tag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:/blogs/blogBlog2020-04-22T13:58:28-04:00Shawn Mativetskyfalsetag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/62906512020-04-22T13:58:28-04:002021-05-26T20:14:40-04:00Configuring Zoom for Online Tabla Lessons<p style="text-align: justify;"><em>(Last update - May 26, 2021)</em></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us have shifted to teaching (and learning) online. If you are using Zoom on a computer or tablet, you will need to make some changes to the default audio configuration in order to disable the background noise filters. When the filters are on, Zoom filters out the sound of the tabla, making it almost completely inaudible.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">(While I've written this post with the tabla in mind, the following information is valid for using Zoom with any musical instrument.)</p>
<p><span class="font_large"><strong>ZOOM ON A COMPUTER</strong></span></p>
<p><strong>1) Open the Zoom software and click on the settings cog in the upper-right corner. </strong></p>
<p><strong><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/229e78c3a49f7585713c9899966a8561cc5d908c/original/step-1.png/!!/b:W10=.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></strong></p>
<p><strong>2) Click on the Audio settings option in the menu on the left-hand side. </strong></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/17bec2536b65811072fac1af81fd8c92b837dd7c/original/screen-shot-2021-01-06-at-2-52-17-pm.png/!!/b:W10=.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>3) Scroll down if needed, until you see the Music and Professional Audio settings.</strong></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/fe1f3ec40775056b8cd4c0077a48ab1a7784c914/original/screen-shot-2021-01-06-at-3-07-23-pm.png/!!/b:W10=.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><strong>4) Make sure that the box is checked, next to '<span style="color:#c0392b;">Show in-meeting option to “Enable Original Sound” from microphone</span>'. </strong>You should also check 'High fidelity music mode' if you have sufficient internet bandwidth. If you are using headphones (highly recommended), you can also select 'Disable echo cancellation.'</p>
<p>After these are done, you can close the settings window. Now that this setting has been changed, you will not need to repeat steps 1-4 again in the future; proceed to step 5. </p>
<p>* You can also select 'Use stereo audio' if you have a stereo microphone.</p>
<p><strong>5) From now on, whenever you are connected in a Zoom meeting, you will see this button in the upper-left corner of the video screen:</strong></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/f880376aa7a58c5c43bc3daa55514d511abebb19/original/screen-shot-2021-05-26-at-7-58-40-pm.png/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p><strong>For music classes, 'Original Sound' needs to be ON. When 'Original sound' is ON, it will look like this:</strong></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/54e5dbe83dcf7ce8b3ef7034ddace905c2293db3/original/screen-shot-2021-05-26-at-7-58-51-pm.png/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p><strong>You will need to turn on Original Sound every time you connect for a lesson.</strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p><span class="font_large"><strong>ZOOM ON A TABLET</strong></span></p>
<p>On a tablet, there are less audio settings available, and the options available may depend on which tablet you have. On my iPad, from within the Zoom software, I was able to locate the original sound option as follows:</p>
<p><strong>1) Open the settings menu at the lower-left of the screen.</strong></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/7bcf8607ba84a56e22045ea660bd694f649366e3/original/img-0151.png/!!/b:W10=.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p><strong>2) Click on 'Meetings'</strong></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/b4631ad24b66ea03b53ada40cf8c3a57cf1c8798/original/img-0152.png/!!/b:W10=.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p><strong>3) Scroll down until you see 'Use Original Sound' and enable this option.</strong><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/44ceb85ac371001fdec0d6babd2d12ab0153d0eb/original/img-0153.png/!!/b:W10=.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" />After this is done, you can close the settings window. Now that this setting has been changed, you should not need to repeat steps 1-3 again in the future; proceed to step 4.</p>
<p><strong>4) From now on, whenever you are connected in a Zoom meeting and want to enable Original Sound, click on the More (...) menu in the upper right-hand corner. Next, select 'Enable Original Sound'.</strong></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/39cc93bab24db94b87f121bbd4216c41c6d7cfcc/original/img-0154.png/!!/b:W10=.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>I hope you have found this guide to be helpful. Best wishes for your tabla (or other music) studies, and good health during this challenging time.</p>Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/50461152018-01-26T16:47:54-05:002018-04-06T23:02:13-04:00Announcing the Summer Tabla Workshop Scholarship 2018!<p style="text-align: justify;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/edcd1a6850af2510a06e9ffc5c598932c7541b6d/medium/tabla-workshop-poster-mcgill-2018web.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_" /><strong>It gives me great pleasure to announce that for the fourth year in a row, a scholarship is available for this year's <a contents="annual summer tabla workshop" data-link-label="Annual Summer Workshop | Atelier annuel" data-link-type="page" href="/annual-summer-workshop-atelier-annuel">annual summer tabla workshop</a>!</strong> Thanks to a generous donor, the scholarship will cover the $350 tuition fee for one lucky student, who might not normally have been able to afford to attend otherwise. Additionally, if the participant does not have tabla, a pair of tabla will be made available for the duration of the workshop. The workshop takes place daily, from July 2 to 8, 2018, at the Schulich School of Music of McGill University, Montreal. </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">To apply, please submit the following to shawn.mativetsky (at) mcgill.ca : </p>
<ul> <li style="text-align: justify;">- Name, address, telephone number, e-mail address </li> <li style="text-align: justify;">- A video, not longer than five minutes, demonstrating your tabla playing. It is recommended that you upload as a private video on a video hosting site (YouTube, for example), and to then e-mail the URL. (If you have never played tabla before, please contact Shawn to discuss alternatives.) </li> <li style="text-align: justify;">- A letter, maximum 500 words, detailing your goals with regards to tabla and your intentions for the workshop. As the aim of the scholarship is to offer financial assistance to a student who would not normally be able to afford to attend, it is important that this subject be addressed as well. </li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Candidates have until March 1 to submit their applications. </strong>The successful candidate will be notified by mid-March. Late applications will not be accepted. </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">For more about the Annual Summer Tabla Workshop, <a contents="please click here" data-link-label="Annual Summer Workshop | Atelier annuel" data-link-type="page" href="/annual-summer-workshop-atelier-annuel">please click here</a>. <br>For those on Facebook, the <a contents="event page is&nbsp;here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/events/119739525376160/" target="_blank">event page is here</a>. </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<hr><p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Il me fait grand plaisir d'annoncer que pour une quatrième année consécutive, une bourse sera disponible pour <a contents="l'atelier de tabla annuel" data-link-label="Annual Summer Workshop | Atelier annuel" data-link-type="page" href="/annual-summer-workshop-atelier-annuel">l'atelier de tabla annuel</a>!</strong> Grâce à la générosité d'un donateur, la bourse couvrira les frais de scolarité de 350$ pour un étudiant chanceux, qui ne serait normalement pas en mesure de se permettre d'y assister autrement. En outre, si le participant n'a pas de tabla, une paire de tabla sera mise à sa disposition pour la durée de l'atelier. L'atelier aura lieu tous les jours, du 2 au 8 juillet 2018 à l'École de musique Schulich de l'Université McGill, Montréal. </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Pour postuler, s'il-vous-plaît faire parvenir ceci à shawn.mativetsky (@) mcgill.ca: </p>
<ul> <li style="text-align: justify;">Nom, adresse, numéro de téléphone, adresse courriel </li> <li style="text-align: justify;">Une vidéo, pas plus de cinq minutes, vous montrant en train de jouer du tabla. Il est recommandé que vous téléchargiez votre vidéo sur un site d'hébergement (YouTube, par exemple), et puis de faire parvenir par courriel l’adresse URL. (Si vous n’avez jamais joué de tabla auparavant, s'il-vous-plaît communiquer avec Shawn pour discuter des alternatives.) </li> <li style="text-align: justify;">Une lettre, de 500 mots maximum, précisant vos objectifs en ce qui concerne le tabla et vos intentions pour l'atelier. Comme le but de la bourse est d'offrir une aide financière à un étudiant qui ne serait normalement pas en mesure de se permettre d'y assister, il est important que cette question soit également traitée. </li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Les candidats ont jusqu'au 1 mars pour soumettre leur application.</strong> Le candidat retenu sera avisé en mi-mars. </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Pour plus d'informations à propos de l'atelier, <a contents="cliquez ici" data-link-label="Annual Summer Workshop | Atelier annuel" data-link-type="page" href="/annual-summer-workshop-atelier-annuel">cliquez ici</a>. <br>Pour la page Facebook, <a contents="cliquez ici" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/events/119739525376160/" target="_blank">cliquez ici</a>.</p>Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/48398852017-09-06T20:34:41-04:002020-06-29T06:51:38-04:00Understanding the Structure of a Tabla Solo<p style="text-align: justify;"><a contents="" data-link-label="pnotes1709-76-78.pdf" data-link-type="file" href="/files/302814/pnotes1709-76-78.pdf"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/9d2967ab38b88f8958a3e49e7946fe05b048223e/medium/pnotes1709-78.png?1504744259" class="size_m justify_left border_none" alt="" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">I was recently asked to write an article for <a contents="Percussive Notes" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.pas.org/publications/percussive-notes" target="_blank">Percussive Notes</a> magazine, which is a publication of the <a contents="Percussive Arts Society" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.pas.org/" target="_blank">Percussive Arts Society</a>. The intention of this article is to give some insight into the structure of a <a contents="Benares" data-link-label="Benares Gharana" data-link-type="page" href="/benares-gharana">Benares</a>-style tabla solo, ahead of my solo performance at PASIC in Indianapolis this November. Of course, this article just touches the surface, as this is a very complex and rich subject, however it should definitely help to better understand what is going on musically, and to be able to follow the overall form. I hope that you will find this article to be of interest, and that it will help to demystify the tabla solo structure somewhat.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong><a contents="Here is a link to the full article in PDF format" data-link-label="pnotes1709-76-78.pdf" data-link-type="file" href="/files/302814/pnotes1709-76-78.pdf">Here is a link to the full article in PDF format</a></strong>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">I'm looking forward to this showcase performance, where I will play a full-length tabla solo, accompanied by Neeraj Mehta on harmonium. The solo will be inspired by the materials recorded on my latest album, <em><strong><a contents="Rivers" data-link-label="Rivers" data-link-type="page" href="/rivers">Rivers</a></strong></em>.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><a contents="" data-link-label="Rivers" data-link-type="page" href="/rivers"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/420899f0216c792490be0f62e288212762bd4d6f/original/rivers-cover-only-final.jpg?1484705943" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a></p>Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/46715282017-04-14T15:58:14-04:002018-03-15T06:47:50-04:00Announcing the Summer Tabla Workshop Scholarship 2017!<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/81c2339da137f1af8995a3239657dc843b88c1ec/medium/tabla-workshop-poster-mcgill-2017fbcover.jpg?1492199948" class="size_m justify_left border_" />It gives me great pleasure to announce that for the third year in a row, a scholarship is available for this year's annual summer tabla workshop! </strong>Thanks to a generous donor, the scholarship will cover the $350 tuition fee for one lucky student, who might not normally have been able to afford to attend otherwise. Additionally, if the participant does not have tabla, a pair of tabla will be made available for the duration of the workshop. The workshop takes place daily, from June 26 to July 2, 2017, at the Schulich School of Music of McGill University, Montreal. </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">To apply, please submit the following to shawn.mativetsky (at) mcgill.ca : </p>
