“David Ellenbogen has been sending out the best jazz and global music sounds over the airwaves of New York City for the past two decades. As a radio host on Columbia University’s WKCR-FM, Ellenbogen has interviewed artists ranging from jazz legend McCoy Tyner to Nigerian superstar King Sunny Ade, and he has recorded more than 250 hours of sublime live content that’s archived in his gold mine of a podcast, NYC Radio Live. When he’s not busy inside the studio, Ellenbogen spreads his love of Indian classical music around NYC. He currently serves as one of the artistic directors of Brooklyn Raga Massive (which TheNew York Times dubbed as “leaders of the ‘raga renaissance’”) and is also the creative force behind the 24-hour Ragas Live Festival.” www.WSWD.com
With less than a week until the sixth annual fest at the Rubin Museum of Art, WSWD was lucky enough to snag Ellenbogen for a chat to discuss his long history studying, producing, and sharing eclectic music in NYC.
What Should We Do?! You serve the world of music in
so many capacities—as a performer, producer, broadcaster, and curator.
When did you first realize you wanted [to pursue] a career in this
field?
David Ellenbogen: Back to the Future came out
when I was 8, and Michael J. Fox was the archetype of coolness—the guy
could turn anything into a skateboard! The Chuck Berry scene in that
movie sold me on the guitar. In high school, I studied with guitarist
Kenny Wessel, a member of Ornette Coleman’s band Prime Time, and he has
remained a good friend and guide. As far as producing, I was unimpressed
by the party scene in college. I wanted to create an alternate
environment where people felt welcome and there was quality live music. I
convinced some older students to let me use their flat; laid out close
to $1,000 on a sound system, good beer, bands, and all that; flyer-ed
the campus—and a few hundred people showed up. I broke even! Still
today, hospitality is key for me. I want people to feel welcome and safe
—to create an environment where they can have a transformative experience, but also just have fun and meet other like-minded people.
I later fell into a job at Columbia University when it was starting the Center for Jazz Studies. The idea that I could get paid to help Ron Carter move his bass at some point was too good to be true! I figured out a way to get a bunch of partners from other parts of the university to cosponsor events, and soon I was producing concerts like the annual Sun Ra Arkestra Halloween Haunt at no cost to my boss. I got the Faculty House to donate 2,000 pounds of dry ice for that! The legendary producer George Wein, who created the first American music festival, Newport Jazz, in 1954 (and later the Newport Folk and New Orleans Jazz and Heritage festivals), attended one of these and hired me soon after.
WSWD: The genres that you are involved in are
limitless. What do you gravitate toward when booking an artist for one
of your productions, your radio show, or your own artistic
collaborations?
Ellenbogen: Though it’s never spoken of, I think the
communities I’m drawn to all indirectly or directly view music as
sacred. A lot of these people are really rooted in a tradition, but
they’re also curious to learn about sounds beyond their boundaries. I
like music that’s mind-blowing. Frank Zappa once said, “Music is the
only religion that delivers the goods.” Many of the artists I’ve been
lucky enough to work with—such as Roman Diaz, Innov Gnawa, Awa Sangho,
Dana Hanchard, and Jay Gandhi—definitely deliver those goods!
WSWD: How did your interest in raga music start?
Ellenbogen: As soon as I heard the drone of the
tanpura, I felt there was something really deep and spiritual in that
tradition. After a few years with George Wein, I traveled and studied
music in a few countries, including four months in India with Debashish
Bhattacharya, the great Hindustani slide guitarist. That was my most
formal training in music. He was the guru and I was his disciple,
struggling just to sit cross-legged! I learned so much, but the main
message was the level of dedication that it takes to truly honor music.
He told me that his father once took him to a bus stop and said, “You
see those people? They work for eight hours and commute an hour each
way. If you really want to respect music, you should work 10 hours a
day, too.”
WSWD: How did you decide to put together a 24-hour fest at your radio studio?
Ellenbogen: I’ve been on WKCR since I was a kid in
1997. I grew up listening to 89.9 FM and took a summer literature class
at Columbia just to get on the radio and get into that record library.
When I returned from Calcutta, I wanted to learn more about Indian
music; I just wanted to lay eyes on those magical instruments. For years
on the radio, I had an open door to any musicians who played raga. A
supercool Turkish student at the time, Ahmet Ali Arslan, was excited by
what I was doing and came up with the idea of the 24-hour festival. It’s
a natural idea because raga is time specific; there are ragas to match
the feeling of the sunrise or midnight. Brooklyn Raga Massive had just
formed, so I reached out to them and a few other organizations, like HarmoNYom and Chhandayan, to make it happen.
