Julius Gabriel, Muthu Kumar and Navya Rudrappa
A serendipitous meeting at a contemporary art space inspired
saxophone player Julius Gabriel and
sitar player Navya Rudrappa to explore the possibility of a collaboration. An exchange of ideas from their respective musical backgrounds led to elaborate practice sessions and interactions with
Nadaswaram Vidwan Dakshinamurthy and
parai player Naresh Kumar. The idea of a performance was finalised after a rehearsal with renowned tabla player
Muthu Kumar. The music of this trio is influenced by classical ragas, jazz music and intuitive improvisation.
Navya Rudrappa is an emerging
architect-turned sitar player based in Bangalore. She is a disciple of Shri Vijay Gonahalu of Imdadkhani gharana and Pt Nandakumar Kurudi of Agra gharana. She has given solo and group performances for Alaap Sangeet Sabha, Sitar Symphony and other non-profit organizations in Bangalore, Mysore and Dharwad.
Julius Gabriel is a
saxophone player, performing and recording artist from Berlin who is currently an
artist in residence at the
Indian Music Experience Museum. His work as a solo artist focuses
on the exploration of the saxophone within all its limits and dimensions, emphasizing the multidimensional unfolding of sound through
experimentation, improvisation, extended playing techniques and
self-made hybrid instruments. He is an active collaborator who has recorded and performed with musicians from various musical genres across Europe. He has worked as a member of large ensembles such as The Dorf, London Jazz Composers Orchestra and Barry Guy Blue Shroud Band.
Muthu Kumar has created a niche for himself as a
tabla percussion player par excellence, with over
30 years of experience in the music industry. After having studied under tabla legends
Ustad Allarakha and
Ustad Zakir Hussain, Muthu has traveled across the globe and performed at many prestigious venues and festivals. He has accompanied Anup Jalota, Alice Coltrane, Maynard Ferguson, John Barnes, Bill Laswell, Dana Gillespie, Bombay Jayashree, Chaka Khan, Sonu Nigam, Grammy winner Ricky Kej and Lucky Ali. He is also the
founder of Rhythm Shala - a school for Indian percussion with over a 100 students. Muthu has collaborated internationally with musicians from many genres. He has recorded for numerous albums and is the founder of popular bands like Mystik Vibes, Y Factor and Atmic Vision.
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