<ul> <li style="text-align: justify;">Name, address, telephone number, e-mail address </li> <li style="text-align: justify;">A video, not longer than five minutes, demonstrating your tabla playing. It is recommended that you upload as a private video on a video hosting site (YouTube, for example), and to then e-mail the URL. (If you have never played tabla before, please contact Shawn to discuss alternatives.) </li> <li style="text-align: justify;">A letter, maximum 500 words, detailing your goals with regards to tabla and your intentions for the workshop. As the aim of the scholarship is to offer financial assistance to a student who would not normally be able to afford to attend, it is important that this subject be addressed as well. </li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Candidates have until <strong>May 15</strong> to submit their applications. The successful candidate will be notified by June 1. Late applications will not be accepted. </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">For more about the Annual Summer Tabla Workshop, <a contents="please click here" data-link-label="Annual Summer Workshop | Atelier annuel" data-link-type="page" href="/annual-summer-workshop-atelier-annuel">please click here</a>. <br>For those on Facebook, <a contents="the&nbsp;event page is&nbsp;here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/events/324880654532631/" target="_blank">the event page is here</a>. </p>
<hr><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Il me fait grand plaisir d'annoncer que pour une troisème année consécutive, une bourse sera disponible pour l'atelier de tabla annuel!</strong> Grâce à la générosité d'un donateur, la bourse couvrira les frais de scolarité de 350$ pour un étudiant chanceux, qui ne serait normalement pas en mesure de se permettre d'y assister autrement. En outre, si le participant n'a pas de tabla, une paire de tabla sera mise à sa disposition pour la durée de l'atelier. L'atelier aura lieu tous les jours, du 26 juin au 2 juillet 2017 à l'École de musique Schulich de l'Université McGill, Montréal. </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Pour postuler, s'il-vous-plaît faire parvenir ceci à shawn.mativetsky (@) mcgill.ca: </p>
<ul> <li style="text-align: justify;">Nom, adresse, numéro de téléphone, adresse courriel </li> <li style="text-align: justify;">Une vidéo, pas plus de cinq minutes, vous montrant en train de jouer du tabla. Il est recommandé que vous téléchargiez votre vidéo sur un site d'hébergement (YouTube, par exemple), et puis de faire parvenir par courriel l’adresse URL. (Si vous n’avez jamais joué de tabla auparavant, s'il-vous-plaît communiquer avec Shawn pour discuter des alternatives.) </li> <li style="text-align: justify;">Une lettre, de 500 mots maximum, précisant vos objectifs en ce qui concerne le tabla et vos intentions pour l'atelier. Comme le but de la bourse est d'offrir une aide financière à un étudiant qui ne serait normalement pas en mesure de se permettre d'y assister, il est important que cette question soit également traitée. </li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Les candidats ont jusqu'au 15 mai pour soumettre leur application. Le candidat retenu sera avisé avant le 1 juin. </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Pour plus d'informations à propos de l'atelier, <a contents="cliquez ici" data-link-label="Annual Summer Workshop | Atelier annuel" data-link-type="page" href="/annual-summer-workshop-atelier-annuel">cliquez ici</a>. <br>Pour la page Facebook, <a contents="cliquez ici" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/events/324880654532631/" target="_blank">cliquez ici</a>.</p>Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/46281362017-03-14T07:49:50-04:002017-03-14T07:49:50-04:00RIVERS is here!<div style="text-align: justify;">
<em><strong>RIVERS </strong></em>is finally here! I'm so happy to finally be able to share this recording with you. It's available for purchase on CD or as a digital download <a contents="right here" data-link-label="Rivers" data-link-type="page" href="/rivers">right here</a>, as well as on<a contents=" iTunes" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/rivers/id1196573936" target="_blank"> iTunes</a>, <a contents="Amazon" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.amazon.com/Rivers-Shawn-Mativetsky/dp/B01MSB00HL" target="_blank">Amazon</a>, and other digital music retailers.<br><br>The album release was celebrated on March 3 in London, UK with a concert at the Nehru Centre, which is the cultural branch of the High Commission of India. I was very fortunate to be accompanied on sarangi by wonderful musician Ustad Surjeet Singh. Aside from launching <em>Rivers</em>, this concert also inaugurated the Nehru Centre's newly renovated concert hall, opened their 2017 concert season, and launched their UK-India Year of Culture programming. It was a very memorable concert experience for me; one that I shall not soon forget!</div><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/67d2b877cfcb3ed8b7033d268d4f8e0e39ac1b55/original/cr-carolinetabah-img-7983.jpg?1489439126" class="size_l justify_center border_" style="text-align: justify;" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/851b61398f14bc2c2302deab5b2bd14c359dcdce/original/cr-carolinetabah-mg-7997.jpg?1489439149" class="size_l justify_center border_" style="text-align: justify;" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/38448f262c55d7298445fd64cdc4c9a74409c7a5/original/cr-carolinetabah-img-7985.jpg?1489439184" class="size_l justify_center border_" style="text-align: justify;" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/a3aa94c7ee34bdd2d92f1f36f8dfe7aad9971551/original/img-20170304-wa0003.jpg?1489439117" class="size_l justify_center border_" style="text-align: justify;" /><div style="text-align: justify;">
<br>The Montreal launch was held on March 7 at the Sala Rossa, with Reza Abaee on gheychak. The gheychak is a Persian string instrument, perhaps a distant cousin of the sarangi, and it lends itself very well to accompaniment of tabla solo. I have collaborated with Reza previously on other musical projects, however this was our first time performing Indian classical music together. While Reza is principally a performer of Persian music, he does have quite a bit of experience with Indian classical music, having previously worked with kathak dancers and musicians in India. It was a great pleasure to share the stage with him to launch Rivers.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/9916da368880816c2b68cca635bbbf1c4950893e/original/cr-carolinetabah-img-8076.jpg?1489439185" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/3f685011ca36b4e53dc1c0f48cdbe250a605eeba/original/cr-carolinetabah-mg-8073.jpg?1489439149" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/79212fa332ae27750ea42158f7ef016c7adc134a/original/cr-carolinetabah-img-8104.jpg?1489439148" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/33f26722cc867a0369fa01a146953d8a435c987c/original/cr-carolinetabah-img-8144.jpg?1489439140" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br>For both concerts, just like the album, I performed tabla solo in <em>Vilambit</em> and <em>Madhya Teentaal</em>. Though of course, it wasn't a reproduction of the album. While many of the compositions may have been the same, the performances were fully improvised. There were many friends and Indian classical music aficionados in attendance, and so the atmosphere was very special. Many thanks to all who came out to share in the celebration!<br><br>The album received a really nice write up in the Le Devoir, by Yves Bernard. <a contents="Click here to read" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.ledevoir.com/culture/musique/493306/musique-hindoustanie-shawn-mativetsky-profondeur-subtilite-et-puissance-d-evocation" target="_blank">Click here to read it</a> (in French).<br><br>Thank you to <a contents="Caroline Tabah" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.carolinetabah.com" target="_blank">Caroline Tabah</a> for the photos!</div>Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/45751622017-02-03T12:17:31-05:002018-11-03T15:15:26-04:00RIVERS - Now Available for Pre-Order!<div style="text-align: justify;">I'm excited to announce that <em><strong>Rivers</strong></em> is now available for pre-order! <strong><a contents="You can order the CD or digital album right here on my website" data-link-label="Rivers" data-link-type="page" href="/rivers">You can order the CD or digital album right here on my website</a></strong>. The digital album is available on <a contents="iTunes" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/rivers/id1196573936" target="_blank">iTunes</a> and <a contents="Amazon" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.amazon.com/Rivers-Shawn-Mativetsky/dp/B01MSB00HL/" target="_blank">Amazon</a> as well. Pre-orders will be fulfilled on the release date, March 7.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/72672524f6a64bec7936d69ee9e809641116d27c/medium/16464824-1882138982023847-4332276585978658816-n.jpg?1486142021" class="size_m justify_center border_none" alt="" /><br>The release of <em><strong>Rivers</strong></em> will be celebrated by launch concerts in <a contents="London (March 3 - Nehru Centre, 6:30pm) " data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/events/742171209275070/" target="_blank"><strong>London, UK (March 3 - Nehru Centre, 6:30pm)</strong> </a>and in <strong><a contents="Montreal (March 7 - Sala Rossa, 7pm)" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1196465707068573/" target="_blank">Montreal (March 7 - Sala Rossa, 7pm)</a></strong>. I hope to see you if you are in the area!<br><br>In the meantime, here's a little behind the scenes video!<br> <center><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="EUg9r_JF8Og" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/EUg9r_JF8Og/0.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EUg9r_JF8Og?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="360" width="640" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></center>
</div>Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/45405462017-01-06T19:12:04-05:002017-01-06T19:12:04-05:00Rivers - Coming Soon!<p style="text-align: justify;">I'm happy to report that, as planned, <em><strong>Rivers</strong></em> has been recorded this past December 29 and 30 at <em>Number 9 Audio</em> in Toronto, with George Koller on dilruba, and sound engineer Bernie Cisternas! We're in the process of finalizing the mix and I'm working on the album artwork, on schedule to have the album in your hands (or on your computer if you prefer the digital copy) around the beginning of March. I can't wait to share this music with you!<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/333800f33715086ff69fca2f2e0ab10e18d3be0d/original/img-20161229-203614-680.jpg?1483747794" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/bdc44480a914926102e31967c35c574ddafc352a/original/img-20161231-083643-944.jpg?1483747794" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/989ccca777de9de5098781a64cdb40c3eea653e5/original/img-20161231-083949-867.jpg?1483747797" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br>Photos by Caroline Tabah</p>Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/43898052016-09-25T19:25:10-04:002017-02-16T16:49:16-05:00The Album Cover!<p style="text-align: justify;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/c4b3aa257c84ec5382939e355bfec648d363635b/medium/northdigipak-design-cover-only.jpg?1474845710" class="size_m justify_left border_thin" alt="" />The <strong><em>Rivers </em></strong>cover photo is especially meaningful to me, as it is a composite of two photos that I took myself. This is an idea that I've had for a long time, and to see it finally come together is just an amazing feeling. On the upper left, you can see a view of Benares (Varanasi) along the banks of the Ganges, and in the lower-right, Montreal, along the banks of the Saint Lawrence River. The water in between is actually both the Ganges and the Saint Lawrence, hence the title of the album, RIVERS. This represents my home city of Montreal, and my adopted city of Benares. Benares, which is now officially known as Varanasi, is where Guru-ji (my tabla teacher) and his ancestors hail from. It is where this particular style of tabla playing was developed, and where I learned so much about this special music and the culture that surrounds it, which has entirely changed the course of my life. Amazingly, both photos were taken during wintertime. It was probably close to 20 ºC in Benares, and -20 ºC in Montreal! In Canada, winter is such a special time of the year, certainly something that makes up a large part of my cultural identity, so I really feel that this combined photo is very representative of who I am, where I'm from, and the places that have inspired me; these two very different worlds, at opposite sides of the globe, connected by water, united by these sacred rivers. <br><br> </p>Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/43801272016-09-19T17:11:22-04:002017-01-16T09:36:33-05:00New album!<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/0ebee7ccb018eaabde5f42d34c7617046c22cb49/medium/indiegogopromo-squaresq.jpg?1474319321" class="size_m justify_left border_medium" alt="" /><p style="text-align: justify;">Dear friends, </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>I am excited to announce that I will soon be recording my first traditional solo tabla album, <em>RIVERS!</em></strong> This will be a full-length tabla solo, in the style of the Benares gharana; a rhythmic journey to Varanasi, India! I am planning to record the album in December, in Toronto with fabulous musician George Koller accompanying on dilruba. I am truly inspired, and cannot wait to get into the studio to record, and to be able to share this music with you! The album release is planned for March, 2017. <br><br> </p><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gNRR-fpuN-4?rel=0&showinfo=0" width="560"></iframe>