WSWD: For the first four years of this festival, it
took place just in your studio. This is your second year doing the fest
live—what are you most excited about this time?
Ellenbogen: I can’t imagine anything more special, fun,
or unique than an overnight experience in the Rubin; it specializes in
Himalayan art, so it’s an inspiring setting for this. Sameer Gupta and
Arun Ramamurthy from Brooklyn Raga Massive have curated an amazing
lineup of artists. I’m particularly excited about the 9 p.m. set with
Ganavya Doraiswamy; I get choked up every time I hear her. A unique
thing about this festival is that we treat raga as a living tradition.
There are many fascinating groups and artists who are inspired by the
form and also bring other parts of themselves and their experiences to
the music. It’s fresh music, being created right now in New York City.
WSWD: What do you hope audiences take away from it? What can they expect with the 50-plus musicians you’ve lined up?
Ellenbogen: Something very transformative happens in an
immersive experience like this. Raga is a subtle science, and the music
doesn’t just harmonize with the various instruments; it harmonizes with
the time of day. It’s also special that we will be broadcasting it live
on WKCR-FM. People all around the world will be listening; it will be a
global community of people concentrating on the subtleties of a single
note. This shared experience is medicine we can all use a dose of.
WSWD:Hopefully you’ll get some rest post–Ragas Live! After that, what’s next for you?
Ellenbogen: Well, I’ll have to get all 24 hours of Ragas Live uploaded to NYC Radio Live—that
podcast is my life’s work. In a hundred years, I hope someone comes
across this archive and thinks, Oh! People from all around the world
were coming together and making amazing music.
I think that people who love to dance should have some more organic and globally minded offerings, so the next big project is Trance NYC. I’m scheming with Hatim Belyamani (aka H.A.T.) to create a series that will feature traditional global trance music artists such as Innov Gnawa or La Troupe Makandal working together with electronic acts to create collaborative sets.
Olga Morkova and I recently started World Music Education, in which we reach out to all these world-class musicians I’ve been talking about. The idea is to expose children to musicians from all around the planet. The trope that listening to Mozart makes your children smarter may be true, but then it would follow that Afro-Cuban rhythms and Arabic Maqam would be equally mind expanding. We’ve been doing weekly classes and it’s been a lot of fun.
I am superpsyched for the Outside (In)dia Series, which is being produced by the India Center Foundation, Lincoln Center, and Brooklyn Raga Massive. This series takes a really expansive view on what raga can be in NYC today. I’ll be playing on the next show with Román Díaz, and I’ve been studying Afro-Cuban music with singer Melvis Santa to begin to understand that amazing tradition.
Brooklyn Raga Massive has a bunch of amazing projects that I am playing on or helping produce. We just released our album of Terry Riley’s piece, In C, and are headed to Hawaii to perform it in November. We have a weekly jam session, which is a great open series where any musician can take part. That inclusive session is at the heart of the whole movement.
I’ve got my Acoustic Mandala Project, which makes music for yoga and meditation, so there are some retreats on the books for that, as well. Dana Hanchard is my favorite musician, and we’ve got some dates with her group Karavan Kosmiko, and I’m starting to produce some music events for Airbnb. It’s still under wraps, but you’ll hear about them soon!
BROOKLYN RAGA MASSIVE: INDIAN CLASSICAL’S MASS APPEAL
August 6, 2015
An interview with David Ellenbogen
Brooklyn Raga Massive, now a globally recognized musician’s collective, is made up of world class, forward thinking musicians rooted in Indian classical music. After a rousing performance at our recent Block Party, Brooklyn Raga Massive will return to the Rubin for two special shows. On August 12, they will bring their well-known Wednesday Night Jam session to the Museum, and onAugust 28, the BRM All Stars will perform the piece credited with creating minimalism: Terry Riley’s composition “In C”.
We caught up with musician, producer, and radio host David Ellenbogen of Brooklyn Raga Massive to tell us about raga’s mass appeal, what Indian classical music has in common with Philip Glass and yoga, and why the group can’t seem to get enough of the Rubin.
How would you describe Brooklyn Raga Massive and your influences?
