Pandit Jasraj, a legend of Hindustani Shastriya Sangeet turned 80 this January and Chhandayan is celebrating the legend and his 80th year in life with two amazing concerts this May of which one is an all-night concert starting at 7PM and going all the way into the morning till 5:30AM.

When: May 1st @ 6.20PM
Where: Bellefield Hall Auditorium, University of Pittsburgh, 315 S Bellefield Ave, Pittsburgh
Tickets Info: You can find out more about the show and buy tickets at: Chhandayan

When: May 8th @ 7pm – 5:30 AM
Where: New York Society for Ethical Culture 2 West, 64th Street, New York
More Information: You can find out more about the show and buy tickets at: Chhandayan

When: June 13th @ 6PM
Where: The Meadows Club, 2950 W. Golf Rd., Rolling Meadows, Illinois
More Information: Call Shebani Kulkarni @ 815-404-3803

Pandit Jasraj: Read more about him here.
An excerpt: Endowed with a voice that is his fortune, Panditji has harnessed his talent and genius in shaping a style that is at once his own. His singing is marked by depth of feeling and sensitivity of temper-the kind of music that grips the ear and the soul alike. The charm of his expression marks him out as an artist par excellence.

Chhandayan: Read more about the organization here.
An excerpt: Chhandayan is representation of the true experience of Indian music. Chhandayan offers classes of Indian music (vocal and instrumental) supplemented by periodic workshops, seminars and lecture- demonstrations throughout the year in New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Northern Virginia and Cheswick (in Pittsburgh area) in Pennsylvania. Chhandayan has operated out of New York for the past 14 years and has grown to be a wonderful organization for artists to experience the philosophy of Chhandayan and Indian music.

Other artists that will be accompanying Pandit Jasraj will be:

May 1st Vocal Concert:
Tripti Mukherjee – Vocal
Suman Ghosh – Vocal
Samir Chatterjee – Tabla
Shankhachaur Lahiri – Pakhawaj
Rattan Mohan Sharma – Harmonium

May 8th All-Night Concert:
Bidushi Ashwini Bhide – Vocal
Pandit Kumar Bose – Tabla solo
Pandit Kusal Das – Sitar
Pandit Nagraj Havaldar – Vocal
Sri Abhisek Mallick – Sitar
Samir Chatterjee – Tabla
Pandit Ramesh Misra – Sarangi
Pandit Bishwanath Shirodkar -Tabla
Pandita Tripti Mukherjee – Vocal
Pandit Suman Ghosh – Vocal
Pandita Seema Shirodkar – Harmonium
Sri Dibyarka Chatterjee – Tabla

Samir was very kind to speak to us quite candidly about his collaborations and more. Below is an excerpt.

LiB: You recently performed with Salman Ahmad. How was the experience? How was the audience’s response?
Samir: There was a lot of positive energy and tremendous amount of warmth within and around the Auditorium. We had a lot of supporters and well wishers attend the concert and it was a wonderful evening of fusion music.
The concert was a fund raiser for Chhandayan and we always appreciate the support we have received for this nobel cause and institute.

LiB: Do you do a lot of Fusion music and International Collaborations?
Samir: Living in the heart of New York City (right opposite Times Square), one cannot ignore or shun away the presence of a huge global village here. It’s a wonderful place to be in and New York just acts as the perfect catalyst of fusion of artists and lays a wonderful platform that benefits Fusion music.

I have over the past years collaborated with numerous International artists. There is a lot of Islamic Sufi music/rock ventures like with Salman Ahmad and with Jewish music composers with Klezmers, etc. I worked with the renowned Vishwa Mohan Bhatt too.
Similarly, I worked with Indo-Flame, a beautiful blend of Indian and Flamenco dance and music.
There’s ‘Dawn to Dusk and Beyond’ which depicts the correspondence and influence of music on physiology and environment.

So there’s a lot of collaboration I’m doing and I believe we will see a lot more mixtures in the future.

LiB: Anything new that you’re working on? What can your fans look forward to in the near future?
Samir: I have worked with Sanjay Mishra and Jerry Garcia (of Grateful Dead) in the past. It gives me immense pleasure to simply mix up the flavors of Indian Music along with some Blues based guitar and interesting sounds the create a wonderful fusion. I will constantly be collaborating and working with new artists.

I’m currently travelling to Calcutta right now to work on some collaboration and experiment with new music. We’ll see how it goes

I’m also working closely on ties with Afghanistan and making trips there to the music departments and in talks with the Radio and TV shows to see how we can work together and bring about something beautiful and peaceful from our cultures.

LiB:Tell us a little about Chhandayan
Samir: Chhandayan offers classes of Indian music (vocal and instrumental) supplemented by periodic workshops, seminars and lecture- demonstrations throughout the year in Manhattan and Jackson Heights (Queens) in New York, Nutley, Edison and Kendall Park in New Jersey, Potomac in Maryland, Ashburn in Northern Virginia and Cheswick (in Pittsburgh area) in Pennsylvania.