<p style="text-align: justify;">There are, of course, numerous costs involved with recording an album such as this, and so I have launched an IndieGogo crowdfunding campaign to help cover expenses. <a contents="Please have a look at my IndieGogo page" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://igg.me/at/tabla" target="_blank">Please have a look at my IndieGogo page</a>, where you can read more about the album project in detail. I sincerely hope that you will consider encouraging me in this musical adventure, that is so important to me and close to my heart. There are many fun perks that you can choose from, such as pre-ordering the album itself, Skype lessons, or even the possibility to book a private concert! To record a solo tabla album has been a longtime ambition of mine, and your generosity will help me to realize this dream! Please also share this campaign with your friends who might also be interested. Your assistance with this project is so very appreciated and means a lot to me.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Here is the link to my IndieGogo page: <a contents="https://igg.me/at/tabla" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://igg.me/at/tabla" target="_blank">https://igg.me/at/tabla</a> <br><br>And in the meantime, here is a little taste of me performing tabla solo with George Koller on dilruba, recorded live at the Music Gallery in Toronto:</p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4Kcsh1ME6bo?rel=0&showinfo=0" width="560"></iframe></div>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Many thanks! </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Shawn</p>Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/42145132016-06-07T15:53:16-04:002017-01-16T09:36:33-05:00Spring Tour to England, Wales, and France<p>This past May, I was fortunate to have a few performances and workshops booked in Europe! <br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/ee033d48636fe62c146bb7e17cf7d09db03445a0/medium/img-20160505-175302.jpg?1465326515" class="size_m justify_center border_none" alt="" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span class="font_small">Nottingham - home of Robin Hood!</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>First stop - Nottingham, UK</strong>, where I gave a couple of workshops at the University of Nottingham. The first was a session for three composers, led by <a contents="Prof. Elizabeth Kelly" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.elizabethakelly.com/" target="_blank">Prof. Elizabeth Kelly</a>. She and two students will be composing new works for myself and pianist <a contents="Xenia Pestova" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.xeniapestova.com/" target="_blank">Xenia Pestova</a> (who is also the Director of Performance at the University of Nottingham) for our <a contents="upcoming concert next March as part of the After Hours series at Nottingham’s Royal Concert Hall" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.trch.co.uk/index.aspx?articleid=31089" target="_blank">upcoming concert next March as part of the After Hours series at Nottingham’s Royal Concert Hall</a>. I’m very much looking forward to our long distance collaboration over the next months, leading up to my return to Nottingham next year for this exciting performance.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/3f70799f7696cba05b206c1b0dd216de26f08409/medium/img-20160506-122746.jpg?1465326521" class="size_m justify_center border_none" alt="" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span class="font_small">At the Department of Music of the University of Nottingham</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The second workshop was on the subject of tabla and North Indian rhythm, which was given for the performance majors of the music department. Though my talk does include some somewhat complex rhythmic exercises, the students participated enthusiastically, and there were numerous smiles to be seen. I hope that they’ll remember their ‘TaKa’ and ‘TaKiTa’s! <br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/a3d657e48e2efec442302b78e1217c134b459d59/original/img-20160506-192114.jpg?1465326530" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/a2804330b3bd49f4bbdafeab017b25647afa1b8d/original/img-20160506-165314.jpg?1465326523" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Next stop - Cardiff, Wales</strong>, for a performance with violinist <a contents="Parmela Attariwala" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://parmela.com/" target="_blank">Parmela Attariwala</a> in the <a contents="Vale of Glamorgan Music Festival" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://valeofglamorganfestival.org.uk/" target="_blank">Vale of Glamorgan Music Festival</a>. Our performance took place in the Dance House of the magnificent Wales Millenium Centre. It was truly an honour to perform in this lovely festival and in this iconic hall. Prior to our performance, we rehearsed at the Welsh National Opera, which was a special treat in and of itself. This performance was made possible with the kind support of the Canada Council for the Arts. All the pieces we performed were by Canadian composers, all UK premieres, and most taken from the most recent Attar Project album, <em>The Road Ahead…</em>: Meiro Stamm’s <em>The Melody of Rhythm</em>, Robert Rosen’s <em>LA</em>, Paul Frehner’s <em>Oracle</em>, Nicole Rampersaud’s <em>The Road Ahead … is Longer Than the Road Left Behind</em>, and Andrew Staniland’s <em>Sudoku</em>. Parmela also performed a couple of her dance pieces, <em>Frank</em> and <em>Piercing Embrace</em>, in which she plays violin, while performing choreographies by Gitanjali Kolanad. The concert was preceded by an animated pre-concert talk with music critic Steph Power.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/53f0bf3caf80bb6480f562136c71cab976a12d2a/original/img-20160518-131552.jpg?1465326543" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/36eb20ae1f9d779b35ee273cf01ec1a7193ef73e/original/img-20160520-080843.jpg?1465326541" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><em>Sudoku</em> presented a special challenge for us this time around, as this was the first performance where we controlled all the electronics ourselves (this had previously been done by the composer). Andrew, the composer, created a very robust patch for us in Ableton Live, which worked amazingly well. We actually never had any issues in rehearsal, nor in performance; quite rare when working with electronics! Parmela and I divided the audio cues between us, and so we share the triggering duties throughout the piece, with her using her computer, plus a remote keyboard added for me to use. <br><br>Our concert got a very positive review from Rajvi Glasbrook of the Wales Arts Review. <a contents="You can read it here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.walesartsreview.org/live-vale-of-glamorgan-festival-parmela-attariwala-shawn-mativetsky/" target="_blank">You can read it here</a>.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/0bda7b03929213d32f23fcf58ef2d264824d580e/medium/img-20160521-215438.jpg?1465326551" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">I also got a chance to geek out a bit during this part of the trip, as Cardiff is home to the Doctor Who Experience, as well as numerous filming sites from the Doctor Who and Torchwood television shows. After the performance, I took this occasion to visit some of the special sites. :) <br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/ab3351da53df4b250d979a4f97607e187f37eebc/medium/img-20160522-120312.jpg?1465326571" class="size_m justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/0f11e39081ef195144b169a8226c2aab719e3964/medium/img-20160522-120036.jpg?1465326566" class="size_m justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/a132f568fa61e9cee8becf1bb64fe855311e9077/medium/img-20160522-115102.jpg?1465326555" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Next - London, UK</strong>, for the launch of <a contents="Caroline" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://carolinetabah.com/" target="_blank">Caroline</a>’s photo exhibition Lights of India, at the Nehru Centre, which is the cultural branch of the High Commission of India in London. I opened the evening with a short tabla solo, accompanied by PRSSV’s Dr. Frances Shepherd on harmonium. The evening was attended by the cultural attaché of the Quebec delegation in London, as well as numerous arts and Indian music aficionados. The exhibition includes photos taken with Caroline’s unique perspective, in numerous places across India, including Benares, Mumbai, Pune, Pondicherry, and Chidambaram. The photos were accompanied by poetic texts, giving insight into Caroline’s vision and “quest for light in all its forms.” <br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/025ae74f2307b70b5910d645a7b38ede63b7df4c/medium/caroline-poster-lights-of-india-nehru-2016-edited-1.jpg?1465328615" class="size_m justify_center border_" /><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/c2731e94f92717fcdf8518257279c5c535ac52b4/medium/img-20160523-175534.jpg?1465326570" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span class="font_small">Caroline, ready to welcome visitors to her exhibition.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/6f7b0125f589c2aa0653d3ca091b00f6e21311bb/medium/img-20160523-230423.jpg?1465326577" class="size_m justify_center border_none" alt="" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span class="font_small">Caroline with the Cultural Attaché of the Québec Government, London Office.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/edcd5689ca5874a7ddb78b5cbc3aaf269a5d2675/original/img-20160524-091939.jpg?1465326576" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span class="font_small">Performing tabla solo, accompanied by Dr. Frances Shepherd on harmonium.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Last stop - Strasbourg, France</strong> for a performance with Jérôme Bourdellon on flutes (including various flutes from around the world, and the magnificent octobass) and <a contents="Bruno De Chénerilles" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.audiorama.org/" target="_blank">Bruno De Chénerilles</a> doing live electronic processing (I had the pleasure of collaborating with Bruno on his trip to Montreal this past November; <a contents="the audio from that concert can be heard here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://soundcloud.com/brunodechenerilles/of-sound-mind-and-body-in-concert-part-1-nov-7-2015-montreal" target="_blank">the audio from that concert can be heard here</a> and <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://soundcloud.com/brunodechenerilles/osmb-concert-7nov2015-part2" target="_blank">here</a>). Our concert took place as part of the Ateliers Ouverts series at Zone d’Art. Zone d’Art is an artist co-op housed in an old factory building that now hosts twenty artist studios, representing a wide variety of disciplines, from painting and sculpture, to custom cars and music. Bruno’s Audiorama is actually the only music studio in the complex. The Ateliers Ouverts is an open-house of sorts, which takes place over two weekends, giving the public full access to the artists’ studios, which contain exhibitions and works in progress. It was quite fascinating to see the wide variety of works on display, and it was great fun to perform with Jérôme and Bruno as part of this event. <br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/dd68999e393c18aa8ef359cbcc1c9bb8ef543182/original/img-20160529-150414.jpg?1465326590" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/12e900b72dc64e119c2f4113054dd86c144d767e/original/img-20160529-220123.jpg?1465326591" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br>All in all, a very enriching month of travel and musical encounters! </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">As always, thank you to <a contents="Caroline" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://carolinetabah.com/" target="_blank">Caroline</a> for the photos!</p>Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/42145122016-06-05T16:48:46-04:002017-01-16T09:36:33-05:00New Band, New Album!<p style="text-align: justify;">Over the past several years, I have had the pleasure of collaborating with guitarist <a contents="Tim Brady" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.timbrady.ca/" target="_blank">Tim Brady</a> for an annual series of creative music-making and improvisation workshops called the <em>Symphonie du Sud-Ouest</em>. We just completed our eighth season; wow! We’ve been really enjoying improvising together, and so we joined forced with fabulous violinist <a contents="Helmut Lipsky" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.helmutlipsky.com/" target="_blank">Helmut Lipsky</a> to form <strong><a contents="Of Sound, Mind and Body" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.timbrady.ca/of_sound_mind_and_body_eng.html" target="_blank">Of Sound, Mind and Body</a></strong>. Last year, we performed a concert at the Gesu with uniquely talented guest vocalist <a contents="Gabriel Dharmoo" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://gabrieldharmoo.org" target="_blank">Gabriel Dharmoo</a>, who I have also collaborated with on numerous occasions. The concert was recorded, as many are. Upon listening back to the recording, we were all wonderfully surprised with how well the recording came out, and how magical that performance actually was. Of course, we had a great time during the concert itself, but upon listening back, the results had been even more profound than we ever could have imagined. And so, <em>Concert #3, Le Gesu</em> was born! </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> </p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1432769372/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 350px; height: 470px;"><a data-cke-saved-href="http://redshiftmusicsociety.bandcamp.com/album/concert-3-le-ges" href="http://redshiftmusicsociety.bandcamp.com/album/concert-3-le-ges">Concert #3 Le Gesù by Of Sound, Mind and Body</a></iframe></div>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Our performances are never planned in advance; no rehearsals and no discussion. Each performance is unique and created spontaneously, live in the moment. </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The album was released this past February, with a concert at the Conservatoire de Musique de Montréal, reprising the ensemble of Of Sound, Mind and Body + Gabriel Dharmoo. Of course, the musical outcome was entirely different! Needless to say, we had a blast.