you LOVED IT!" 

"I thought it was superb and so did my friends! Please bring them back to Glastonbury again, and other musicians. It was one of the most inspiring occasions I have been to for years. The smaller type of venue meant a greater sense of intimacy  with the music and the performers and it was marvellous to participate in the presence of their true genius."

"Come back to Glastonbury soon!"

Usually when Glastonbury is mentioned, one immediately thinks of the iconic music festival,  Glastonbury Festival. However, the summer festival takes place 4 miles away in Pilton, Worthy Farm.

It was a delight to present a concert in Glastonbury itself and to receive such warm audience appreciation.

Watch the Glastonbury audience reaction here –

https://www.instagram.com/p/ByVJM6eBBEI/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Find more dates and venues for Debashish Bhattacharya’s UK/Europe Tour

We present the pioneer of Hindustani slide guitar Debashish Bhattacharya and Songlines Award nominee Anandi Bhattacharya on a major UK and European tour this summer (2019).

Debashish and Anandi Bhattacharya are to perform at major festivals and venues, including Songlines Encounters Festival (Kings Place London), Lakeside Arts (Nottingham), York Festival, Norfolk & Norwich Festival, WOMAD and Shambala Festival.

Jaswinder Singh, Director of Asian Arts Agency, said of the tour:

“It is a real honour to be presenting Pandit Debashish Bhattacharya, a true talent. The artist who invented the Trinity of Guitars and created the genre of Hindustani Slide Guitar will be performing his authentic musical style live at venues around the country, accompanied by two very exciting artists, Tanmoy Bose and Anandi Bhattacharya.”

PIONEER OF HINDUSTANI SLIDE GUITAR

Hailed as “one of the greatest guitarists walking the earth” (NYC Radio Live), Debashish Bhattacharya is a unique talent and a pioneer of Hindustani slide guitar. His inventive fusion of classical Indian ragas and bluesy western music has captivated the world over the past four decades.

Combining extreme virtuosity with graceful artistry, Debashish has received two Grammy nominations (2002, 2009), a BBC Award (2007) and Songlines Album of the Year 2016 for Slide Guitar Ragas from Dusk Till Dawn.

Watch Debashish & Anandi performing at NPR Music’s Tiny Desk concert:

SONGLINES AWARD NOMINEE ANANDI BHATTACHARYA

Anandi Bhattacharya released her debut album Joys Abound in 2018 to widespread critical acclaim. A contemporary exploration of her musical roots, its accomplishment and inventiveness has impressed everyone who’s heard it.

The Guardian described it as a “refreshing debut” with 4-stars. Songlines selected it as one of their top albums of 2018 and recently nominated Anandi for a Songlines Award 2019, saying that Anandi has “an impressively rich timbre and rounded tone way beyond her years”.

Watch Anandi’s video for In Between Us:

THE DEBASHISH BHATTACHARYA TRIO

The Debashish Bhattacharya trio features Anandi Bhattacharya and legendary tabla player Tanmoy Bose. Tanmoy Bose has performed with the world’s greatest Indian classical musicians, including the late Pandit Ravi Shankar and Ustad Amjad Ali Khan.

The tour provides audiences with the opportunity to experience and explore Indian music by three artists who are all at exciting stages in their careers.

Combining the pioneering Hindustani slide guitar skills of Debashish Bhattacharya, the wonderful vocal abilities of Anandi Bhattacharya and the mesmerising beats of legendary tabla player Tanmoy Bose.

MAJOR UK & EUROPEAN TOUR

The UK & European tour comprises 16 dates.

Visit our tour page to view all tour dates and find ticket links.

We produced a highly successful UK tour with Sufi maestros Rizwan-Muazzam Qawwals in March, with performances at major venues in 8 cities around the UK.

A wonderful mix of audiences packed out concerts in London, Bristol, Gateshead and Manchester, with London’s Barbican Centre selling out before the tour commenced.

Diverse and new audiences to venues

We attracted diverse audiences and a high percentage of first time attenders to the UK’s major concert venues. At London’s Barbican and Leeds Town Hall, 65% of audience members were first time attenders to the venue. At Town Hall Birmingham 60% of audience members were first time attenders, with Turner Sims Southampton, Sage Gateshead and St George’s Bristol also receiving almost 50% first time audiences.

This demonstrates the impact of our work to attract new and diverse audiences to partner venues.

High profile media coverage for Sufi maestros

The tour attracted high profile media coverage for Rizwan-Muazzam. A live performance on BBC Radio 4’s flagship arts and culture programme Loose Ends, hosted by Clive Anderson, and an interview on BBC Radio 6 Music with Cerys Matthews helped to extend the reach of Sufi music.

Wonderful audience feedback for Sufi maestros

Here’s a selection of audience feedback we have received so far:

“Mesmerising, joyful and life-affirming”

“@RizwanMuazzamQ at the Barbican was just fantastic. It’s been a difficult couple of weeks, but my soul is lifted. Should be prescribed on the NHS! Thank you.”

“This was exceptional music. Exciting, sublime, thrilling and absolutely commited…It was really brilliant to be in a such an intimate space and share in something so special with people from all faith groups and cultural backgrounds. We left the concert hall uplifted and full of hope.”

“I saw Rizwan-Muazzam at the Barbican last night. I’ve never seen that concert hall so raucous and full of life! Qawwali is such a hypnotic, enriching, and beautiful form of music!”

“One of the best gigs I’ve been to so far in #Bristol. Rizwan and Muazzam were jaw-dropping, joy inducing, AMAZING.”

“One of the best Asian music concerts ever in Leeds!”

Selection of photos

The maestros in action at St George’s Bristol. Photos courtesy of Evan Dawson:

Rizwan performing at St George’s Bristol (photo by Evan Dawson):

Muazzam performing at St George’s Bristol (photo by Evan Dawson):

For more information and a full list of tour dates visit our Rizwan-Muazzam event page.

We were delighted to take our international project PunjabTronix to India in early March for major performances in Punjab. This is where the project was originally developed as a collaboration between artists from India and the UK.

Following successful tours in the UK and USA (including SXSW Music Festival), we presented the project to Indian audiences, with performances in the cities of Ludhiana and Patiala in the Punjab region. Visit the tour event page for more details.

The response from audiences was absolutely phenomenal as you can see in the video clips below.

Here’s a clip of the group performing Jind Mahi:

A short clip of Desi Rock:

We hope to take the project back to India. Watch this space for future PunjabTronix announcements.