Brooklyn Raga Massive is an artist’s collective of musicians who are inspired by and dedicated to the Indian classical tradition. There is something magical happening right now. There is a new generation of musicians who are disciples of some of the greatest living Indian Classical musicians, but who also speak the languages of jazz, funk, reggae—not as outsiders, but as insiders of both traditions. Sameer Gupta is a great example of this, touring relentlessly with jazz icon Marc Cary but also deeply studying with one of the greatest tabla players in the world, Anindo Chatterjee. To me, Brooklyn Raga Massive is providing a platform and home for this kind of germination of new styles and languages. It’s also finding new audiences for traditional classical music by keeping the atmosphere festive and fun. At our weekly jam sessions we have new styles emerging, there are Africa/India nights, chamber raga groups and much more. People in India are paying attention to what’s happening in Brooklyn and the term “raga renaissance” has floated around the press there.
I am amongst the members who are not as steeped in that classical tradition, but I find endless inspiration and beauty in it. My background as a musician is to study the music wherever I travel, and luckily that has been in India, Mali, Ghana, Brazil and a few other spots. I also play Western styles from Bach to Stevie Wonder. Generally when I join the BRM on stage, I’m introducing a groove element. For example, I can’t imagine anything prettier than the sound of an Afro-Brazilian Bahiana with, say, an Indian, bansuri flute.
For those who have never heard it before, how would you describe raga music?
Literally, they say raga means “to color the mind.” The music is very subtle and precise in order to capture a specific mood to match a specific time of day. There are evening ragas (which may be more romantic) and morning ragas (which may be more energizing or devotional) and so on. It harmonizes you. The pieces begin by slowly introducing each note with a reverence and respect for sound and place that is almost the antithesis of our modern lifestyle. By the end, the music is an explosion of virtuosity and intensity. It’s a journey and much like with yoga, you feel better afterwards.
Who might like traditional raga that you wouldn’t necessarily expect?
I know two people who are both into something called death metal as well as Indian raga!
Tell us about Terry Riley’s “In C” and your decision to perform it. What can people expect at that concert?
Terry Riley’s “In C” is an amazing piece and is often credited for creating the style of music called minimalism, which is associated with Philip Glass and Steve Reich. The piece has forty cells of music, short phrases, which are played progressively by the musicians at any time as long as they stay within three or four of the rest of the group. They can come in anywhere on the beat, or multiply or divide the rhythm as they see musically fit….What this creates is a harmonious sea of music, with moments of amazing beauty. The experience could be considered psychedelic, I suppose…especially when combined with psychedelics! It makes a lot of sense to have Indian instruments performing this as Riley was very influenced by raga and studied it quite deeply. However, he has told us that as far as he knows, Brooklyn Raga Massive is the first group of its kind to perform this piece. He responded positively to a clip we sent him and encouraged us to improvise more. It meant a lot to us to get his feedback, and recently we have been approached by a record label we’re fans of that wants to release our version.
You’ve had a history of playing at the Rubin Museum (most recently at our Block Party) – is there anything in particular that you like about performing here? What makes it a special place?
Performing at the Rubin is a dream come true for us because there is no other cultural institution in NYC so focused on the same ideals. At its best this style of music takes you to the Himalayas—the Rubin certainly does that. In future collaborations we hope to engage more directly and specifically with the artwork: like facets of a diamond, there are a million symphonies in every mandala.
Brooklyn Raga Massive will perform at the Rubin for a special show and jam session on August 12 and an interpretation of “In C” on August 28.
David Ellenbogen is a musician, producer and radio host. His most recent production was last month’s Ragas Live Festival, a 24 hour radio broadcast of Indian Raga, in which over eighty world-class musicians performed live in the studio. You can hear the entire festival and much more at his podcast NYC Radio Live. David will also appear as our guest DJ in the K2 Lounge on August 14.
NYC Radio Live/ Africa/India Series in the Press
NYC RADIO LIVE’S RAGAS LIVE FESTIVAL IN THE PRESS
IN THE NEWS
The BEST NYC CONCERTS OF 2017 (New York MUSIC DAILY)
“Prime time for haunting, rarely heard morning ragas reinvented by an adventurous cast of Indian musicians”
Summer Sounds: Eight Concerts to Catch in NYC (the Village Voice)
Indian classical music being a long-form proposition, immersion is highly recommended. The diving doesn’t get much deeper than this 24-hour festival, which has been produced since 2012 as a radio program by NYC Radio Live and Brooklyn Raga Massive. ..