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/3f7ca26205730b9dde30a3893ea35fa55adce543/original/13055897-1170842526283066-776442205445463700-o.jpg?1465159488" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/4d42899eeb0bf4606ef1d6ad37fb5fbfce706248/original/12998272-1170842869616365-7031482036652328327-o.jpg?1465159485" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/583377540b8c27b58d7a5441415d39e67cea2de5/original/13029672-1170842962949689-7501462190828153426-o.jpg?1465159484" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/e7723b9783fbe1f36e0324309577eb6b4c40a5a5/original/13062960-1170842642949721-4351343228428161434-o.jpg?1465159488" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/e5493dc32beedbe657ae7199ca52988b771eba55/original/13041091-1170842886283030-8037951488988392443-o.jpg?1465159486" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/66387a4bf46166eeebf1855509502a5bf6319ece/original/11258802-1170842736283045-2578658081450162486-o.jpg?1465159488" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/f300f134287f924d33c73da424f37e075ea6d9f0/original/13048220-1170842806283038-9221872186784170843-o.jpg?1465159487" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Concert #3, Live at the Gesu can be purchased on <a contents="iTunes" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://itunes.apple.com/album/concert-3-le-gesu/id1086210560" target="_blank">iTunes</a>, as well as directly from <a contents="Redshift Records" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://redshiftrecords.org/releases/tk446/" target="_blank">Redshift Records</a>.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/48d37f159fd5196b711862c17b01c635040d033a/original/13041353-1170842966283022-7021516761908099428-o.jpg?1465159483" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br><br>Thank you to <a contents="Caroline Tabah" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.carolinetabah.com" target="_blank">Caroline Tabah</a> for the photos!</p>Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/41544692016-05-02T09:00:00-04:002017-01-16T09:36:32-05:00Ground / Terre West Coast Tour<div style="text-align: justify;">This spring, I was fortunate to head out on a short tour to Western Canada with pianist Xenia Pestova. We performed a programme of new music for tabla, toy piano, harmonium, and piano in Calgary, Vancouver, Victoria, and Gabriola Island. My setup included 5 (!) <em>dahinas</em>, and a few Sabian cymbals and Resonating Bells.</div>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/a87e750be3e602ff204c691273d9699884ecd59b/large/ground-tour-1-logos.jpg?1457659428" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<div style="text-align: justify;">First stop: Calgary. On March 30, both Xenia and I gave masterclasses at the University of Calgary, hosted by Prof. Laurie Radford. On March 31, we performed at the lovely Festival Hall, organized by New Works Calgary. The programme opened with Tina Pearson's <em>Migration of Their Materials</em> (2013), for tabla and toy piano. The piece also calls on Xenia to use her voice, as well as found rocks and combs. Much of the pacing of the piece is determined by our breath, so the piece is a perfect way for us and the audience to settle into the space; it acts as a sort of ritual, and a sort of musical meditation.</div><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/a8ac094c1e92dea7635b16b01cadb952f86e5a85/original/12918608-110330612704336-1593819651-n.jpg?1462154037" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br>Next, I followed with a short traditional tabla solo in <em>Teentaal</em>, which Xenia followed with Heather Hindman's <em>RRR</em> (2014) for piano and live electronics. We concluded the first half of the concert with <em>terre</em>, a short improvisation.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/ea2bf22c6a4e67e0208bf508f5c01476a9619c52/original/cr-carolinetabah-1772.jpg?1462153766" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><div style="text-align: justify;">After the intermission, we gave the premiere of Monica Pearce's new piece, <em>damask</em> (2016), for toy piano and tabla, which is based on the idea of a damask fabric; when the fabric is reversed, the same pattern can be seen, but with the colours reversed. In a similar way, the roles of the tabla and toy piano are at times exchanged and inverted. Another interesting feature of this piece is the use of an electronic tanpura drone, which I am required to alter throughout the performance of the piece. The tonic pitch remains fixed at A, while the secondary pitch is varied throughout. Here is a video from the Vancouver performance:</div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1ZGoJATVBLY?rel=0" width="560"></iframe></div><br>Next, I played Tawnie Olson's provocative <em>Something to Say</em> (2014), for tabla and fixed media (<a contents="available for download here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="track" href="/track/687406/something-to-say">available for download here</a>).<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/2952997c8b31b2399477a9e0362899ef0825f5c0/original/cr-carolinetabah-1740.jpg?1462153760" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br>Xenia followed with Ed Bennett's piano solo, <em>Bright White Lights</em>. The piece makes use of relatively simple piano preparations to achieve some really evocative effects. Here is Xenia's performance of the piece in Vancouver:<br> <div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/58Ot3kbUP-0?rel=0" width="560"></iframe></div><br>We concluded the concert with the piece that started it all, so to speak - Nicole Lizée's <em>Metal Jacket </em>(2005) for tabla and harmonium. Here is a video from the Vancouver performance at the Western Front:<br> <div style="text-align: center;"> <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Eirwc0xiJiU?rel=0" width="560"></iframe> ;<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/8417a881604144944faee14dcc70dd36fbb40c85/original/cr-carolinetabah-1773.jpg?1462153765" class="size_l justify_center border_" />
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">The next morning, we were off to Vancouver, and straight to the dress rehearsal at the Western Front. Many thanks to the Canada Council for the Arts for their travel support for this concert. We presented the same programme as in Calgary, with the exception of Heather Hindman's <em>RRR; </em>here, Xenia performed Joe Cutler's <em>Clavinova Music:</em>
</div>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/obxQGQD2dwI?rel=0" width="560"></iframe></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/e7f6340215a4aba87d62f42396fbff48abe46c01/original/cr-carolinetabah-1812.jpg?1462153993" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Continuing the whirlwind tour, the next morning we were off to Victoria. We were warmly welcomed by Chris Reiche, who gave us a quick walking tour of the Victoria downtown (so I could get a coffee), which was really nice. The concert took place at Openspace, which is a beautiful gallery and concert venue. There were some tabla players in the audience that night, which gave the concert a special vibe. I'm told that my tabla solo was more energetic than usual that night!<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/bd59ed3549304559fe4d021628eed44eec71c7d1/original/cr-carolinetabah-1839.jpg?1462154173" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/cbfba1ffbbfb012e4fb0d54d0d4f3e809510308e/original/cr-carolinetabah-1836.jpg?1462154174" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br>The next morning, we were off to Gabriola Island. Chris was kind to drive us to up Nanaimo, which made for an incredibly beautiful road trip. In Nanaimo, we had an amazing lunch before catching the ferry to Gabriola. The Gabriola concert took place at a new artist-run store/cafe/art gallery/concert venue; it's quite an amazing place, and I recommend anyone in the area to visit.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/e8ed695adfdf979fe2dca34784188afded537e94/original/12501664-1028389747236114-1723515161-n.jpg?1462154325" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/d1c51a6f1d62651d0772af1bae1cf69c11ddc7cb/original/cr-carolinetabah-1910.jpg?1462154481" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br>On the way back, we grabbed a Nanaimo bar in Nanaimo ... and boy, was that a mistake. Not good! Otherwise, the food we had on tour was incredible, including a big first - nettle 'saag', which was very tasty (homemade by our hosts in Gabriola)! All in all, this tour was a wonderful adventure. A big thank you to our hosts and to the audiences who welcomed us so warmly! Alberta and BC are truly beautiful parts of the country and it was a real pleasure to be able to visit. Until the next time!<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/9c52075cf7e4b9af44219c6b509503be2ad47289/original/12905226-592003644295273-1422644324-n.jpg?1462154516" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><em>Videos courtesy Ben Wilson of the Western Front. Celebrating the great lineage of experimental piano works over the Western Front’s 40+ year history, 88 Tuned Bongos champions today’s most cutting-edge pianists and keyboard projects. Photos courtesy of Caroline Tabah (plus some from my phone camera).</em></p>Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/39066432016-04-26T15:14:23-04:002017-01-16T09:36:32-05:00Dhrupad Tour with Branan Dubh and Payton MacDonald<div style="text-align: justify;">This past fall, I made a quick trip down to the USA to accompany dhrupad singers Branan Dubh and Payton MacDonald, both disciples of the renowned Gundecha Brothers. I joined them on their <em>New World Dhrupad Tour</em>, which was supported by the Dhrupad Music Institute of America. We performed and gave workshops at Rowan University (Glassboro, NJ), Queensborough Community College (Queens, NY), Montclair State University (Montclair, NJ), and William Paterson University (Wayne, NJ).<br><br>As pakhawaj is the drum of choice for dhrupad, and not tabla, this was <a contents="another opportunity for me to perform on the jori drums" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.shawnmativetsky.com/home-accueil/blog/tabla-concerto-and-dhrupad-week">another opportunity for me to perform on the jori drums</a>. I am really enjoying exploring this facet of tabla playing, which I hadn't previously had too much opportunity to delve into. Though in accompanying dhrupad, with the emphasis being on the alap, jor, and jhala sections of the performance, one must be quite patient. :) The<em> </em>freedom to improvise and interact in the <em>bandish</em> section is quite exciting and very much in contrast with the usual role of tabla in accompaniment. Not that tabla players don't improvise, we do (a lot), but around the <em>theka; </em>here, the singers keep taal for themselves (much as in Carnatic music performances), and so the percussion accompaniment is much less restrictive.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/1024af50aab9f83dad510f257918f4d91b9d09ad/original/image8.jpeg?1446416969" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/88b87f75d56eacfdad80369b350bc46196af436c/original/img-20151017-090729.jpg?1446416883" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br><br>The repertoire performed varied from day to day, depending on the time of our performance; it was a nice to change of pace to have this variety of morning, afternoon, and evening concerts. The performances included raags <em>Jog</em> (<em>Tivra Taal</em>), <em>Komal Rishabh Asavari</em> (<em>Dhammar Taal</em>), <em>Bhimpalasi</em> (<em>Chautaal</em>), and a few different selections in <em>Sooltaal</em>. I also performed tabla solos in <em>Teentaal</em>, accompanied by Payton on harmonium.<br><br>Looking forward to the next time!</div>Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/39185732015-11-12T08:00:00-05:002017-01-16T09:36:32-05:00Announcing the Summer Tabla Workshop Scholarship 2016!<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/8c6e40e6d7e6ba4d03d4536a56fcdf5f0c222b85/large/tablaworkshop-banner-2016.jpg?1446137518" class="size_l justify_center border_none" alt="" /><br>It gives me great pleasure to announce that for the second year in a row, a scholarship is available for this year's annual summer tabla workshop!</strong> Thanks to a generous donor, the scholarship will cover the $300 tuition fee for one lucky student, who might not normally have been able to afford to attend otherwise. Additionally, if the participant does not have tabla, a pair of tabla will be made available for the duration of the workshop. The workshop takes place daily, from June 27 to July 3, 2016, at the Schulich School of Music of McGill University, Montreal. </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">To apply, please submit the following to shawn.mativetsky (at) mcgill.ca : </p>
<ul> <li style="text-align: justify;">Name, address, telephone number, e-mail address </li> <li style="text-align: justify;">A video, not longer than five minutes, demonstrating your tabla playing. It is recommended that you upload as a private video on a video hosting site (YouTube, for example), and to then e-mail the URL. (If you have never played tabla before, please contact Shawn to discuss alternatives.) </li> <li style="text-align: justify;">A letter, maximum 500 words, detailing your goals with regards to tabla and your intentions for the workshop. As the aim of the scholarship is to offer financial assistance to a student who would not normally be able to afford to attend, it is important that this subject be addressed as well. </li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Candidates have until <strong>February 1</strong> to submit their applications. The successful candidate will be notified within the weeks that follow. Late applications will not be accepted. </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">For more about the Annual Summer Tabla Workshop, <a contents="please click here" data-link-label="Annual Summer Workshop | Atelier annuel" data-link-type="page" href="/annual-summer-workshop-atelier-annuel">please click here</a>. <br>For those on Facebook, the <a contents="event page is&nbsp;here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1487592428236150/" target="_blank">event page is here</a>. </p>
