Monsoon Ragas and Jam Session with Brooklyn Raga Massive

Brooklyn Raga Massive has been making huge waves in music of late. Since the sold-out performance of their critically acclaimed version of “In C,” the Rubin has become a home for their special presentations. In this intimate concert the maestros Jay Gandhi (bansuri), Abhik Mukherjee (sitar), and Suryaksha Deshpande (tabla) combine forces to explore the Malhar group of ragas, those that praise the monsoon rains. The chemistry between these artists, nurtured over years of friendship, is something rare and beautiful. Set against a backdrop of of monsoon imagery and art from the Rubin’s exhibition Nepalese Seasons: Rain and Ritual, the concert will also include legends of the monsoon and selections from the most famous poets of the rain, Kalidasa and his “Meghadootam” (The Cloud Messenger).

Following the concert join the artist collective in the entrance hall for their classic Brooklyn Raga Massive jam session.

About the Musicians

Abhik Mukherjee is a Kolkata-born sitar player of the Etawah-Imdadkhani gharana. He was initiated to sitar at the age of six by his father, Sri Tarit Mukherjee, and Sri Bimal Chatterjee while simultaneously receiving vocal instruction from Sri Kaylan Bose. He has since taken talim, or training, from Pandit Arvind Parikh and Pandit Kashinath Mukherjee, themselves disciples of the legendary Ustad Vilayat Khan. He is a gold medalist in musicology from Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata, and has also received a scholarship from the Ministry of Culture, India.

Jay Gandhi‘s music has been shaped by years of intensive training under the legendary bansuri maestro Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, and is reflective of the artist’s devotion to his guru and a diverse range of musical influences. Ghandi initially trained in vocal music under Smt. Kum Kum Sanyal and later bansuri under Pt. Ronu Majumdar and Pt. Raghunath Seth.

In 2004 he completed an Individual Major in Jazz Performance at Oberlin College/Conservatory of Music (Ohio), studying privately under such jazz luminaries as the saxophonist Gary Bartz and the trumpeter Marcus Belgrave.

Suryaksha Deshpande is a disciple of renowned scholar and performer Pt. Arvind Mulgaonkar of Farrukhabad Gharana (senior disciple of Ustad Amir Hussain Khan Sahab). He has also received training of Delhi Baaz from musicologist Pt. Sudhir Mainkar, disciple of Inam Ali Khan Sahab of Delhi Gharana. Deshpande has accompanied many of the great artists in raga and beyond such as Padmabhushan Dr. N. Rajam (violin), Padmashree Pt. Satish Vyas (santoor), Pt. Brij Narayan (Sarod), and the ghazal master Ghulam Ali. His facility extends to the South Indian tradition, in which he has played with musicians like Shri. Sriram Parshuram (vocal) and Shri. Sridhar Parthsarathy (Mridangam).

Presented with Harrice Miller Entertainment and community partner Sunny Thakkar.