A Raga Renaissance Flowers in brooklyn (NY times)
The jeweled raiment and serene kohl-rimmed eyes of Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of knowledge, music and the arts, were projected on a screen behind the stage one recent evening at Pioneer Works, the exhibition and performance space in Red Hook, Brooklyn. ….
Ragas Live Festival at Pioneer Works (Star Revue)
Whether you are a devoted student of Ragas, Indian Classical Music, an avid admirer, or a casual listener who has simply heard it streaming out of yoga studio sound systems, the Ragas Live Festival, now in its fifth year, is an awesome joy to behold. …
First Ever Marathon Live Radio Broadcast of Indian Ragas (News India Times)
Years ago while traveling around the world, David Ellenbogen, executive producer at New York City’s WKCR radio station, ended up in Calcutta, “at the feet” of Debashish Bhattacharya” whom he describes as “the greatest guitarist in the world” and the experience as akin to “climbing the Himalayas.” …
Mundofonías (41 radio stations) / RNE (Spanish National Radio), Event preview, 09/18/2018, Mundofonías 2018 #75 | Ragas Live Text
Bandcamp Daily, Feature story, 11/02/2017, Brooklyn Raga Massive Revives India’s Classical Sound Text
The New York Times, Event preview, 10/04/2018, 14 Pop, Rock and Jazz Concerts to Check Out in N.Y.C. This Weekend Text
Gothamnist, Event preview, 10/02/2017, The Best Things To Do In NYC This Week Text
Songlines, Event preview, 10/10/2018, 24 hour raga people
India Currents, Event preview, 09/08/2018, Ragas Live Festival Returns Text
Saathee Magazine, Event preview, 09/27/2017, Ragas Live Festival 2018 Text
World Music Central, Event preview, 09/21/2018, RAGAS LIVE FESTIVAL 2018, A 24 HOUR MUSIC EVENT IN NEW YORK CITY Text
Broadway World, Event preview, 08/25/2018, Ragas Live Festival Brings Music to Brooklyn Text
News India Times, Feature story, 09/24/2018, 24-hour ragas music festival to be held in New York City Text
New York Music Daily, Mention, 09/26/2018, Magical, Cinematic Jazz Nocturnes From Aakash Mittal at Lincoln Center Text
My Brooklyn Calendar, Listing, 09/28/2018, Ragas Live 24 Hr FestivalText
I Love New York, Listing, 09/28/2018, Ragas Live 24 Hr Festival Text
Explore Brooklyn, Listing, 09/28/2018, Ragas Live Festival Text
Red Hook Star Revue, Event preview, 10/01/2018, Things to do this October Text
NYC’s City Guide, Listing, 09/28/2018, Ragas Live 24 Hr Festival Text
Desi News, Event preview, 09/24/2018, 24-hour ragas music festival to be held in New York City Text
Brokelyn, Listing, 09/24/2018, Ragas Live Festival Text
Masalahq, Listing, 09/20/2018, Ragas Live Festival 2018 Text
MASALAHQ, Event preview, 09/05/2018, Ragas Live Festival 2018 Text
BKLYNER, Listing, 09/24/2018, Ragas Live Festival Text
Brokelyn, Event preview, 09/23/2018, Ragas Live Festival Text
TremendAgenda, Event preview, 08/25/2018, Ragas Live Festival 2018 Text
NewMusicUsA, Event preview, 09/09/2017, RAGAS LIVE RETROSPECTIVE ALBUM RELEASE PARTY WITH KARUNA TRIO Text
Diwali Festivals Grow in US, From Disney to Times Square(The New York Times)
New York City’s Rubin Museum will mark Diwali with an overnight Ragas Live Festival featuring more than 50 Indian classical musicians performing amid the museum’s collection of sacred Himalayan art. The event begins Oct. 21 at 10 a.m. …
24-hour Indian classical music marathon in New York over weekend (Economy Lead)
A unique 24-hour Indian classical music marathon, the Ragas LiveFestival, with a multi-national and multi-ethnic cast of over 60 musicians is set to be broadcast this weekend here and streamed live on the Internet for listeners around the world. It is billed as longest broadcast of Indian classical performed live. …
World Music Day: The Ragas Live Festival in New York to hold 24-hour long Indian classical music marathon! (Bollywood Life)
This is the fourth Raga Festival and this year it will add a six-and-a-half-hour free concert at the Central Park on Sunday, which is the day of the Summer Solstice. Sunday is also International Day of Yoga when there will be a yoga session in Times Square with the expected participation of 30,000 people. …
AFRO POP WORLDWIDE:
AFRICA MEETS INDIA IN BROOKLYN
Already home to Clocktower Radio—which broadcasts the unparalleled Brazilian music show “Sonoridad”—Pioneer Works in Brooklyn is adding another massive feather to its musical cap: a three-month residency of African and Indian musical collaboration.