<div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/4c60996895f1c7f8fde367c29a057c89ef168d7f/medium/gorka9768.jpg?1439754319" class="size_orig justify_center border_" alt="" /><p class="caption">Last year's happy scholarship awardee, Gorka!<br>Notre heureux récipiendaire de l'année passé, Gorka!<br> </p></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<strong>Il me fait grand plaisir d'annoncer que pour une deuxième année consécutive, une bourse sera disponible pour l'atelier de tabla annuel!</strong> Grâce à la générosité d'un donateur, la bourse couvrira les frais de scolarité de 300$ pour un étudiant chanceux, qui ne serait normalement pas en mesure de se permettre d'y assister autrement. En outre, si le participant n'a pas de tabla, une paire de tabla sera mise à sa disposition pour la durée de l'atelier. L'atelier aura lieu tous les jours, du 27 juin au 3 juillet 2016 à l'École de musique Schulich de l'Université McGill, Montréal.<br><br>Pour postuler, s'il-vous-plaît faire parvenir ceci à shawn.mativetsky (@) mcgill.ca: </div>
<ul> <li style="text-align: justify;">Nom, adresse, numéro de téléphone, adresse courriel </li> <li style="text-align: justify;">Une vidéo, pas plus de cinq minutes, vous montrant en train de jouer du tabla. Il est recommandé que vous téléchargiez votre vidéo sur un site d'hébergement (YouTube, par exemple), et puis de faire parvenir par courriel l’adresse URL. (Si vous n’avez jamais joué de tabla auparavant, s'il-vous-plaît communiquer avec Shawn pour discuter des alternatives.) </li> <li style="text-align: justify;">Une lettre, de 500 mots maximum, précisant vos objectifs en ce qui concerne le tabla et vos intentions pour l'atelier. Comme le but de la bourse est d'offrir une aide financière à un étudiant qui ne serait normalement pas en mesure de se permettre d'y assister, il est important que cette question soit également traitée. </li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Les candidats ont jusqu'au <strong>1er février</strong> pour soumettre leur application. Le candidat retenu sera avisé au cours des semaines qui suivent. </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Pour plus d'informations à propos de l'atelier, <a contents="cliquez ici" data-link-label="Annual Summer Workshop | Atelier annuel" data-link-type="page" href="/annual-summer-workshop-atelier-annuel">cliquez ici</a>. <br>Pour la page Facebook, <a contents="cliquez ici" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1487592428236150/" target="_blank">cliquez ici</a>.</p>Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/39066382015-11-01T16:40:59-05:002017-01-16T09:36:32-05:00New Video - Les arbres célestes @ the Shastra Festival<div style="text-align: justify;">This past April, I had the great pleasure to perform in the inaugural <a contents="Shastra Festival" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.shastramusic.com/festival/" target="_blank">Shastra Festival</a> at le Poisson Rouge in New York City. The festival is now releasing videos of the day's activities, and my performance of Bruno Paquet's Les arbres célestes just happens to have been chosen as their first video!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xvFRp0KjcnM?rel=0" width="560"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br>Reena Esmail, co-director of the Shastra Festival describes the piece as "like walking through a crystal forest." For the recorded tape in this piece, composer Bruno Paquet used a process of composition through aleatoric sequences, with elements of chance affecting the musical outcome. A setup of multiple tabla and vibraphone are played with falling projectiles. A cloth was laid out over the vibraphone with holes cut out to expose the correct notes, which were then struck by the falling projectiles, liberated in waves. The musical sequences on tape were then treated and combined with live tabla, which provides the counterpoint. The contrast between the warmth of individual life, the coldness of cosmic space, fantastic and celestial is created by the combination of live tabla and prerecorded tape, a feeling that the composer experienced during Montreal’s ice storm of 1998. <br><br>I realize that I haven't had a chance to blog about the festival, which was truly wonderful, so in the meantime, here is the festival poster, which gives an excellent overview of the day's activities:</div><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/a9ecd24bdadd7a6a4b7d283bdcbb133f9264c6b3/medium/11121381-10152712366791360-7050383520552298631-o.jpg?1446413077" class="size_m justify_center border_" /><br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/562045a1f6e061d6e4dfc5167c5012abbec75a28/original/10995644-10152724194976360-8284654187739112663-n.jpg?1446413076" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><div style="text-align: center;">Final jam to end the festival, with <span style="color: rgb(20, 24, 35); font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Rajna Swaminathan, Dan Weiss, Aakash Mittal, Shankar Tucker, Rez Abbasi, Michael Harrison, and Payton MacDonald. Honoured to have been part of it.</span>
</div>Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/37970032015-08-24T07:05:00-04:002017-01-16T09:36:32-05:00The Benares Baaj Story<div class="page" title="Page 1"><div class="layoutArea"><div class="column">
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span class="font_regular"><span style="font-size: 12.000000pt; font-family: 'TimesNewRomanPSMT'"><em><strong>The Benares Baaj Story</strong></em> is an archival project by the Pandit Ram Sahai Sangit Vidyalaya (PRSSV), documenting the history of the <a contents="Benares Baaj" data-link-label="Benares Gharana" data-link-type="page" href="/benares-gharana">Benares gharana</a> (the style of tabla playing that I learned to play). </span><span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; font-size: 16px;">Founded in London in 1987 by my late tabla Guru, the <a contents="legendary Pandit Sharda Sahai" data-link-label="Guruji - Pandit Sharda Sahai" data-link-type="page" href="/guruji-pandit-sharda-sahai">legendary Pandit Sharda Sahai</a>-ji, and Dr. Frances Shepherd, the PRSSV </span><span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; font-size: 16px;">is dedicated to promoting the classical arts of India through teaching, performance, and publications. The Benares Baaj project was made possible by a major grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund </span><span style="font-size: 12.000000pt; font-family: 'TimesNewRomanPSMT'">and launched this summer with touring exhibitions in multiple prestigious venues in London, including the Dominion Arts Centre, Nehru Centre, Bentley Priory Museum, and Slough Museum.<br><br>Additionally, a digital archive and learning centre will be launched this fall, using a rare collection of material from Pandit Sharda Sahai, his disciples and music followers, including more than 100 audio and visual recordings, 200 photographs, and notebooks with over 500 compositions. This material will be supplemented by artifacts dating back to the 19</span><span style="font-size: 7.000000pt; font-family: 'TimesNewRomanPSMT'; vertical-align: 4.000000pt">th </span></span><span style="font-size: 12.000000pt; font-family: 'TimesNewRomanPSMT'"><span class="font_regular">century, and oral interviews with musicians. Sue Bowers, Head of Heritage Lottery Fund London said that “this project will create a lasting legacy for the story of the Benares Baaj by documenting its journey from India to London and creating an accessible archive of this tabla-playing tradition, alongside a programme of activities to increase knowledge and foster understanding.”<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/d97d2d25f62baccee154d8289ec4319d921cce71/large/0039.jpg?1439756762" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/4930d791da194db20997d53bb573b5d5b55fa88b/large/0085.jpg?1439756737" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="" /></span></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Visiting the exhibit.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><br><span style="font-size: 12.000000pt; font-family: 'TimesNewRomanPSMT'"><span class="font_regular">During past trips to London, I was interviewed for this project, and it was quite something for me to see my video interview as part of the exhibition. It is truly an honour to be a part of such a great cultural legacy.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/2c5a4f977a21497359da1d6b368a9fdadefa7ca1/large/img-20150710-103240.jpg?1439687698" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="" /><br>I was invited to perform in the launch concert at the Nehru Centre, which is the cultural wing of the Indian High Commission in London. I performed tabla solo, accompanied by Dr. Frances Shepherd on harmonium, and I also had the pleasure of accompanying Robert Hokum's Raga Blues project, with Robert on guitar, Liran Donin on bass, and Anjan Saha on spoken word. Many thanks to the Canada Council for the Arts for having supported my trip to London for this special occasion.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/d75288bcde8983be4473798168a429bc5be13ba1/large/img-20150706-191156.jpg?1439687386" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="" /></span></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Dr. Frances Shepherd opening the festivities.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12.000000pt; font-family: 'TimesNewRomanPSMT'"><span class="font_regular"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/981bd2636ebbef2f43db1ce9dba82af4fe76f5f1/large/0095.jpg?1439755896" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/b374f541d78bc77b0c724848a4b97d9006c3c4ea/large/136984807.jpg?1439687962" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="" /></span></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Raga Blues with Robert Hokum, Liran Donin, and Anjan Saha.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/94a1edf4d848eb9e21d0aefff8defabcd6365d8a/large/194986919-edit.jpg?1439687966" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="" /><span style="font-size: 12.000000pt; font-family: 'TimesNewRomanPSMT'"><span class="font_regular">Performing tabla solo, accompanied by Dr. Frances Shepherd.</span></span><br> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12.000000pt; font-family: 'TimesNewRomanPSMT'"><span class="font_regular"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/e197f6ddacd666260122a52cf6d94373c444899f/large/12827175-edit.jpg?1439687958" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="" /></span></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Gotta love those giant tabla! Visiting the exhibit with Pete Lockett and Anjan Saha.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12.000000pt; font-family: 'TimesNewRomanPSMT'"><span class="font_regular">The exhibit was excellent, providing a wonderful overview of the history of the Benares gharana, as well as providing a chronology of Guruji's life, career, and innumerable contributions to the world of music. The exhibit included photos, videos, audio clips, and even interactive introductory tabla lessons. Kudos and congratulations to Frances and Anjan for the very successful culmination of all their hard work! The Benares Baaj Story is both a touching and historically significant tribute to Guruji and to the Benares tabla tradition.</span></span></p>
</div></div></div>Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/38249812015-08-19T12:15:09-04:002017-01-16T09:36:32-05:00New Release: Raga Charukeshi!<div title="Page 1">
<p style="text-align: justify;">I'm excited to announce the upcoming release of my new album with longtime collaborator, santoor maestro Jonathan Voyer! Following up on our debut album, <strong><em><a contents="Shanta" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/voyermativetsky" target="_blank">Shanta</a></em></strong>, September 15 will mark the release of our second album, <em><strong>Raga Charukeshi</strong></em>. <em>Charukeshi</em> is one of my absolute favourite ragas, with it's beautifully haunting melodic contours. Its upper tetrachord can evoke the depth of Darbari Kanada, but the major third in the lower tetrachord leads the listener elsewhere entirely. On the one hand, it can be deep, dark and mysterious, while also being surprisingly uplifting. It is inquisitive; it makes one think, ponder, and ask questions. The raga is often associated with feelings of devotion.</p>
<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/b260b9930c98b52be76a6d6a38d1f853f0b3bb30/medium/raga-voyer.jpg?1439997841" class="size_m justify_center border_thin" alt="" style="text-align: justify;" /><p style="text-align: justify;">As it's quite difficult to describe the complex personality a raga (rather, it's far more appropriate to experience it first-hand), we have chosen this poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, which aptly describes the mood of our performance:</p>
<div title="Page 1"><p style="text-align: center;"><em>“A feeling of sadness and longing,<br>That is not akin to pain,<br>And resembles sorrow only<br>As the mist resembles the rain.”</em> </p></div>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The album will be released on <strong>Tuesday, September 15</strong>, celebrated with a launch concert to be held at the Petit Campus, 57 Prince-Arthur Est, Montreal at 5pm (<a contents="Facebook event page" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/events/872489339492562/" target="_blank">Facebook event page</a>). Admission is $15 and includes a copy of the CD. Please do consider joining us! Starting September 15, <em>Raga Charukeshi</em> will be available for sale through all online retailers, including iTunes, Amazon and CD Baby, and traditional music stores such as Archambault.<br><br>I must say that we are quite proud of this album. Aside from the usual music practice, we did quite a lot of research on microphones and recording techniques. We did recording tests, auditioning numerous microphones. We were finally able to find a way to capture all the subtle nuances and beautiful resonance of the santoor. The resulting sound quality of the recording is truly exceptional.</p>
