As the sitar and bansuri speak to each other and create their own poetry at the Rubin Museusm of Art in Chelsea (a popular neighbourhood tucked away to the far west end of New York City), the dark rain clouds looming overhead burst into a shower. You can’t help but wonder if this is what the power of Raag Miyan ki Malhar has brought about.
The feverish tempo, rise and fall of musical notes and the lightning bolt with the tihai (polyrhythmic technique technique of Indian classical music) rushes through your veins, making you feel lighter amid the heaviness of the crowds, machinery in the city. The music itself is the result of a grassroots movement, now a full-fledged non-profit music collective 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. Founded by an eclectic bunch of American and Indian musicians, BRM aims to promote the love for Indian classical music through various collaborations. They too found each other through mutual friends having an interest in different kinds of music and started jamming together. From a performance at The Branded Saloon in Brooklyn to collaborating with studios and museums, BRM has come a long way.
“Brooklyn remains at the heart of all this because that’s where it started. Through our mutual love for Indian classical music and the aim to reach out to the audiences, we got together to figure out different ways (to do so),” says Jay Gandhi, a prolific flautist himself, having trained under the legendary Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia. There was no plan in place neither was there any structure to it. “It just grew from one thing to another and we would play music with all our passion. Of course, along the way we started understanding our audiences and figuring different aspects of our music out, that excited them,” says Gandhi.
The coffee house we are at to talk about BRM in Brooklyn is now home to these musicians. Thanks to them, I got freshly brewed coffee on the house on a sunny afternoon in the hipster neighbourhood.
Understanding BRM is not only about understanding the musicians and their movement, but also the place they come from in New York, their lifestyles and their audience too. Traditionally, Indian classical concerts have been restricted to sabhagrihas (auditoriums) with baithak (low seating on cushions) style seating and the audience intently listening to the musician. With playing at different bars, studios and even converted music spaces, does that change the dynamics?
“I think many of the original members of the collective had a strong inclination to broaden the kinds of places and contexts Indian Classical Music is performed in. Arun (Ramamurthy) had already been presenting Carnatic musicians in Manhattan at a non-traditional venue (Cornelia St Cafe). Sameer (Gupta) had the idea to do something similar in Brooklyn, this time emulating the traditional jam session format which is so much a vital part of American jazz. Having just moved to Brooklyn and coming out of musical background of both Jazz and Hindustani classical music myself, I was ecstatic to jump on board. And so it all manifested in our first ever BRM gathering in the back room of a local Brooklyn bar called the Branded Saloon. The context was new and different, but I think we were all overjoyed at the sense of community that we felt at being able to congregate every week and play for each other and music lovers. And then it always felt encouraging when a curious passer-bye who had never heard this music before would happen upon us and connect in a deep way,” says Jay with a smile.
Also, did they ever have to educate the audiences about music before starting off or explain any particular intricacies of the notes? He takes a long pause before answering, “You don't really need to be educated to listen to good music, you just have to feel it. That said, I think audiences and musicians are excited about what feels like a fresh outpouring of art and creativity in the city. Newcomers connect with that energy first and are slowly getting more educated about the genres with time,” explains Gandhi. Raga Kids is another initiative that is geared towards including children and spreading the love of music among them.
Over the years, BRM has collaborated and dabbled with different genres of music including jazz, avant garde jazz, African, Cuban and many more. Especially jazz since it is believed that Indian classical music patterns come closest to those of jazz. “We are rooted in the genuine intention and desire to bring forth the community spirit and love for classical music,” says Jay elaborating on the other logistical and operational tasks of BRM. “Being in sync with people around you is key in taking this forward.” Of course, managing all this hasn’t been that simple as it would have seemed earlier. The collaborations, studio rents and other offerings come at a price. As musicians, they have been volunteering and also organising fund-raising events in order to keep the collective going. As a non-profit they are also in the process of applying for grants and fellowships for the musicians.
As Jay continues to take me through the journey of BRM, his friend and another member of BRM, Ehren Hanson also joins us after his mid-afternoon Sunday rehearsal. Not surprisingly, most of the BRM members too live in the same neighbourhood, and some in the same building! “We love to annoy each other all the time with our music!” says Ehren, laughing. An American raised in New Jersey, he’s well-versed with Indian music and can speak fluent Bengali! “It’s a part of the process. We keep exchanging and learning from each other. The whole chemistry of this keeps us all going. We are constantly enriching ourselves and sharing as much as we can. And while might sound like we are all best buddies, we do have our own creative differences which we love sorting out and creating something more magical after those discussions,” says Ehren.
Ehren and Jay fondly recall their trip to Senegal in West Africa for a collaboration with Noura Mint Seymali, a popular Mortanian singer from North Africa. “That was a magical trip and collaboration. We just spoke through music,” says Ehren.
