Yollay - Deepak Ram: Bansuri Concert with Enayat and Kanoa

Deepak Ram
Music
Deepak Ram is a versatile artist who is well known for his evocative performances in traditional North Indian (Hindustani) classical music, his collaborations with musicians of other genres, his innovative compositions and for his excellence as a teacher. Deepak's first love is north Indian classical music. Indeed, he is an accomplished soloist. He is a delightful and captivating performer, combining technical mastery with personal charm. He has performed in the United States of America (where he is currently based), South Africa, India, United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Austria, Germany, Lebanon, Turkey, Taiwan and Holland and had the honor of accompanying his teacher, Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, in Geneva, London and Paris. Deepak began his formal training in bansuri and tabla under Sri Jeram Bhana in South Africa in 1975. Two years later he was off to Mumbai, India, to study flute under the late Sri Suryakant Limaye (India's master flute maker); he simultaneously spent a short time under flautist, Pandit Vijay Raghav Rao. It was in 1981 that his dream was realized when he became the disciple of the celebrated flautist, Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, with whom he continues to study from time to time. During this period he also studied tabla under Sri Yashwant Padhye and music theory and voice under Pandit Rajaram Shukla. Deepak earned a Masters degree in Music (MMus) from Rhodes University, South Africa, in 1996 for his thesis, Exploring Syncretism Between Indian and Western Music Through Composition. Deepak's versatility is apparent in his numerous collaborations with musicians of various genres. These include performances with jazz pianists Darius Brubeck and Bheki Mseleku, Tunisian oud player and vocalist Dhafer Yousseff and the popular South African band Tananas. On January 1, 2000, Deepak performed with South African musicians like Sibongile Khumalo and the Rwandan diva, Cecile, on Robben Island in South Africa's Millennium Concert hosted by presidents Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki. Deepak has 9 solo albums to his credit and as a session musician can be heard on over 60 albums. His bansuri can also be heard on movie soundtracks, such as The Fast And The Furious, Matrix Revolutions, India, Kingdom of the Tiger, Stealth and Before The Rains. In 2000, Deepak was awarded Best Instrumental Album at the South African Music Awards for his album Searching for Satyam. His previous album Flute for Thought also saw him being nominated for Best Male Artist and Best Instrumental Album in the 1999 South African Music Awards. Both these albums as well as Beauty in Diversity feature Deepak's compositions and arrangements based on elements of north Indian music. In 2008, The Board of Directors of Indo-American Chamber of Commerce in California selected Deepak Ram for the 2007 Award of Outstanding Contribution to Arts and Humanities. Previous recipients of this award include Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, Ustad Zakir Hussain and Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri. Deepak's knowledge of both Indian and western traditions is evident in his compositions which range from pieces for jazz groups, western flute quartets (flute, violin, viola and cello), choral works and ballets to orchestral pieces. His last work 'SURYA' for classical guitar and bansuri, commissioned by the award-winning guitarist Mesut zgen was premiered at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Deepak is currently working on music for bansuri and string quartet. One of Deepak's fortes is his ability to communicate his knowledge, making him an excellent teacher. Most recently, he served as visiting professor in Indian Music at the University of California, Santa Cruz. He lectured full time for four years at the University of Durban-Westville, South Africa, and has conducted many workshops in Indian music in the USA, United Kingdom, Ireland and South Africa. He also has several publications to his credit, including an instruction booklet, Harmonium Made Easy.

Enayet Hossain
Music
Enayet was born into a musical family, his grandfather, the late great Ustad Kader Buksh was acknowledged as one of Indias foremost musicologist/musician. Enayet learned the tabla from his father, Ustad Hamid Hossain, a very well known Indian music teacher and musician based in the United States. Enayet was born in Bangladesh and raised in the United States and represents a new breed of musicians who received their musical training outside of India. Enayet is a versatile performer of tabla. He is at ease with accompaniment with North Indian classical music, instrumental music, light and semi classical music including thumri, ghazal, dadra etc as well as giving solo performances. Enayet has over 14 compact disc recordings available where he is featured. Enayet started accompanying Indias top musicians from an early age. While only 17, he accompanied Aftab-E-Sitar Ustad Vilayat Khan on several concerts. He has since accompanied artists like Ustad Salamat Ali Khan, Pandit Jasraj, Budhaditya Mukherjee, Shujaat Khan, Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan and countless others. Enayet, who grew up in the United States since the age of 4 represents a new breed of musicians who have learned the art of music in outside of India. Enayet has several music compact discs to his credit and has performed tabla throughout the United States and India. He has been featured in many newspapers as a leading artist. He also received many citations from the state of Maryland for his outstanding contributions to the propagation of Indian music and its synthesis in American society. He has also received a grant from the Governor of Maryland as an artist in residence. Enayet has studied Computer Science in college and has brought his knowledge in Computer Science and mixed it with his musicianship. This enabled him to create some of the most ground-breaking products of Indian music. His first venture, with his close friend, Patrick Gomes was to release something that was an introduction to the instrument he loved so dearly. This lead to the development, and creation of Tabla Volume 1: A Journey Into Eastern Percussion. This cdrom has been critically acclaimed and has since been used in various musicology programs throughout the world. It is available from http://www.aimrec.com or http://www.amazon.com. The cdrom proved that the art of Indian music is alive and well and a vast amount of people throughout the world are interested in learning this and exploring the possibilities. Enayet along with another close associate of his, Anjan Chattopadhyay together thought that the next release should be a comprehensive multimedia encyclopedia of Indian music; something that would facilitate further interest in Indian music. Sangeetpedia was born, and will undoubtedly become something that the future generations can use to gain a greater understanding of Indian music and its intricacies. Enayet is not only a musician par excellence, but also someone who is in a position to combine technology with traditional music. Not to fuse it with another form of music or dilute it in any way, but to propagate it in its original form; the only difference being that the presentation is facilitated in an easier package that makes todays generation able to access and learn from it.

Deepak Ram: Bansuri Concert with Enayat and Kanoa

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