61st Sawai Gandharva Bhimsen Mahotsav to be held from 12th to 15th December in Pune

A Jasrangi jugalbandi between vocalists Sanjeev Abhyankar and Ashwini Bhide-Deshpande, performances by flautist Praveen Godkhindi and veteran violinist R Kumaresh, sitar recital by Ustad Nishat Khan and tabla by Anindo Chatterjee will offer a rich fare of Indian classical music at the 61st Sawai Gandharva Bhimsen Mahotsav festival which will begin at Raman Baug Prashala grounds in Narayan Peth on December 12.





The jugalbandi has two vocalists singing two different ragas at the same time on two different scales. For the first time, the prestigious annual event will present nine artistes including Madhukar Dhumal (shehnai), Reva Natu, Wasim Ahmad Khan, Harish Tiwari, Indrani Mukherjee, Gulam Niyaz Khan (vocalists), Jayanthi Kumaresh (veena in Carnatic style), Mira Prasad (sitar) and Rajiv Taranath (sarod).





The four-day event will comprise meet-the-artistes sessions and screening of documentaries on the classical performing arts, Shreeniwas Joshi, executive president of Arya Sangeet Prasarak Mandal that organises the festival, told reporters on Wednesday. Dhumal will open the festival and Natu, a Gwalior gharana vocalist, will perform after him followed by Abhyankar and Bhide-Deshpande. Khan and Chatterjee will perform next followed by eminent vocalist Pandit Jasraj. On the second day, Agra gharana singer Wasim Ahmad Khan, santoor artiste Ulhas Bapat, who would be playing at the festival after two decades, veteran Kathak dancer Shovana Narayan will perform. The day will conclude with a performance by vocalist Begum Parveen Sultana. Vocal recital by Tiwari from Delhi, Mukherjee from Kolkata and Raja Kale, a joint performance by Godkhindi and Kumaresh will mark the third day's performances which will close with a vocal recital by veteran Malini Rajukar.





On the last day, two sessions, one in the morning and the other in the evening, will feature both new and seasoned artistes. The morning session will begin with a vocal recital by Upendra Bhat, followed by Jayanti Kumresh. The session will end with Patiala gharana exponent Ajay Chakrabarty's vocal performance. Sitar player Mira Prasad will open the evening session, followed by singer Gulam Niyaz Khan. Vocalist Arshad Ali Khan, who had won the hearts of many enthusiasts as a five-year old years ago, will take stage. Kaushiki Chakrabarty, who will perform here after 2006, will be followed by sarod player Rajiv Taranath - a student of Ali Akbar Khan. Kirana gharana doyen Prabha Atre will bring the festival to an end.

Swar Sanskruti music academy presents Ravi Chary Crossingin memory of Pandit Prabhakar Chary

Swar Sanskruti music academy

presents

Ravi Chary Crossing in memory of Pandit Prabhakar Chary

Featuring artists... Sitar: Ravi Chary Drums: Gino Banks Bass: Sheldon D'Silva Keyboard: Sangeet Haldipur Tabla: Amit Kavthekar Violin: Manas Kumar Djembe: Shikhar Naad Qureshi

Munni Begum - Ghazal singer

Munni Begum

Munni Begum  is a famous Pakistani ghazal singer, But born in India. Her real name is Nadira. She is American National ,based in Chicago, IL, USA.

Munni Begum was born in Murshidabad, West Bengal, India. The youngest child of seven children, she first started taking music lessons from the famous singer Ustad Khwaja Ghulam Mustafa Warsi. Subsequently, she studied in the school of music for three years and thereafter she launched her career.
Her parents migrated from India to East Pakistan in the early 1950s; East Pakistan later became independent Bangladesh. She studied in PAF Shaheen School, Dhaka, however she moved to Pakistan before graduating from high school, due to Bangladesh Independence War of 1971.


Career

Munni Begum began career as a singer in Karachi in 1970s. Begum released her first album of ghazals in 1976. It became a smash hit and broke all previous records.
On March 23, 2008 Governor Dr Ishrat-ul-Ibad Khan has conferred the Pride of Performance award upon legendary female singer Munni Begum at a simple ceremony held at Governor's House in Karachi.[3]

Personal life

Munni Begum is married and has 2 daughters, Muniba Hasnain and Minara Umer, and a son Syed Asad Ali.