<div title="Page 1"><p>Here are some short clips from the album:</p></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1046992031/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 500px; height: 274px;">&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a data-cke-saved-href=&amp;amp;amp;amp;quot;http://jonathanvoyer.bandcamp.com/album/r-ga-charukeshi-extraits&amp;amp;amp;amp;quot; href=&amp;amp;amp;amp;quot;http://jonathanvoyer.bandcamp.com/album/r-ga-charukeshi-extraits&amp;amp;amp;amp;quot;&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Rāga Charukeshi (extraits) by Jonathan Voyer &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp; Shawn Mativetsky&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;</iframe></div>
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<br>And, here is a video clip from a past performance of <em>Raga Charukeshi</em>; of course, different from the version that can be heard on the album. That's the beauty of raga performance - each time we sit down to perform, it's with a completely new perspective; a new experience. Each performance is entirely unique.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/US-VD0Wtk7I?rel=0" width="420"></iframe></div>
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<br>Please help us to spread word of our new album by sharing this post. We're very much looking forward to sharing <em>Raga Charukeshi</em> with all of you on September 15!</div>
<div> </div>Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/37970502015-08-17T10:55:10-04:002017-01-16T09:36:32-05:00Annual Summer Tabla Workshop 2015<div style="text-align: justify;">This was the fifth year of my <a contents="annual summer tabla workshop" data-link-label="Annual Summer Workshop | Atelier annuel" data-link-type="page" href="/annual-summer-workshop-atelier-annuel">annual summer tabla workshop</a>. Wow! My goal is to continue the tradition of annual workshops begun by my Guru, Pandit Sharda Sahai-ji. He taught 26 annual summer workshops between 1979 and 2008 in a variety of cities, including Toronto, New York, Tucson, Miami, and Montreal, typically lasting two weeks, though sometimes longer. As always, it was an intense week, packed with tabla classes, group practice sessions, and listening sessions. Students came from as far away as Halifax, NS and Orlando, FL. I was also glad to welcome our first scholarship attendee, Gorka. It's really great to see that there is such a strong interest in tabla here in Montreal!<br><br>There was much progress made by all over the course of the week. I especially enjoy the group practice sessions, as that's where all levels come together. The focus in on technique, and we work through a number of exercises over the course of each two-hour session. Everyone pushes their individual limits, encouraged and motivated by the group. It's quite the chops workout, and great fun!<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/fdd2a8c847b4d031e2b08a00c3a0f915fe435aee/original/img-1435622525304-edit.jpg?1439822725" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/15c6e818e5012cbf2a933956fc16e48c2cc06dff/original/img-1435969524493-edit.jpg?1439822657" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br>As always, we ended the workshop with a group practice session (which by now, everyone was quite used to!), and Guru Puja.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/140e52fee4ffcb706a430059eea28f3bff94c2fd/large/9861.jpg?1439754265" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="" />
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<div style="text-align: center;">All set for the puja.</div>
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<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/1094ceed5a92aeea66a432a00fc3fd582989c84a/large/9999.jpg?1439754286" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="" /><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/4c60996895f1c7f8fde367c29a057c89ef168d7f/large/gorka9768.jpg?1439754319" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="" />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Scholarship recipient Gorka, having fun in group practice.</div>
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<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/b16a022c167ab3a5d06396aacf358bfe10e06b1a/large/grouppractice9807.jpg?1439754300" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/16b203d1b7e60252a9190e6c7d168f1eb66fcbc8/large/grouppractice9826.jpg?1439754321" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="" />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Group practice (unfortunately, a couple of people were missing, as they had to leave early).</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/c2674bd2c1b37b596a4cc9a78bf21927bab17fe1/large/meal0002.jpg?1439754281" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">Having a nice Indian meal together, after the practice and puja.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br><br>For more photos, please <a contents="check out my Facebook photo album" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152958532696360.1073741866.139069326359" target="_blank">check out my Facebook photo album</a>. Thanks to all participants for a great session! Until next year!<br><br>Thank you to <a contents="Caroline Tabah" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://carolinetabah.com/" target="_blank">Caroline Tabah</a> for the photos!</div>Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/37970282015-08-15T20:55:52-04:002017-01-16T09:36:32-05:00Very Long Cat @ ICLC 2015<div style="text-align: justify;">This past year, I have been working on a new duo project, <a contents="Very Long Cat" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/veryLongCat" target="_blank">Very Long Cat</a>, with Hamilton-based multimedia artist David Ogborn. We had previously collaborated with his Cybernetic Orchestra, and enjoyed the process so much that we decided to form a new collaborative ensemble together. We have been rehearsing regularly over the internet, with him at McMaster University in Hamilton, and me in the studios at CIRMMT, McGill University, Montreal.<br><br>Earlier this summer, we performed at NIME 2015, with David onsite in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, while I "dialled in" from CIRMMT in Montreal. This past July, we had our first live performance, meaning that we were both in the same location (!) at the same time, at the first <a contents="International Conference on Live Coding" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://iclc.livecodenetwork.org/" target="_blank">International Conference on Live Coding</a> (ICLC), held at the University of Leeds, Leeds, UK. There was an array of speakers (eight, if I remember correctly) which David used to spatialize the sound. The tabla started out entirely acoustic, later becoming amplified, and lastly being electronically modified by David. The audience was sitting in a circle, which was a nice change from the usual concert setup, allowing for a more immersive experience.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/669f17a5f55d92f55f33b47b02328653383f89b4/large/7466087.jpg?1439684947" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="" />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Soundcheck!</div>
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<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/bd7f2eb71d41b7fd88b5fe85684265214e753f6a/original/213225063.jpg?1439684758" class="size_l justify_center border_" />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Performance!</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br>We also did a poster presentation (<a contents="full ICLC proceedings are available here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://iclc.livecodenetwork.org/2015/iclc2015-proceedings.pdf" target="_blank">full ICLC proceedings are available here</a>), detailing our methods for rehearsing over the internet without any perceivable latency.</div><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/aec2a3ea302224be42aa7e77fcacd4e370336cd6/large/img-20150714-131554-edit.jpg?1439684079" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="" style="text-align: justify;" /><div style="text-align: justify;">
<br>As one can see from the proceedings, there were numerous presentations on a wide variety of topics. ICLC activities included workshops, lectures, paper presentations, concert performances, and even algorave soirées. What interested me the most were the live performances, especially those combining instrumentalists with live coding. There were some truly excellent, eye-opening performances, and I definitely left the conference with a newfound sense of curiosity and inspiration to continue exploring this new musical world.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/147f606daa2846a3b6db275ee0c296b9e02b15d7/large/img-20150715-214509-edit.jpg?1439686035" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="" /><br>It was quite interesting for me to have had this window into the close-knit live coding community. In many ways, it reminds me of the tabla community. Outside of India, many of us are somewhat isolated, with tabla players spread out over large distances, possibly one or two per city. Every now and then, such as during Guruji's tabla workshops in the past, and <a contents="my annual workshops" data-link-label="Annual Summer Workshop | Atelier annuel" data-link-type="page" href="/annual-summer-workshop-atelier-annuel">my annual workshops</a>, we come together into a close-knit musical family. We don't get to see each other often, but when we get together, it's a very special meeting of friends and family. ICLC felt like this. And, while I don't code, I was also very warmly welcomed into this new family. Musically speaking, there are also many similarities - live coding is centred around the idea of improvisation and spontaneous creativity, which is very much in line with tabla playing philosophies. We sit on stage, ready to perform, with our musical arsenal at the ready, however without any preconceived notions of exactly what the coming performance will be. The performance is created live, in the moment. Our musical languages and traditions may be vastly different, but there is much to be shared and to be learned from one another.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/9b0e0bb95dd15c853cb1ff3321cbb9aba4b1361f/large/11411825-1652937511605006-360447130088222779-o.jpg?1439684954" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="" />
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<div style="text-align: center;">The whole gang - ICLC organizers and attendees.</div>
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<br>Next year's ICLC will be held at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. I very much hope to attend! And what's next for Very Long Cat? We'll be giving a clinic / performance at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC) this coming November, in San Antonio, Texas!<br><br>For more on ICLC, check out their <a contents="Facebook page" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/livecodenet" target="_blank">Facebook page</a> and <a contents="Twitter feed" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://twitter.com/livecodenet" target="_blank">Twitter feed</a>. Many great photos and posts from the conference.</div>Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/38034032015-08-04T17:38:08-04:002017-01-16T09:36:32-05:00Inspiring Collaboration at the Music Gallery<div style="text-align: justify;">This past May 16, I had the great pleasure to perform at the Music Gallery in Toronto for what was billed as their <a contents='last "world music" concert' data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.musicgallery.org/the-end-of-world-music-at-the-music-gallery/" target="_blank">last "world music" concert</a>. I was in residence in Toronto for a few days prior to the concert, to collaborate with master tombak player Pedram Khavarzamini. It was truly inspirational to work with a musician of such knowledge, talent, and innate musicality. I also finally had the chance to play with fabulous dilruba player George Koller. After a few days of rehearsal, the concert was a magical experience for me; what a joy to perform with such amazing musicians! Also, what a luxury to be able to be in residence, rehearsing at the Music Gallery.</div><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/2b4b620ab81339b7ecd9048071d5f896bdf7644d/large/img-20150514-110313-edit.jpg?1438722151" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="" /><div style="text-align: center;">In rehearsal with George Koller on dilruba.</div> <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/5a340af0a0ccf934fb7d5112068de2eb96693e8d/large/ce-8t7xiaarr9s.jpg?1438722097" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="" /><div style="text-align: center;">In rehearsal with Pedram Khavarzamini.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">I opened the concert with a new take on a traditional Teentaal tabla solo, accompanied by George on dilruba. I had a new idea for the solo, and asked George to accompany, using four different raags. He was game, and working together, we found a way to seamlessly weave together the garland of lehras. Using different raags for different sections of the solo provided different moods for the different compositions, and while definitely not traditional, I believe it worked well. This is an idea that I'll definitely be developing more in future. I concluded my segment with a performance of Tawnie Olson's <a contents="Something to Say" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.shawnmativetsky.com/track/687406/something-to-say?feature_id=136482&trackship_id=769717"><em>Something to Say</em></a>, a piece that I've been enjoying performing quite frequently over the course of this past year.