The Indian classical music collective Brooklyn Raga Massive is launching the residency at the gallery and event space in Brooklyn that will bring together some incredible artists from seemingly disparate musical traditions.
Awa Sango
The residency kicks off on Feb. 3 with a triple bill that comprises the golden voice of Mali, Awa Sangho, a kora/tabla duo, the Brooklyn Massive All-Stars, and the (their emphasis) original pioneers of the genre, Afrika Meets India, whose lineup includes an mbira, bansuri, kora, sitar and tabla, as well as percussion.
Afrika Meets India
Brooklyn Raga Massive has been presenting this concert series for over a year now, so you may have chanced upon an episode as it was broadcast on WKCR 89.9 FM in New York, and those out of the range of Columbia University’s radio station can judge the results for themselves via the podcast nycradiolive.org.
Of course, long-time Afropop listeners know just how potent this combination can be, and how despite the distance, there’s been cross pollination between the Asian subcontinent and the African continent over the years. For others, this is a chance for not just good music but an education.
“The Africa/India series has been really successful at bring African music fans to Indian music and Indian music fans to African music,” says producer, radio host and BRM guitarist David Ellenbogen. “Both of these musics have a lot of common ground and complementary elements, it’s been amazing to hear the synergy and joyous to see such diverse audiences coming together.”
According to the event’s press release, “BRM’s Pioneer Works residency will consist of multidisciplinary performances, recording sessions, educational offerings and podcasts. On every Wednesday in February, March and April, BRM will bring their weekly series to Pioneer Works with greatly expanded programming, including themed nights (Women’s Night, Dance, Africa/India), tributes to musical legends from East (Ravi Shankar) and West (George Harrison) and special guest artists, such as Pt. Krishna Bhatt, Karsh Kale and Kiran Ahluwalia. Before each concert, BRM will host related workshops and film screenings, while during the concert, Bombay Sandwich Co. will provide delicious culinary offerings.”
Anyone in the area should definitely check it out—we’ll keep the Afropop calendar updated—and anyone outside of the area who wants to check it out can do so online.
Brooklyn Raga Massive In The Press
BROOKLYN RAGA MASSIVE IN THE WALL STREET JOURNAL (link to full article)
“EXPANDING THE NOTION OF WHAT RAGA—THE IMMERSIVE, EPIC FORM OF INDIAN MUSIC—CAN MEAN.” – WALL ST. JOURNAL
BROOKLYN RAGA MASSIVE IN THE VILLAGE VOICE
“FEW MUSICAL HANGS HAVE BEEN AS DEPENDABLY REWARDING AS BROOKLYN RAGA MASSIVE’S JAM SESSIONS WHICH FEATURE THE CREAM OF THE LOCAL INDIAN CLASSICAL COMMUNITY.” – RICHARD GEHR FOR THE VILLAGE VOICE
BROOKLYN RAGA MASSIVE IN THE NEW YORKER
“LEADERS OF THE RAGA RENAISSANCE” – THE NEW YORKER
BROOKLYN RAGA MASSIVE IN NEWS INDIA TIMES
“Though a tradition takes years to establish itself, a group of Indian raga enthusiasts are well on their way to making one for their increasingly multi-ethnic, and hip central Brooklyn neighborhood.” – News India Times
“BRILLIANT YOUNG SUPERSTARS-IN-THE-MAKING” –NORWALK DAILY VOICE
“WITH A MOVING ART IMAGE INSTALLATION PLAYING IN THE BACKGROUND AND A QUIET ROOM, IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO RESIST THE MUSICALLY-GUIDED SPIRITUAL TAKEOVER.” – CRUSHINGVINYL.COM
“ BEAUTIFUL AND HEART RENDERING BEYOND DESCRIPTION…IT WAS DIFFICULT TO TAKE NOTES BECAUSE THE MUSIC BROUGHT TEARS TO MY EYES.”