Notable ghazals

As for Begum’s hit ghazals, the list is nearly endless - listen to Munni Begum's famous ghazals online. Some of these are:
Jhoom barabar jhoom sharabi
Har qadam zehmatein…
Tumhare sheher ka mausam bada suhana lage…
Ek Bar Muskura Do
Awaargi Mein Had Se Guzar Jaana Chahiye
Dil Ko Hale Karar Mein Dekha
Idhar zindagi ka janaza uthe ga
bhujhi hoi shama ka dhuaan hun
Mareez e mohabbat unhi ka fasana

Discography
Munni Begum Khoobsurat Ghazlein Vol 1
Awagi Vol-28vfdg
Meri Pasand Vol. 1
Meri Pasand Vol. 2
Masti Mein Surahi Jhoomti Hai Vol. 1
Masti Mein Surahi Jhoomti Hai Vol. 2
New Ghazals Vol. 26
Munni Begum Vol-21
Munni Begum Vol-20
Sham-E-Ghazal
Meri Pasand
Munni Begum
Munni Begum In Concert Vol. 4
Munni Begum In Concert Vol. 3
Munni Begum In Concert Vol. 2
Munni Begum In Concert Vol. 1

Taufiq Qureshi - A Percussionist

Taufiq Qureshi (born 1955) is an Indian classical musician. He is a percussionist and a composer.
Son of legendary tabla player, Ustad Alla Rakha and younger brother of the Great Ustad Zakir Hussain.
Born in a family where tabla was the bread and butter, there were these two pillars, his father Ustad Allarakha and brother Ustad Zakir Hussain, who were always there guiding and getting him ready for the world of rhythm. Since the time he started playing on stage and rhythm-programming in studios, he always wanted to work on exploring wider prospects of world rhythm through composing, music production and the ever inspiring world of live performances. With Zakirbhai's inspirational support, his parents’ blessings and his wife Geetika’s support and understanding push he plunged into the exquisite, exotic and exciting world of rhythm
Career
Taufiq Quereshi started his career early. His stint with live performances began with the creation of his own world music band, ‘Surya’ way back in 1986-87. He has been featured as a performing artiste on the 2009- Grammy award winning album Global Drum Project, Remember Shakti, Masters of Percussions and Summi. He collaborates with various classical artists for fusion concerts. He plays a variety of percussion instruments like djembe, duff, bongos, batajon. His performance on drums with a soft beat of a muffled drum and the very next moment ups the tempo and demonstration of different sounds - like breath, rhythm, breaking a champagne bottle, the sound of the train and the arrival of people, horses and others on arrival at the palace on the drums are quite popular Discography
Rhydhun (2000) Swar Utsav - Streams In Confluence (2001) Rhydhun Gold (2002) Mondo Beat - Masters of Percussion India The Greatest Songs Ever Taalisma (2002) Colours of Rajasthan (1995) PercJam (2003) Bombay Fever (2006) Mystic Soundscapes - Forest (2007) Rooh - Songs From The Heart (2007)

Dhondutai Kulkarni - The last living icon of the Jaipur-Atrauli Gharana

Dhondutai Kulkarni, (born 23 July 1927) is perhaps the last living icon of the Jaipur-Atrauli Gharana. The legendary Alladiya Khan, who founded the Jaipur-Atrauli Gharana, made this Gharana unique by its full-throated singing, its complicated Taans, and its vast repertoire of Raags, which Dhondutai Kulkarni represents very well.

Early life
She was born in a Brahmin family in Kolhapur, Maharashtra. Dhondutai's father initiated her into music. From him she became an AIR performing artiste at the age of eight. She then started training under Bhurji Khan, whose father, Alladiya Khan, had a special care for Dhondutai, and it was not uncommon to find her sitting next to the legendary performer at music festivals. Her training continued under the mentorship of Laxmibai Jadhav and Ustad Azizuddin Khan, grandson of the legendary Alladiya Khan. From Ut. Azizuddin Khan she received most of her repertoire of rare Ragas. Thereafter, she spent a long number of years under the immensely distinguished knowledge of Kesarbai Kerkar, ending up as her sole disciple.

Repertoire
Her incredible repertoire of ragas sees to it that she rarely repeats a raga at two consecutive concerts. Dhondutai knows specialty Raag creations made not just by Alladiya Khan but also Kesarbai Kerkar. At 86, Dhondutai is saluted not just for her musical contributions, but also for her quality as a performing artist.

Awards and recognition
Dhondutai has been awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1990. She also has been invited to the "Surashri Kesarbai Kerkar Sangeet Sammelan" since its beginnings, she sings last at the concert.

Books
Namita Devidayal's book "The Music Room" chronicles a significant part of Dhondutai's life, music and career. Namita is one of Dhondutai's students and learned from her over a period of 25 years. The book talks about the life and music of Alladiya Khan, Kesarbai Kerkar and Dhondutai.

Dhondutai Kulkarni - National Programme

Trilok Gurtu - Indian percussionist

Trilok Gurtu, born in Mumbai, India on 30 October 1951, is an Indian percussionist and composer, whose work has blended the music of his homeland with jazz fusion, world music and other genres. He has released his own albums and has collaborated with many artists, including Terje Rypdal, Gary Moore, John McLaughlin, Jan Garbarek, Joe Zawinul, Bill Laswell, Maria João & Mário Laginha, and Robert Miles.