</div><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/b40945a953c9347fd9591f171fdabcc7bf7b8622/large/mg-7295.jpg?1438721928" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/5cd571caac67ab66c5fd1ece27afafe1adf7fad8/large/mg-7293.jpg?1438721906" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/49c7a0673abe039e770da38da0bdd147dfdf4229/large/mg-7274.jpg?1438721898" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="" /><div style="text-align: justify;">Pedram followed with his set, beginning in an intimate duo with Araz Salek on tar. He was later joined by his dynamic percussion group, the Varashan Percussion Ensemble, with AliNima Madani, Hamasseh Daneshzad, and Amir Manbachi. Beautiful music, and expertly played.</div><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/bd610298c13e5b8c2fa8ae38f4c98f44ba88f21b/original/mg-7333.jpg?1438721920" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/481c0e4c5b9dd868ff89ca121568acf4cbcbbf32/original/mg-7364.jpg?1438721931" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/1e1cddf2d7a7a7c66174bbb94c39c37f94571fd3/original/mg-7352.jpg?1438721924" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br>Finally, Pedram and I concluded the concert with our collaborative piece. Having just met a couple of days before the concert, I think we did quite well! We composed some rhythmic themes, in addition to trading short solos in Rupaktaal (7 beats) and Teentaal (16 beats), ending with a big unison composition and tihai, borrowed from the kathak dance tradition. Below, you'll find the audio from that duet performance.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/4e5f03768c99d692614ac3b139db2a9fb8c79798/large/11018345-730592453717967-8695978879274234411-n.jpg?1438721902" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="" /><div style="text-align: center;">Collaborative performance with Pedram Khavarzamini. Photo by Negin Nowtash.</div><br><br><iframe frameborder="no" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/206422279&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true" width="100%"></iframe><br><br>While in Toronto, I also gave a workshop on composing new music for tabla at the Canadian Music Centre. Thank you to the CMC for hosting!<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/96815bc2c4889b1f323c973e8760d3f98da8ba45/large/img-20150514-180217-edit.jpg?1438722158" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="" /><br>All in all, a very inspiring few days of music making!<br><br>Thank you to Claire Harvie for the Music Gallery concert photos.Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/37953332015-07-31T07:30:00-04:002017-01-16T09:36:32-05:00Feeling the Resonance<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="font_regular"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/188d5b9315e9b64d78d798bfea7f1ccceb7fc0bd/small/gurujibenares.jpeg?1407348236" class="size_s justify_left border_thin" alt="" />As today is Guru Purnima, this day where we celebrate and thank our gurus, our teachers, for all that they have shared with us, I thought that it would be fitting to talk about Guruji's new album, called <em><strong>Resonance (<span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 20px;">गूंज / </span>Goonj)</strong></em>. The album was actually released in India towards the end of 2014, on the <em>Indian Music 4U</em> label, but has not been widely announced or distributed outside of India until now. Surprisingly, this is Guruji's first non-solo album. For this recording, he accompanied legendary Benares vocalists, Pandits Rajan and Sajan Mishra. The double-CD set was recorded live in concert, in Leeds, July 1998 (possibly sometime close to Guru Purnima?). I don't know why it has taken so long to release this music, as the performance is stellar and the recording quality is out of this world. I cannot recommend this album highly enough. It is a rare coming together of master musicians from Benares, for what must have been an incredible evening to witness.<br><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/b691e8d261af11e35095b1de9d08e274b91f979c/medium/guruji.jpg?1438275834" class="size_m justify_none border_none" alt="" /> <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/576e8e991cf74f7e314c662f36eb6f32e72efeb9/large/rajansajan.jpg?1438274903" class="size_l justify_none border_none" alt="" /><br><br>The album contains a good variety of raags, and set to quite a variety of taals as well. Throughout the recording, one can hear Guruji's tasteful accompaniment of the vocals, and the strong bond between all of the musicians onstage. Pandits Rajan and Sajan Mishra are amongst the leading vocalists of our time, and have never disappointed; however this particular performance is truly unique in its energy and musicality, making this recording a definite must for lovers of Indian classical music. Here is the full track listing:</span><br> </div>
<div>
<strong>CD - 1</strong><br>Raag Tilak Kamod: Madhyalaya Jhaptaal - <em>Suran Ko Dhyan Dhariye Gunijan</em><br>Raag Tilak Kamod: Drut Teentaal - <em>Neer Bharan Kaise Javun Sakhi Ri Ab</em><br>Raag Tilak Kamod: Tarana - Ektaal <br>Raag Kamod: Madhyalaya Deepchandi- <em>Balma Na Maane Re</em>
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<div>Raag Kamod: Drut Teentaal - <em>Ritu Basant Sakhi Moh Mann Bhavat</em><br><br><strong>CD - 2</strong><br>Raag Hansdhwani: Madhyalaya Teentaal - <em>Vighan Haran Gaj Badan Gajanan</em><br>Raag Hansdhwani: Drut Teentaal - <em>Jai Jai Matangi Maata</em><br>Raag Kirwani: Bhajan: Dhumali - <em>Jagat Mein Jhoothi Dekhi Preet</em><br> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="font_regular"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/b480316512a068a2050db7f668c0ce111e93bee4/medium/resonance600x600.jpg?1438274905" class="size_m justify_center border_thin" alt="" /><br><em>Resonance</em> is available on iTunes, in two parts: <a contents="Part 1" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/resonance-goonj-pt.-1-feat./id967781366" target="_blank">Part 1</a>, <a contents="Part 2" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/resonance-goonj-pt.-2-feat./id967738774" target="_blank">Part 2</a>. If you are in Montreal and would like to purchase the CD, I have copies available. There are some small clips available on YouTube, so that you can get a taste of the album, however they are quite short and don't truly do the music justice.</span></div>
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<br>Thank you Panditjis for this wonderful recording, and thank you, Guruji, for everything! <span style="color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">बहुत बहुत धन्यवाद</span>
</div>Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/36805592015-04-28T13:15:24-04:002017-01-16T09:36:32-05:00Announcing the Summer Tabla Workshop Scholarship<div style="text-align: justify;">
<strong><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/8a6ca26e9a8be4f0f278ad90f00d209441636cb6/original/tabla-workshop-2015-header.jpg?1430241721" class="size_orig justify_center border_" /><br>It gives me great pleasure to announce that a scholarship is now available for this year's annual summer tabla workshop!</strong> The scholarship will cover the $300 tuition fee for one lucky student, who might not normally have been able to afford to attend otherwise. Additionally, if the participant does not have tabla, a pair of tabla will be made available for the duration of the workshop. The workshop takes place daily, from June 29 to July 4, 2015, at the Schulich School of Music of McGill University, Montreal.<br><br>To apply, please submit the following to shawn.mativetsky (at) mcgill.ca :</div>
<ul> <li style="text-align: justify;">Name, address, telephone number, e-mail address</li> <li style="text-align: justify;">A video, not longer than five minutes, demonstrating your tabla playing. It is recommended that you upload as a private video on a video hosting site (YouTube, for example), and to then e-mail the URL. (If you have never played tabla before, please contact Shawn to discuss alternatives.)</li> <li style="text-align: justify;">A letter, maximum 500 words, detailing your goals with regards to tabla and your intentions for the workshop. As the aim of the scholarship is to offer financial assistance to a student who would not normally be able to afford to attend, it is important that this subject be addressed as well.</li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: justify;">Candidates have until <strong>June 1</strong> to submit their applications. The successful candidate will be notified within the week that follows. Late applications will not be accepted.<br><br>For more about the Annual Summer Tabla Workshop, <a contents="please click here" data-link-label="Annual Summer Workshop | Atelier annuel" data-link-type="page" href="/annual-summer-workshop-atelier-annuel">please click here</a>.<br>For those on Facebook, the event page is <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/events/638526236269035/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br> <hr>
<br><strong>Il me fait grand plaisir d'annoncer qu’une bourse est maintenant disponible pour l'atelier de tabla annuel de cet été!</strong> La bourse couvrira les frais de scolarité de 300$ pour un étudiant chanceux, qui ne serait normalement pas en mesure de se permettre d'y assister autrement. En outre, si le participant n'a pas de tabla, une paire de tabla sera mise à sa disposition pour la durée de l'atelier. L'atelier aura lieu tous les jours, du 29 juin au 4 juillet 2015 à l'École de musique Schulich de l'Université McGill, Montréal.<br><br>Pour postuler, s'il vous plaît faire parvenir ceci à shawn.mativetsky (@) mcgill.ca:<ul> <li>Nom, adresse, numéro de téléphone, adresse courriel</li> <li>Une vidéo, pas plus de cinq minutes, vous montrant en train de jouer du tabla. Il est recommandé que vous téléchargiez votre vidéo sur un site d'hébergement (YouTube, par exemple), et puis de faire parvenir par courriel l’adresse URL. (Si vous n’avez jamais joué de tabla auparavant, s'il vous plaît communiquer avec Shawn pour discuter des alternatives.)</li> <li>Une lettre, de 500 mots maximum, précisant vos objectifs en ce qui concerne le tabla et vos intentions pour l'atelier. Comme le but de la bourse est d'offrir une aide financière à un étudiant qui ne serait normalement pas en mesure de se permettre d'y assister, il est important que cette question soit également traitée.</li>
</ul>
<p>Les candidats ont jusqu'au <strong>1er juin</strong> pour soumettre leur application. Le candidat retenu sera avisé au cours de la semaine qui suit.<br><br>Pour plus d'informations à propos de l'atelier, <a contents="please click here" data-link-label="Annual Summer Workshop | Atelier annuel" data-link-type="page" href="/annual-summer-workshop-atelier-annuel" style="text-align: justify;">cliquez ici</a><span style="text-align: justify;">.</span><br style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Pour la page Facebook, </span><a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/events/638526236269035/" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">cliquez ici</a><span style="text-align: justify;">.</span></p>
</div>Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/35498122015-02-27T22:19:07-05:002017-01-16T09:36:32-05:00Of Sound, Mind and Body + Gabriel Dharmoo<div style="text-align: justify;">This past January 25, I played a concert with improv ensemble <strong><a contents="Of Sound, Mind and Body" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Of-Sound-Mind-and-Body/739719122728744" target="_blank">Of Sound, Mind and Body</a></strong> at the Gesu in downtown Montreal, as part of the Le Vivier season. OSMB is <a contents="Tim Brady" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.timbrady.ca/" target="_blank">Tim Brady</a> on electric guitar, <a contents="Helmut Lipsky" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://helmutlipsky.com/" target="_blank">Helmut Lipsky</a> on violin, with myself on tabla and percussion. For this occasion, we were joined by improvising vocalist extraordinaire, Gabriel Dharmoo.<br> </div><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/e6c02e5a9044bf5867da2741c2af639f5f44b6b9/original/10176262-10153025391624419-1138617033943457708-n.jpg?1424651046" class="size_orig justify_center border_none" alt="" style="text-align: justify;" /><div style="text-align: justify;">