–DOOBEEDOOBEEDOO NY
Time Out NY Critic’s Pic:
Terry Riley composed his landmark minimalist composition In C well before he developed an interest in Indian music, but the fit—as seen by Brooklyn Raga Massive—is a natural. The ensemble, which mixes traditional and innovative approaches to Indian music, performs the piece with Riley’s blessing.
“The musical collective takes classical Indian music and insert moments of jazz, funk, and reggae.” -WNYC’s Soundcheck
“BRM co-founder David Ellenbogen, who hails from White Plains, N.Y. spent part of his career in music production, working with producer George Wein on the Newport Jazz Festival and other similar events, but soon found himself enchanted with classical Indian music.
“As soon as I heard the tambura of Indian music, it made something inside me stand up,” Mr. Ellenbogen, 38, said of the stringed instrument often used to create a harmonic drone. “It was like a metaphor of enlightenment. Maybe it has to do with the overtones, but when I heard that music, I was inspired to travel to India.” In addition to playing in the Raga Massive, he also hosts the raga program “Raag Aur Taal” on WKCR, the Columbia University radio station.
-Wall Street Journal
Coverage of the Ragas Live Festival (very similar articles)
First Ever Marathon Live Radio Broadcast of Indian Ragas
By Ela Dutt
Years ago while traveling around the world, David Ellenbogen, executive producer at New York City’s WKCR radio station, ended up in Calcutta, “at the feet” of Debashish Bhattacharya” whom he describes as “the greatest guitarist in the world” and the experience as akin to “climbing the Himalayas.”
He was bowled over by the immense respect he saw Indians give to ragas, Ellenbogen told Desi Talk. That’s driven him to keep promoting Indian music of all genres on his radio station. On June 20th, that love is manifesting itself in a 24-hour marathon of Indian ragas broadcast live over his radio station, the first of its kind in the Western Hemisphere according to Neel Murgai, founder of Brooklyn RagaMassive, one of several Indian-American music groups that thrive in Manhattan and surrounding boroughs. Ellenbogen calls it “a renaissance” of Indian ragas in the Big Apple. Ellenbogen also has a 72 hours of ragas on his podcast site at nycradiolive.org, which includes his recordings of music from around the world.
The Ragas Live Festival 2015 is in its fourth year and features more than 60 musicians, some of them world renowned, performing live at studios around the city and broadcast on WKCR at 89.9 FMNY, midnight to midnight. This will be followed on June 21st by free concerts in Central Park Dairy Lawn, according to a release from the groups behind the whole effort which include Afro Roots NYC, Anindo Chatterjee School of Tabla, Brooklyn Raga Massive, Carnatic Sundays, Chhandayan Center for Indian Music, HarmoNYom, Krishna Bhatt’s Gurukul, Navatman, NYC Radio Live, and Shastra & Taalim School of Indian Music. The event is part of Make Music NY or MMNY,
Several maestros are coming from India including Pandita Tripti Mukherjee , Ustad Aashish Khan , Pandit Tejendra Narayan Majumdar, Pandit Krishna Bhatt , Ustad Mashkoor Ali Khan , Sanghamitra Chatterjee , and Pandit Samir Chatterjee.
“Each raga is meant to be played and heard at a certain time of the day and night. So you can hear the late night ragas late at night and the morning ragas in the morning,” Murgai told Desi Talk.
Alongside will be emerging performers in the city with classical and new genres such as, Yacouba Sissoko, a Kora player from Mali will perform with bansuri player Jay Gandhi representing the monthly Africa/India Collaboration concerts produced at Brooklyn Raga Massive events. Chamber Raga, a form being explored by musician Karavika will be featured. Prodigy Vivek Pandya who made hisRagas Live debut with a 45 minute solo at 8 years old, will now perform at 10 years old with the maestros Samarth Nagarkar (vocal) and Abhik Mukherjee (sitar).
Murgai said because the studios where the musicians will be playing for the live broadcast are small, no audiences can attend. Which is why this year free performances and workshops are scheduled to be held in Central Park on June 21.
Tags: INTERNATIONAL RADIO | WKCR | RADIO | DAVID ELLENBOGEN | FOURTH RAGAS LIVEFESTIVAL |PANDITA TRIPTI MUKHERJEE | USTAD AASHISH KHAN | JAY GANDHI |
NEW DELHI: More than sixty musicians will take part in a marathon 24-hour festival of Indian ragas is to be broadcast live on New York’s WKCR 89.9 FM Radio Station from 20 June featuring Indian and international artistes.