Early life

Gurtu was born to Hindu Brahmin parents in Mumbai, and attended Don Bosco High School (Matunga) in Mumbai. His mother, singer Shobha Gurtu, encouraged him to learn playing tabla, and he studied playing the instrument under Shah Abdul Karim.

Career

Gurtu began playing western drum kit in the 1970s, and developed interest in jazz. In a 1995 television special on Jimi Hendrix, Gurtu mentioned having initially learned Western music without awareness of overdubbing, which, he said, forced him to learn multiple parts which most musicians would have never attempted. In the 1970s, he played with Charlie Mariano, John Tchicai, Terje Rypdal, and Don Cherry. One of Gurtu's earliest recordings was around 1977 in the record Apo-Calypso in an album of the German ethnic fusion band, Embryo. His mother also sang in that record, and later joined him in his first solo CD, Usfret. In the 1980s, Gurtu played with Swiss drummer Charly Antolini and with John McLaughlin in McLaughlin's trio, accompanied variously by bassists Jonas Hellborg, Kai Eckhardt, and Dominique DiPiazza. The line-up with Hellborg performed at least one concert opening for Miles Davis in Berkeley, California in 1988. Collaboration between Gurtu and McLaughlin included vocal improvisations using the Indian tala talk method of oral drumming notations for teaching drum patterns. Sometimes, Eckhardt would join in with hip-hop beat-box vocals for a three-way vocal percussion jam, while Gurtu and McLaughlin would throw in a few amusing words such as some Japanese brand names mixed with some Indian words. Some of the unusual aspects of Gurtu's drum playing include playing, without a drum stool, in a half-kneeling position on the floor, and use of an unconventional kick drum that resembles a large drum head with a kick-pedal, and a mix of tablas and western drums. Gurtu's unique percussion signature involves dipping cymbals and strings of shells into a bucket of water to create a shimmering effect. Gurtu joined Oregon after the death of drummer Collin Walcott. He played in three records produced by this band: Ecotopia (1987), 45th Parallel (1989), and Always, Never and Forever (1991). In the early 1990s Gurtu resumed his career as a solo artist and a bandleader. Various noted musicians have backed him in a number of his CD releases.[2] In 1999, Zakir Hussain and Bill Laswell founded a musical group, Tabla Beat Science, which played a mixture of Hindustani music, Asian underground, ambient, Drum and Bass, and Electronica. Gurtu joined this group along with Karsh Kale and Talvin Singh. The group released three albums before going dormant in late 2003.[3] In 2004, Gurtu created an album, Miles Gurtu, with Robert Miles. His collaboration with the Arkè String Quartet began in 2007 with the release of the album Arkeology.[1] In 2010 Trilok Gurtu played into the album Piano Car, opera of minimalist composer Stefano Ianne with Ricky Portera, Nick Beggs (Kajagoogoo), Mario Marzi, Terl Bryant (John Paul Jones/Led Zeppelin), John De Leo.

Awards

Gurtu has garnered a number of prestigious awards and nominations, including: Best Overall Percussionist winner, DRUM! Magazine, 1999 Best Overall Percussionist winner, Carlton Television Multicultural Music Awards, 2001 Best Percussionist winner, Down Beat's Critics Poll for 1994, 1995, 1996, 1999,[4] 2000, 2001, and 2002[5] Best Asia/Pacific Artist nominee, BBC Radio 3 World for 2002, 2003, and 2004.[1][3]

Discography

Solo and collaborative albums
1974: La Terra (The Earth) LP with Aktuala (Bla Bla, 1974)
1976: Tappeto Volante (Flying Carpet) with Aktuala LP (Bla Bla, 1976)
1977: Apo Calypso - with Embryo
1979: Friends - with Toto Blanke Electric Circus
1980: Family - with Toto Blanke Electric Circus
1982: Personal Note, Mark Nauseef with Joachim Kühn, Jan Akkerman, Detlev Beier
1983: Finale - with Charly Antolini
1985: Song for Everyone - with L. Shankar
1987: Usfret
1987: Ecotopia - with Oregon
1989: 45th Parallel - with Oregon
1990: Live At The Royal Festival Hall - with the John McLaughlin Trio
1990: Living Magic
1991: Always, Never and Forever - with Oregon
1992: Que Alegria - with the John McLaughlin Trio
1993: Crazy Saints
1995: Believe
1995: Bad Habits Die Hard
1997: The Glimpse
1998: Kathak
1998: Cor - with Maria João & Mário Laginha
2000: African Fantasy
2001: The Beat of Love
2002: Remembrance
2004: Miles Gurtu - with Robert Miles
2004: Broken Rhythms
2006: Farakala
2007: Arkeology
2009: Massical
2010: Piano Car - with Stefano Ianne
2011: 21 Spices - with Simon Phillips + NDR Big Band (Conducted by Jorg Achim Keller)