The BRM Concert and Jam Session at Barzakh Cafe, brings to you the acclaimed Arun Ramamurthy Trio this November. The Arun Ramamurthy Trio creates a groundbreaking fusion of South Indian Carnatic traditions and contemporary jazz, weaving masterful improvisations through ancient ragas and modern rhythms. Led by violinist Arun Ramamurthy alongside drummer Sameer Gupta and bassist Damon Banks, the trio explores themes of migration and ancestral wisdom through original compositions.
The performance will be followed by the legendary BRM Jam Session, based in ragas but free to travel the world and hosted by BRM Co-Artistic Director, Neel Murgai. Musicians coming to participate in the Jam Session get free admission. Sign up to play in the jam here: https://event-sign-up.onrender.com/Event/179
Brooklyn violinist Arun Ramamurthy is an Indo-jazz explorer who creates strikingly beautiful music fusing the spirit of raga music and jazz. Steeped in the Carnatic musical tradition of South India, but also versed in North Indian Hindustani forms, he's a prolific composer who has created scores for plays, dance productions, and other fellow musicians. His powerhouse trio features electric bassist Damon Banks, a global force also versed in West and North African rhythms, and drummer Sameer Gupta. Although he's now based in Oakland, Gupta spent nearly two decades in New York City, where he and Ramamurthy co-founded the widely influential collective called Brooklyn Raga Massive.
Arun’s original work tells stories of migration and cultural connection. The band's latest LP, New Moon, is an exploration of the teachings and wisdom of our ancestors, as well as the lessons we take on our own personal journeys. Included is a dynamic four-movement suite originally commissioned by the CMA for their New Jazz Works program, entitled “New Moon Suite”. The album captures a sense of genuine spontaneity; an ensemble able to adjust at any moment, all of them aware, all of them ready. Expanding on traditional forms through explosive improvisational flights, the Arun Ramamurthy Trio creates a deeply invigorating spiritual experience while broadening the possibilities of cross-cultural musical dialogue.