The event has been conceived by David Ellenbogen, who is Executive Producer at WKCR, and who says he is fascinated by the respect Indian musicians give to ragas.
According to a press release on the station’s website, the Fourth Ragas LiveFestival will have the artistes performing live at studios around the city and broadcast on WKCR midnight to midnight. This will be followed on 21 June by free concerts in Central Park Dairy Lawn.
The event is produced by WKCR, in collaboration with 13 leading organizations- Afro Roots NYC, Anindo Chaterjee School of Tabla, Brooklyn Raga Massive, Carnatic Sundays, Chhandayan, HarmoNYom, Krishna Bhatt’s Gurukul, Navatman, NYC Radio Live, Shastra & Taalim School of Indian Music.
Ellenbogen said, “We are experiencing a raga renaissance in New York City. There are so many amazing musicians collaborating within and beyond the genre. This festival is a result of that and has gained a growing international audience. From what I understand, even in India, they have not produced in-studio broadcasts on this scale.”
Artistes coming from India include Pandita Tripti Mukherjee, Ustad Aashish Khan, Pandit Tejendra Narayan Majumdar, Pandit Krishna Bhatt, Ustad Mashkoor Ali Khan, Sanghamitra Chatterjee, and Pandit Samir Chatterjee.
Alongside will be emerging performers in the city with classical and new genres such as Yacouba Sissoko, a Kora player from Mali will perform with bansuri player Jay Gandhi representing the monthly Africa/India collaboration concerts produced at Brooklyn Raga Massive events. Chamber Raga, a form being explored by musician Karavika will be featured.
Prodigy Vivek Pandya who made his Ragas Live debut with a 45 minute solo will perform with maestros Samarth Nagarkar (vocal) and Abhik Mukherjee (sitar).
World Music Day: The Ragas Live Festival in New York to hold 24-hour long Indian classical music marathon!
Thu, June 18, 2015 3:42pm IST by IANS
The music concert will be held at Central Park…
A unique 24-hour Indian classical music marathon, the Ragas Live Festival, with a multi-national and multi-ethnic cast of over 60 musicians is set to be broadcast this weekend here and streamed live on the Internet for listeners around the world. It is billed as longest broadcast of Indian classical performed live. “From what I understand, even in India, they have not produced in-studio broadcasts on this scale,” Executive Producer David Ellenbogen said.
This is the fourth Raga Festival and this year it will add a six-and-a-half-hour free concert at the Central Park on Sunday, which is the day of the Summer Solstice. Sunday is also International Day of Yoga when there will be a yoga session in Times Square with the expected participation of 30,000 people. The Raga Festival is not a part of that program, but it also reflects the growing interest in Indian culture here.
“We are experiencing a raga renaissance in New York City,” Ellenbogen said. “There are so many amazing musicians collaborating within and beyond the genre. This festival is a result of that and has gained a growing international audience.” The festival is a collaboration between Columbia University radio station WKCR 89.9 FM-NY and 13 other organisations.
The marathon will be streamed live on www.wkcr.org and it will be archived at the station’s website and at www.nycradiolive.org for listeners to hear it later. A vocal by Ustad Mashkoor Ali Khan will start the marathon broadcast, at 11:59 p.m. Friday night New York Time (Saturday, 9:29 a.m. IST) and will end at midnight Saturday (Sunday, 9:30 a.m. IST) with a vocal by Pandita Tripti Mukherjee.
Among the featured musicians are Ustad Aashish Khan, Pandit Tejendra Narayan Majumdar, Pandit Krishna Bhatt, Sanghamitra Chatterjee, and Pandit Samir Chatterjee. Besides Hindustani and Carnatic classical music, the new genres and the collaboration across traditions that are emerging in New York will be represented at the festival.
Yacouba Sissoko from Mali who plays the kora, a 21-string instrument from West Africa, is to perform with Jay Gandhi on the bansuri and Ellenbogen on the guitar. Sissko and Bansuri perform at the monthly Africa/India Collaboration concerts produced at Brooklyn Raga Massive events.
Carnatic compositions in jazz interpretations by Arun Ramamurthy Trio (ART) and Chamber Raga form by Karavika are also on the programme.http://www.economylead.com/entertainment/24-hour-indian-classical-music-marathon-in-new-york-over-weekend-77910
24-hour Indian classical music marathon in New York over weekend
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on
A unique 24-hour Indian classical music marathon, the Ragas Live Festival, with a multi-national and multi-ethnic cast of over 60 musicians is set to be broadcast this weekend here and streamed live on the Internet for listeners around the world.