Chhandayan has operated out of New York for the past 14 years and has grown to be a wonderful organization for artists to experience the philosophy of Chhandayan and Indian music.

LiB: And what is the philosophy of Chhandayan?
Samir: Chhandayan strongly believes in the power of music, particularly that of Indian music. This venture is directed towards the growth of understanding and appreciation of Indian culture. It is perhaps the most ancient tradition that is still alive and vibrant.

We’re focused on music which eliminates personal pride and division of nationality, ethnic backgrounds and achieve a higher goal to benefit man-kind as a whole. Chhandayan is representation of the true experience of Indian music.

LiB: And finally, What do you think about our venture, Liveisbetter.com?
Samir: I will definitely think of you when we want to reach out to numerous avid concert lovers out there and you can always contact me for concert information and would be more than glad to talk to you.
You’re doing a good job and keep it up.

An Encore that’s one of a kind. The Audiences couldn’t ask for more but they’re definitely getting a lot more. Two renowned world artists, Salman Ahmad and Samir Chatterjee coming together for the third time. An enriching musical experience from Raaga to Rock

When: Thursday, December 03, 2009 @ 6PM
Where: Jewel Of India – 15 W 44 St, New York, NY 10036

If you haven’t caught them in concert already, we strictly advise you to put this on your Holiday list.

Event Details: Saturday, November 7th starting 5:00pm @ Fine Arts Facility, Westlake High School – 4100 Westbank Dr, Austin, TX.
More information: Aid India, Austin

Event Details: Sunday, November 8th starting 4:00pm @ Chabot College – Performing Arts Center, Building 1300 – 25555 Hesperian Boulevard, Hayward, California 94545
More information: http://roobaru.org/

Vishwa Mohan Bhatt also known as V. M. Bhatt, is a fine exponent of the Indian slide guitar. Infact, Bhatt is the creator of the Mohan Veena. One of India’s premier Hindustani classical performer has won a Grammy Award too! He received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1998 and the Padma Shri in 2002.

Bhatt is best known for his Grammy winning album A Meeting By The River with Ry Cooder and other fusion and pan-cultural collaborations with Western artists like Taj Mahal, Béla Fleck and Jerry Douglas. He has collaborated with the likes of Eric Clapton at the 2004 Crossroads Guitar Festival.

Folk musician Harry Manx, who studied with Vishwa Mohan Bhatt for five years, plays a Mohan Veena. Counting Crows’ Bassist Matt Malley also plays a Mohan Veena and is a student and friend of Vishwa Mohan Bhatt.

Salman Ahmad is the phenomenal guitarist, composer and the soul of the musical group Junoon. Since its formation in the early 1990s, Junoon has become a phenomenon in the South Asian music scene and beyond, performing all around the world and spreading their fan base across the globe at a rapid pace. Only a few bands have seen the kind of success they have experienced.

Ahmad, with Junoon, has been increasingly involved in humanitarian efforts, including playing at events such as the Building Human Rights Culture Gala, the Empower Peace program with students in Pakistan, and fundraising for Hurricane Katrina victims. Most recently in coordination with the UN, Ahmad joined relief operations for the October 2005 earthquake victims in northern Pakistan.

Daniel Weiss started playing the drums at the age of 6. He has performed and/or recorded with several artists of international acclaim. He has also played in South America and Asia and has recorded for Omnitone, Fresh Sound/New Talent, Arabesque, Pi, Criss Cross, Between The Lines, Act, Hat Hut, and Auand record labels. Dan has been studying tabla for the last nine years exclusively under the guidance of his guru Pandit Samir Chatterjee. Weiss has two recordings under his own name.
Dan will also start contributing articles to modern drummer dealing with Indian rhythm and its applicability to western contexts.

Samir Chatterjee is a virtuoso tabla player. He travels widely across the world throughout the year performing in numerous festivals as a soloist or with other outstanding musicians from both Indian and western musical traditions. All of his teachers have been from the Farrukhabad Gharana (school) of tabla-playing, which he now represents. He has performed at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo, Norway on December 10th, 2007. His compositions as well as his writings are widely acclaimed.
Samir Chatterjee has been teaching for the last 30 years and many of his students are established performers. He is the Founder-Director of CHHANDAYAN, an organization dedicated to promoting and preserving Indian music and culture.

Catch them in performance on:

Saturday, November 7th starting 5:00pm @ Fine Arts Facility, Westlake High School – 4100 Westbank Dr, Austin, TX.
More information: Aid India, Austin

Sunday, November 8th starting 4:00pm @ Chabot College – Performing Arts Center, Building 1300 – 25555 Hesperian Boulevard, Hayward, California 94545
More information: http://roobaru.org/, Aid India, Austin