press

The New York Times

A Raga Renaissance Flowers in Brooklyn

“Riveting ... Soulful … Preserving the past while blurring genres in an inventive spirit” “The Massive members are proud of their open-minded outlook. New forms are being created that are indigenous to Brooklyn ...”

The Wall Street Journal

Indian Raga Group Takes Minimalism to the Max

“Expanding the notion of what raga—the immersive, epic form of Indian music—can mean... BRM members seek to redefine classical Indian music in the new century”

Jazzwise UK

Ragmala: A Garland of Ragas

"Brooklyn Raga Massive has been fusing Indian Classical music, US minimalism and deep jazz to stunning effect. They believe in the power of music to transcend cultural boundaries and reach deep spiritual regions."

The Times of India

Artists sow seeds of ragas in the big apple

The idea of the Massive was not only to encourage dialogue between established and young musicians, but also to broaden the audience for these forms in hyper-cosmopolitan New York.... They’ve collaborated with Africans and Cubans, and presented tributes to musicians such as John Coltrane and Ravi Shankar, the believers in cross-cultural experimentation. The interaction between the artists and audience is organic.

UK Vibe

"Ragmala: a Garland of Ragas" 5 out of 5 Stars

Its expansive otherness, its core rasa, remind of the feeling I get when listening to my heroes; Cherry, Sanders, Sun Ra, Coltrane. It is an authoritative step forward in the evolution of a truly global, celestial, cosmic “world” music.

London Jazz News

"A milestone in the evolution of truly world music"

Two of the most interesting bands in the USA....In the jazz world, not since Sun Rahas this reviewer heard anything so successful at reaching the parts other music generally fails to reach. This double album feels like a milestone in the evolution of truly world music.

The New Yorker

Goings On About Town

"Leaders of the Raga Renaissance"

Village Voice

Best Midweek Music Hang

"There are precious few opportunities to enjoy a frosty beverage while slipping into the transcendental time warp of a classical Indian raga — which makes the Brooklyn Raga Massive's peripatetic Wednesday night events kind of like the Alamo Drafthouse of Indian classical music."

News India Times

Brooklyn's Raga Enthusiasts Creating a Tradition

"Some of the formalities often associated with an Indian classical concert have been stripped away by organizers... more like a house concert, not the usual rarified formal atmosphere created for classical performances in India... so there is room to be social as well as have a serious listening environment"

Downbeat

A Tapestry of Sounds

Sublime...a gorgeously complex tapestry of sounds, hues and sensations

All Music

4.5 Stars - Ragmala

A deeply attractive, aesthetically accessible, yet extremely complex tapestry of sounds, hues, and aural sensations. A major work that establishes the ground for infinite possibilities in improvisational interaction for an ensemble, as well giving flesh to an expansive musical language that edifies players and listeners equally.

The New York Times

How Krishna Andavolu of Viceland TV Spends His Sundays

In New York, we’re going to Brooklyn Raga Massive classes. It’s classical Indian music with a Brooklyn twist... We’re trying to make sure (our son) understands he’s half-Indian... What I’m interested in seeing is how those expressions of Indian culture have evolved over time.

The New Yorker

Goings on About Town: Out of Town - Brooklyn Raga Massive "In C"

Brooklyn Raga Massive brings its energy and style upstate to Hudson Hall, performing Terry Riley’s Indian-influenced minimalist masterwork “In C.”

The New York City Jazz Record

BRM's latest Coltrane Tribute listed in New York City Jazz Record's list of top new releases this week!

Firstpost

Brooklyn Raga Massive: Matching notes with the raga ambassadors of New York

"The music itself is the result of a grassroots movement... known as the Brooklyn Raga Massive... Having brought about a revitalisation of the ragas, it would be safe to call them the Raga Ambassadors of the Big Apple."

Brooklyn Paper

It's Bangin'! Indian Group Rounds out Bang on a Can fest!

"It’s a big thing for us to present an ever increasing range of artists who are stretching the boundaries of music,” said Kenny Savelson, the executive director of Bang on a Can. “This group of artist based here are taking Indian tradition and they’ve basically been pushing forward into new territory."