It is billed as longest broadcast of Indian classical performed live. “From what I understand, even in India, they have not produced in-studio broadcasts on this scale,” Executive Producer David Ellenbogen said.
This is the fourth Raga Festival and this year it will add a six-and-a-half-hour free concert at the Central Park on Sunday, which is the day of the Summer Solstice.
Sunday is also International Day of Yoga when there will be a yoga session in Times Square with the expected participation of 30,000 people. The Raga Festival is not a part of that program, but it also reflects the growing interest in Indian culture here.
“We are experiencing a raga renaissance in New York City,” Ellenbogen said. “There are so many amazing musicians collaborating within and beyond the genre. This festival is a result of that and has gained a growing international audience.”
The festival is a collaboration between Columbia University radio station WKCR 89.9 FM-NY and 13 other organisations.
The marathon will be streamed live on www.wkcr.org and it will be archived at the station’s website and at www.nycradiolive.org for listeners to hear it later.
A vocal by Ustad Mashkoor Ali Khan will start the marathon broadcast, at 11:59 p.m. Friday night New York Time (Saturday, 9:29 a.m. IST) and will end at midnight Saturday (Sunday, 9:30 a.m. IST) with a vocal by Pandita Tripti Mukherjee.
Among the featured musicians are Ustad Aashish Khan, Pandit Tejendra Narayan Majumdar, Pandit Krishna Bhatt, Sanghamitra Chatterjee, and Pandit Samir Chatterjee.
Besides Hindustani and Carnatic classical music, the new genres and the collaboration across traditions that are emerging in New York will be represented at the festival.
Yacouba Sissoko from Mali who plays the kora, a 21-string instrument from West Africa, is to perform with Jay Gandhi on the bansuri and Ellenbogen on the guitar. Sissko and Bansuri perform at the monthly Africa/India Collaboration concerts produced at BrooklynRaga Massive events.
Carnatic compositions in jazz interpretations by Arun Ramamurthy Trio (ART) and Chamber Raga form by Karavika are also on the programme.
:
By
on
June 18, 2015
A unique 24-hour Indian classical music marathon, the Ragas Live Festival, with a multi-national and multi-ethnic cast of over 60 musicians is set to be broadcast this weekend here and streamed live on the Internet for listeners around the world.
It is billed as longest broadcast of Indian classical performed live. “From what I understand, even in India, they have not produced in-studio broadcasts on this scale,” Executive Producer David Ellenbogen said.
This is the fourth Raga Festival and this year it will add a six-and-a-half-hour free concert at the Central Park on Sunday, which is the day of the Summer Solstice.
Sunday is also International Day of Yoga when there will be a yoga session in Times Square with the expected participation of 30,000 people. The Raga Festival is not a part of that program, but it also reflects the growing interest in Indian culture here.
“We are experiencing a raga renaissance in New York City,” Ellenbogen said. “There are so many amazing musicians collaborating within and beyond the genre. This festival is a result of that and has gained a growing international audience.”
The festival is a collaboration between Columbia University radio station WKCR 89.9 FM-NY and 13 other organisations.
The marathon will be streamed live on www.wkcr.org and it will be archived at the station’s website and at www.nycradiolive.org for listeners to hear it later.
A vocal by Ustad Mashkoor Ali Khan will start the marathon broadcast, at 11:59 p.m. Friday night New York Time (Saturday, 9:29 a.m. IST) and will end at midnight Saturday (Sunday, 9:30 a.m. IST) with a vocal by Pandita Tripti Mukherjee.
Among the featured musicians are Ustad Aashish Khan, Pandit Tejendra Narayan Majumdar, Pandit Krishna Bhatt, Sanghamitra Chatterjee, and Pandit Samir Chatterjee.
Besides Hindustani and Carnatic classical music, the new genres and the collaboration across traditions that are emerging in New York will be represented at the festival.
Yacouba Sissoko from Mali who plays the kora, a 21-string instrument from West Africa, is to perform with Jay Gandhi on the bansuri and Ellenbogen on the guitar. Sissko and Bansuri perform at the monthly Africa/India Collaboration concerts produced at BrooklynRaga Massive events.
Carnatic compositions in jazz interpretations by Arun Ramamurthy Trio (ART) and Chamber Raga form by Karavika are also on the programme.