Apart from Jay and Ehren, BRM counts Arun Ramamurthy, Neel Murgai, Sameer Gupta, Samarth Nagarkar, Camilla Celine, Trina Basu and Abhik Mukherjee among its members. Abhik (one of the founding members of BRM) was born and raised in India and moved to New York six years ago. "We've all come to realise that music is dynamic and it needs to bend and travel downstream. The collaborations open doors to creating some wonderful magical moments for our audiences," Abhik tells me. Having trained and performed in his home city of Kolkata (before coming to NYC), how has the shift been in terms of the audience and spaces? "The audiences have been wonderful everywhere. It's just about how they perceive it. Back in India, you could say audiences look for the grammar in classical music versus people here looking for poetry in it," he says.
As the coffee house is almost about to close, Jay recommends walking till Prospect Park (popularly known as the Central Park of Brooklyn). We speak about what really binds BRM together. Personally, I can’t wait to get to their weekend concert at a farm in upstate New York where they will be playing music all night long with several other musicians from different genres, with bonfires and fireflies in the lap of nature.
“The fundamentals of rhythm essentially remain the same...the way we feel a beat and thereafter you embellish it and keep improvising on it," says Ehren, when we're about to part. "It just comes down to the bare components and that’s what essentially ties the universe around it.”
While it's a bit odd to be talking about a re-release nine months away days before the movie is even released in theaters to begin with, I don't mind, because this is exactly what I wanted to hear. Joe Carnahan's The Grey arrives in theaters this weekend, and it's easily one of the best films of the first half of this year, I've seen it twice and it's fantastic. More importantly, not only does the script deserve plenty of acclaim, but so does Liam Neeson, who gives an phenomenal performance. It's being theoretically "dumped" in January, even though I think it could be a huge breakout hit, but Carnahan says they might re-release it in October.
One of the many sites that interviewed Carnahan recently was The Playlist, and the last question they asked was regarding the January release date. "If we'd been able to launch in Toronto, which was our initial plan, but we wound up six weeks behind because of effects," Carnahan explains. So since they missed the Toronto Film Festival last year, it's being released this month anyway, but will it get lost in the mix and be forgotten about by the end of the year when the 2013 Oscar race starts up again? Potentially (hopefully not), but that's when Carnahan says they're already planning an October re-release for an Oscar qualifying run. He says:
"Let's ignore the fact that everybody says January's a dumping ground. They make too many movies these days for any one month to be a dumping ground. Obviously Taken was a January release for Liam that did quite well. Honestly, it's nice to even be mentioned, the idea that people even think it's awards-worthy. That's flattering. Open Road has said flat out and sort of scrawled it in blood that they're going to release the film in October 2012 for a qualifying run, which is great.”
That is great, indeed. Even better because I do think Neeson deserves awards acclaim, and I hope he gets plenty even another 10 to 12 months from now. That's the problem with releasing in January, even if it is a great film, everyone will have moved on and forgotten about it by the time we hit the summer. Which is also exactly why I was hoping they'd do something like this, and it's great to know it's coming without having to wait until September to hear about it. I just hope Open Road Films holds true this, no matter how well (or how poorly) it fares at the box office this weekend, because it's an outstanding movie and one that deserves to get awards later this year. Be sure to go see The Grey in theaters first this opening weekend - it's worth it!
I like that screenshot. You know the one from the trailer, where hes attacking the Alpha wolf. Too bad I saw it at a prescreening last night and that scene ISNT EVEN IN THE MOVIE.
Omg boycotthollywood! That scene isn't in the movie!?! Ugh it looks like the best part! I'm gonna see it thursday midnight showing so I hope it rocks. Love all the movies that Carnahan has made so far. Did you like the film?
The film is quite good. B+. Couldve been an A- if they actually included the final showdown between Hero and Villain that was built up so nicely during the film. I have seen this decision made before, like in 'No Country For Old Men'. Exact same problem. They build up this great suspense and pressure between our Hero and Villain, then here comes the big showdown, and we get NOTHING. Nevermind the outcome, I don't care whether evil or good prevails. I want to see HOW it went down. Even if it is implied well, I don't agree with this 'technique' of omitting the climax as good filmmaking. In fact I see it as a complete lack of creative execution. Could they not think of something cool enough to show? Obviously the scene was shot, did it turn out that bad? Do we have to wait for a directors cut? Too many filmmakers nowadays are using this technique of 'omitting the climax' and I wholeheartedly disagree with it. Even if your film is well made, the story is well developed, and the outcome is implied, the audience still deserves to see how it went down! Thats why we came to see the movie in the first place!! Am I completely alone on this?
Well, with NCFOM, you just misunderstood what the movie was about. It was never about Anton or Moss or the chase or who won or lost. The movie was about Bell the entire time. It wasn't building to a showdown. It was building to Bell, retired, recounting a dream he had about his father. He realizes that evil will always exist, no matter how much of your life you dedicate to stopping it. The fact that the movie opens with Bell ruminating on this topic over imagery of desolate landscape - making the final scene a perfect bookend - should make it pretty clear that this is what the movie's really about. So they weren't omitting the climax at all; you were just looking in the wrong place.
