Ragmala at Sons D'Hiver Paris

Feb 18

8:00pm

Maison Des Arts Paris

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This engagement is supported in part by Mid Atlantic Arts through USArtists International,
a program in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, the Andrew W. Mellon
Foundation, and the Trust for Mutual Understanding.

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A 21st century orchestra meets 13th century raga in this supergroup that brings together global music pioneer Adam Rudolph and his ground-breaking Go: Organic Orchestra with “leaders of the raga renaissance” (New York Times) Brooklyn Raga Massive. Hailed as a meeting of “two of the most interesting bands in the USA” (London Jazz Times), Ragmala bridges generations, cultures and traditions in a deep-rooted, forward-looking sound born of 21st-century innovation and hybrid voices. The ensemble is excited to make their Paris debut as part of the Sons D’Hiver festival!

While the music of Ragmala draws inspiration from a wealth of traditions – the globe-spanning rhythmic influences that converge in Rudolph’s music as well as the Indian classical music explored by the members of Brooklyn Raga Massive (BRM) – the resulting sound is something entirely new. The 19-piece touring ensemble speaks in a hybrid tongue that reflects the immigrant experience, with diverse cultures congregating and enriching one another in profound and surprising ways. Using a groundbreaking improvisational conducting approach invented by Rudolph, each member’s distinctive identity shines through in a singular vivid tapestry of transcendent and harmonious sound or what critic Ian Ward of UK Vibes calls “a truly global, celestial, cosmic "world" music.”

Featured performers:

Adam Rudolph, composer, conductor

Alexis Marcelo, keyboards

Damon Banks, electric bass

Arun Ramamurthy, violin

Samarth Nagarkar, vocals

Sameer Gupta, tabla

Jay Gandhi, bansuri

Neel Murgai, sitar, overtone singing

Harris Eisenstadt, bata, percussion

Trina Basu, violin

Tim Keiper, percussion