Streaming Concert_#520: Classical Sitar & Cross-cultural Improvisations
Snehesh Nag, Monir Hossain & Friends
Recorded on 7/17/22
Snehesh Nag and Monir Hossain will perform on sitar and tabla to begin the evening. Snehesh will then be joined on stage by Ari Pluznik (guitar and electric bass), Gabe Bustos (guitar and electric bass), Danielle Williams (flute), Samantha Flores (cello), and Jim Hannah (drums and percussion), who all play together in songwriting project Ari and the Buffalo Kingsas. They will play a set full of improvisations, standards, and surprises, inspired by jazz, drones, and Hindustani classical.
SNEHESH NAG started learning North Indian classical music and the sitar from his father, sitar virtuoso Pt. Sugato Nag, belonging to the sarod gharana of Senia Shahjahanpore. He also took lessons from Shri Pranab Naha in early childhood. He was attached to the ITC Sangeet Research Academy (SRA) as a junior scholar from 2010 to 2015 under Guru Padma Bhushan Pandit Buddhadev Das Gupta; advanced lessons from Pt. Das Gupta continued until his passing.
In addition to the style of the Senia Shahjahanpore gharana, he infuses the Imdadakhani gharana style, taught by his father, into his playing. He requently takes lessons from the sarod maestro, Pt. Prattyush Banerjee, learned the tabla from maestro Pt. Tanmoy Bose, and has taken vocal instruction from Shri Sandeep Nag.
Snehesh has received international acclaim, performing with world renowned musicians, garnering media attention and receiving prestigious awards. He graduated with a MS in Music Technology from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2020, and often engages in exploring sounds, from his sitar and other sources, with the use of technology. He collaborates with a variety of musicians and plays in professional bands such as Ari and the Buffalo Kings, where he enjoys discovering and improvising based on the common musical language shared between them.
MONIR HOSSAIN hails from a musical family, grandson of researcher and performer of well-known Ustad Kader Buksh of Murshidabad, West Bengal, India. Born in Bangladesh, and migrated to the U.s. with his family at an early age, Monir was musically influenced by his father, vocalist Ustad Hafiz Hossain, a regular classical vocalist at All India Radio in Calcutta. His long term guru is Pandit Samar Saha of Sangeet Research Academy, Calcutta.
Though trained in Benaras style, Monir expanded to other styles and also received brief but extensive talim from tabla stalwarts such as Pandit Nayan Ghosh, Pandit Anup Ghosh, Pandit Anindo Chatterjee as well as (late) Ustad Shawkat Ali Khan. Monir played tabla in person in the Hollywood film, American Chai. Monir continues to explore creative ways to infuse his traditional training with his evolving style of accompaniment as he continues to mature musically. He lives in Northern Virginia area and teaches and performs all over the continental US and Canada, India and Bangladesh.
Streaming Cost: $15
Link will remain active for one week
Donations welcome