The exception to this rule is sequels. Obviously we know Frodo isnt going to reach Mordor in the first film. But unless theres gonna be a sequel, why not just show us the best part of the film that all of us saw in the trailer and came to see anyway?
It's a movie. Fiction. You may as well petition to ban Little Red Riding Hood and Jaws too. Nobody wants to commit animal cruelty after watching this movie. I love animals, and I don't have a problem with this movie at all. The wolves that were killed for the movie were already dead after being killed by a trapper for preying on cattle. So if you have a problem with that, then go petition to make trapping illegal, because that's where the problem lies. Making a big deal about boycotting this movie is just a waste of time.
So bitch, if you get stranded in that area and wolves are hunting you down, are you just going to let them eat you? Or are you going to stand up and kill the wolf?
Michael, Oakham Guitar teacher, Oakham Music Theory teacher, Oakham Ukulele teacher | First Tutors: Music
First Tutors: Music, Michael, Oakham Guitar teacher, Oakham Music Theory teacher, Oakham Ukulele teacher | First Tutors: Music
I am an electric/acoustic guitarist with 16 years of experience. I have performed in various music settings and have been fortunate to perform across the UK and Europe including, Belgium, Germany and France. My main interests as a guitarist and musician include improvisation, song writing and transcribing music.
As well as having a passion for playing music, I also have a passion for teaching. I take great joy in seeing inexperienced students learn their first song and helping seasoned players reach the next level in their playing
I have taught at a number of colleges including Alton, Brighton and Fareham colleges, where I delivered music performance workshops. I also have extensive private and group teaching experience, ranging from ages 8 to 60!
I currently teach at Longsands College and for Northampton county council, working at various schools in the Northamptonshire/Leicestershire district. As well as working in colleges and schools, I teach privately to over 20 students
I have taught at a number of colleges including Alton, Brighton and fareham colleges, where I delivered music performance workshops. I also have extensive private and group teaching experience, ranging from ages 8 to 60!
I currently teach at Longsands College and for Northampton county council where I have written and teach the guitar syllabus and work at various schools in the Northamptonshire/Leicestershire district. As well as teaching privately
My approach to teaching guitar is different from other teachers. i deliver a program that enables the absolute novice to play a song within the first 20 minutes of their first lesson and more experienced players to smash through those annoying plateaus. Every student receives sheet music, lesson plans, custom tracks and backing tracks designed to help them improve and execute techniques learnt in each lesson, as well as learning songs that put these techniques into practice.
MichaelFrom Andrew (5/5): For me, if I can't immediately relate to a guitar teacher, the subsequent lessons can be a laborious. Mike is one of the most personable guys I've met. He didn't arrive with a preset agenda and the first assessment lesson proved very valuable in terms of our start point. Mike really listens and gives you a good variety of content in his lessons, based around what you would like to learn mixed with some fun with what you can play. It's all at your own pace, so those of us with busy working lives can take it as slow or as quickly as time permits, which is great. Mike is very talented and adaptable and will go through things as many times as needed, plus will work out any music you want and provide you with notation and video clips as well as more standardized lesson materials. I am enjoying my lessons, which I hadn't really done previously and my playing is starting to show some benefits. I really hope I can progress more, but I am confident Mike will be able to help me with that. I can absolutely recommend Mike and certainly for my (intermediate needs {with big gaps in theory etc}). I'm sure you will feel the same after being introduced. Cheers Andrew
MichaelFrom Nick (5/5): I am so delighted to have found Michael - he's brilliant. Not only a very talented guitarist but his teaching is brilliant too. It's fun and exciting, giving you the confidence to get to the next level. The sheet music and videos he provides all add to the experience. Highly recommended!
MichaelFrom Laura (5/5): I'm currently really enjoying my lessons with Mike. He makes it really easy to learn and go at your own pace. Our lessons are always fun and I think it's important to listen as well as play during lessons so I always enjoy hearing Mike play. It's very inspiring and keeps me motivated to keep playing. I am often busy throughout the week and sometimes don't get time to practice as much as I like but Mike is very easy going which really fits my learning so I don't feel forced to pick it up, now I've learnt just to pick it up naturally! Definitely would recommend Mike, he's cool!
MichaelFrom Wayne (5/5): As a primary school teacher, I feel well-qualified to know what qualities a good teacher should possess and Michael fits the bill admirably. He is patient, supportive and innovative, as well as being knowledgeable and enthusiastic.
I would recommend him, without hesitation, as being an ideal guitar tutor for any age group from 6 to 106.
MichaelFrom Kenneth (5/5): i am starting to learn the guitar from scratch, and michael put me at ease straight away.
we have already struck up a good rapport , and his method of teaching is very professional and he seems to understand what the pupils strengths and weaknesses are in a very short time.
so any potential guitar pupil reading this please be assured , and look no further , michael is very highly recommended ,
MichaelFrom Julie (5/5): I really enjoyed my first lesson. Michael's approach is very rewarding as you get to put into practice what you learn and play music- even if it's just one note. Loved it!