<br>OSMB is a free improvisation ensemble; the music is 100% improvised live, in the moment. It is spontaneous music creation that resonates with tradition but is driven by innovation and imagination. It is neither new nor old, it is simply music, in real time. It's extremely enjoyable, extremely liberating to perform with no rehearsal, no idea of what will happen. While Tim, Helmut, and I have performed together before, this was the first time that all four of us got together in any context! The concert was a true roller coaster ride, exciting from start to finish. The concert was recorded, and we'll hopefully have some music to share with you soon!<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/1cdeac93a1138f607e5715c8cfec3a060517361d/original/9187.jpg?1425093144" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/f123cc3305ac786b5e0db87b6cdca47c274b5f69/original/9089.jpg?1425093354" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/c54f0d0b0f75881d8d8bce153a14ad4292091f96/original/9195.jpg?1425093279" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/c1a0fcca69802de4491c7131eef43f112d09d5a5/original/9156.jpg?1425093310" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/da3ac39d22358181d0f548acb146aecbe781e682/original/9254.jpg?1425093240" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/233af82aa31cbcea45ab80af80705c5530e60786/original/9278.jpg?1425093225" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br>Thanks to <a contents="Caroline" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.carolinetabah.com" target="_blank">Caroline</a> for the photos!</div>Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/35549492015-02-24T17:41:29-05:002015-02-24T17:41:29-05:00New duo - Very Long Cat!<div style="text-align: justify;">I'm happy to announce a new musical collaboration with Hamilton-based multimedia artist, David Ogborn - <em><strong>Very Long Cat</strong></em>! The duo rehearses over the internet, with the use of special software that synchronises our performance. The music is improv-based, and David and I are exploring various new ways of bridging our disparate musical cultures (while also bridging the geographical distance that separates us). For some performances, we'll both be on-site, while for others, one of us can appear live, via Internet, as I will be doing later this spring (more details to come soon).<br><br>Here are a couple of video demos that we've recently put together.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2gehI46oNvk?rel=0" width="560"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2i9CG2Ayl8A?rel=0" width="560"></iframe></div><br>And if you like what you hear (or not), please consider <a contents="liking us on Facebook" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/veryLongCat" target="_blank">liking us on Facebook</a>!Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/34959792015-01-30T16:00:18-05:002017-01-16T09:36:30-05:00Concert and Masterclass at William Paterson University<div style="text-align: justify;">This week, I was invited by Payton MacDonald to give a concert and masterclass at William Paterson University, in Wayne, NJ. We gave a concert with a similar format to those of our <a contents="mini-tour last fall" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.shawnmativetsky.com/home-accueil/blog/tabla-concerto-and-dhrupad-week">mini-tour last fall</a>, with me accompanying Payton's dhrupad vocal performance on <em>jori</em> (pakhawaj tabla), followed by him accompanying me on harmonium for a tabla solo. We were also fortunate to have Jessica Johnson on tanpura.<br><br>Payton opened with <em>Alap, Jor, </em><em>Jhala, </em>and a composition in <em>Raag Bhimpalasi</em> (I accompanied both the <em>jhala</em>, and the composition, which was in <em>chautaal</em>), followed by a short piece in <em>Sooltaal.</em> I then played a tabla solo in <em>Teentaal</em>. After playing for nearly an hour on the larger <em>jori </em>drums, it's quite an odd feeling to switch to the much smaller tabla, tuned an octave higher!</div><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/0091ac5a4705aeecd1757f465b6927c63ccc3ca8/large/img-20150129-134416153.jpg?1422651132" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/73f5fa0ea601f90dcee560e20c82adab3382dd05/large/img-20150129-134406362.jpg?1422651133" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="" /><br><br>After a tasty lunch at a local Mexican restaurant, we returned to the university, where I gave a masterclass for the percussion students. Many thanks to Payton for having invited me to WPU, and to SABIAN Cymbals for their support of my masterclass!<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/18b0d3d4aa2ac1ec003aff2023e2909a2d2f9286/large/img-20150129-163715593-1-edit.jpg?1422651134" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="" />Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/34945942015-01-29T21:12:17-05:002017-01-16T09:36:30-05:00Last Week in LondonLast week, I travelled to London, Ontario to give two masterclasses and a concert at Western University. I was invited by longtime friend and musical collaborator, composer Paul Frehner. Back in 2006, he wrote <em>Ke-Te</em> for me (which appears on my album, <a contents="Cycles" data-link-label="Cycles" data-link-type="page" href="/cycles">Cycles</a>), and I've also played a number of his other compositions, including <em>Oracle</em>, for violin and tabla (which appears on the Attar Projects album, <a contents="The Road Ahead" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/AttarProject" target="_blank">The Road Ahead</a>).<br><br>One masterclass was for composition students, and the other for percussion majors. The concert was part of the Friday noon concert series, at von Kuster Hall. I opened the concert with a traditional solo in Teentaal, unaccompanied, followed by Bruno Paquet's <em>Les arbres célestes</em>, Paul Frehner's <em>Ke-Te</em>, and finally, Tawnie Olson's <em><a contents="Something to Say" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://shawnmativetsky.com/track/687406/something-to-say">Something to Say</a>. </em>The concert was really well attended; the hall was packed! And, the audience's enthusiasm for both the traditional and contemporary repertoire made this a very enjoyable and memorable concert experience!<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/1da119cf1a432ff22043d94162e4adb427a248a5/large/img-7808.jpg?1422583713" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/deaa52652c8363595b3d1d77e628603c33f54e5e/large/img-7817.jpg?1422583714" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="" /><div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/7d1be86ea78143b3940e44b93ad07142b620f19e/large/img-7822.jpg?1422583738" class="size_orig justify_center border_" alt="" /><p class="caption">Composer Paul Frehner, receiving much applause after the performance of his piece</p></div>
<div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/4934c25273ca99cc24dbdc407e4ffce2d90e2c21/large/img-7838.jpg?1422583764" class="size_orig justify_center border_" alt="" /><p class="caption">With Paul Frehner, after the concert</p></div><br><br>Thank you to Henry Meredith for the photos!Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/33725872014-12-08T07:56:37-05:002017-01-16T09:36:30-05:00Tabla Concerto and Dhrupad Week<div style="text-align: justify;">On November 24, longtime friend and collaborator, percussionist, dhrupad singer, and composer, <strong>Payton MacDonald</strong> visited Montreal for a very productive and stimulating week of music making.<br><br>First, on November 24, we had a recording session of Payton's <strong>tabla concerto, <em>Samsara</em></strong>, for tabla with wind ensemble. The McGill Wind Symphony, directed by Alain Cazes, did a wonderful job with the piece. The ensemble sounded great! The recording will probably be ready sometime in the spring; I'll post more details once I know. The following evening, we performed the concerto in a concert of works by McGill composers. It was a very varied and challenging programme. Bravo to Alain and the MGWS for a very successful performance!
<div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/5c5dcad7779445c132dc7bf10e6ba3993872ff08/large/samsaramgso.jpg?1418042377" class="size_orig justify_center border_" alt="" /><p class="caption">Performing Samsara with the McGill Wind Symphony, dir. Alain Cazes</p></div>
<br>Because I knew that Payton and I would perform some dhrupad concerts together, I ordered some special tabla, called <em>jori</em>. I have always been fascinated by this instrument and am really happy to have had this occasion to dive in and start playing. Normally, dhrupad is accompanied by <em>pakhawaj</em>, but I don't play <em>pakhawaj.</em> The <i>jori </i>are played like <em>pakhawaj</em>, but vertically, in tabla style. The <i>jori</i> would have been the first type of tabla to exist, right after the <em>pakhawaj</em>. The <em>dahina</em> is the usual tabla <em>dahina</em>, in this case, a low C, sounding more like <em>pakhawaj. </em>It's really the <em>baya</em> that makes the <em>jori</em> what it is. Firstly, it is made of wood, as opposed to the usual brass or copper (though nowadays, copper and brass <em>jori</em> do exist). Secondly, and this is the main difference, is that there is no <em>syahi </em>on the baya; rather, one must make a paste of <em>atta</em> (finely ground whole wheat flour) and water. This temporary application must be made before each time playing the instrument, and scraped off afterwards. It is definitely something new that I am not used to, but wow, does the <em>jori</em> sound amazing. And it truly does sound just like <em>pakhawaj</em>. Thanks to a few YouTube videos, I was able to figure out how to make the <em>atta</em> and apply is properly. It's essentially the same process as making the dough for chapati! <br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/bfdf4b967761787258bc06309431635dd76ef8e5/large/img-20141124-113439-edit.jpg?1418042550" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="" /><div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/ef29992f81a151124d34f19577c8231937006676/large/img-20141124-163142-edit.jpg?1418042559" class="size_orig justify_center border_" alt="" /><p class="caption">The wooden baya is huge, and sounds huge as well!</p></div>
<br>We performed three concerts in three different venues: Friday night at Shri Yoga in Westmount, Saturday night at the Centre de Vie in Ripon, and finally, Sunday night at Black Squirrel Books in Ottawa, as part of the Improvising Musicians of Ottawa / Outaouais (IMOO) series. Each night, Payton sang a couple of <em>ragas</em>, with <em>alap, jor, </em>and <em>jhala, </em>with <em>gat </em>in <em>Chautaal</em> (12 beats). We always concluded the dhrupad portion with a composition in <i>Sooltaal</i> (10 beats). Then after a short break, Payton switched to harmonium, and I switched to regular tabla, one octave higher, and played tabla solo. It was quite challenging switching from <em>jori</em> to tabla, and from dhrupad to tabla solo, but it definitely made for a very varied concert experience, both for us, and the audience. It was also great fun to accompany the <em>jor</em>, as that usually does not happen in <em>khyal</em> or instrumental accompaniment. I also found dhrupad accompaniment to be very liberating in a way, as I didn't need to keep <em>theka </em>all the time. This additional freedom was a fun change of pace, and the beautiful tone of the <em>jori</em> was very inspiring. Payton is also singing very well, recently back in North America after having spent last year in intense study with the Gundecha brothers.<br> <div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/d742f629c6eba869925a9052e34fcd21a7cedbc5/large/img-20141128-201552-edit-edit-edit.jpg?1418042500" class="size_orig justify_center border_" alt="" /><p class="caption">Accompanying Payton at Shri Yoga, with Ina on tanpura.</p></div>
<div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/228160d8dd0c9296f78fb015edc3fd621e82f253/large/img-20141128-204906-edit-edit.jpg?1418042510" class="size_orig justify_center border_" alt="" /><p class="caption">Tabla solo at Shri Yoga, with Payton on harmonium, and Ina on tanpura.</p></div>
<div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/3fb9a9aa260e3d2252331183331c38436b26213c/large/img-20141129-200011-edit.jpg?1418042519" class="size_orig justify_center border_" alt="" /><p class="caption">Dhrupad at the Centre de Vie in Ripon, QC.</p></div>
<div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/c9b1653fcc207e057ef117da0b42009df14d67bd/large/img-20141130-200001-edit.jpg?1418042544" class="size_orig justify_center border_" alt="" /><p class="caption">Bringing ancient traditions to new places - dhrupad at Black Squirrel Books in Ottawa.</p></div>
</div>An intensely inspiring week of music making. Looking forward to more <em>jori</em>, dhrupad, and further collaborations with Payton!<br><br>Thank you to Caroline Tabah for the photos!Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/33186132014-11-22T20:43:11-05:002017-01-16T09:36:30-05:00Maritimes Tour<div style="text-align: justify;">Last week, I packed up my tabla and drove out to the Maritimes for some concerts and workshops. It's a part of Canada that I haven't previously had much of a chance to see, and I'm really glad that I had the opportunity to visit. It's a beautiful part of the country and I hope to be able to return soon!<br><br>The tour started off in Charlottetown, PEI. Such a nice place to visit - red earth, amazing food, and really friendly people. I had a lot of fun lighthouse spotting during my one day off. And yes, their potatoes (and cheese) are awesome.<br> <div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/5d741a646c582637d9e5b76eb37ce9a2213ea38e/medium/img-20141108-145318-edit.jpg?1416706117" class="size_orig justify_center border_" alt="" /><p class="caption">Am I on Mars or Prince Edward Island?<br> </p></div>
<div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/3f688c19b8ff7be48c807701dc265f16f3f5c62b/medium/img-20141108-150701-edit.jpg?1416706135" class="size_orig justify_center border_" alt="" /><p class="caption">I don't know why, but I just find lighthouses fun...</p></div>
<br>In the morning, I gave a workshop at Holland College for Alan Dowling's world music class. It was also great to see David, one of my tabla students, who lives in Charlottetown!<br> <div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/acf4726a6e0f67b03cc051a6c72e45ee884aae6f/large/img-20141110-093241-1.jpg?1416705295" class="size_orig justify_center border_" alt="" /><p class="caption">Talking taal with Alan Dowling at Holland College</p></div>
<br>Later that afternoon, I drove out to Montague, PEI for a workshop at Montague Regional High School. The music teacher there, Kirk White, is an old friend back from when we were both students at McGill. I don't think we've seen each other for 18 years or so!<br> <div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/959c28e32ace2e055b8bacacd05b7f946be6a70e/large/img-20141110-143141.jpg?1416705296" class="size_orig justify_center border_" alt="" /><p class="caption">Keeping taal with Kirk White and his students at Montague Regional High School</p></div>
<br>Next stop, Halifax, Nova Scotia for a concert at the Scotia Festival's Music Room. Here, I collaborated with uber-talented Halifax musicians Ellen Gibling (a former McGill tabla student!) on harp, and flutist Jack Chen, for a program of music inspired by India, Bali, Japan, and Taiwan. Those familiar with Indian music culture will get this - we named the concert <em>Jalsa Ghar</em>, which means 'Music Room' in Hindi! How appropriate! :)<br><br>The program included a traditional tabla solo in Teentaal, accompanied by Ellen on harp; Jim Hiscott's <em>Shadow Play</em>, for flute and tabla; Tawnie Olson's <a contents="Something to Say" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://shawnmativetsky.com/track/687406/something-to-say"><em>Something to Say</em></a>, for tabla and fixed media; Michio Myagi's <em>Haru no Umi, </em>for flute and harp; Ssu-Yu Huang's arrangement of Taiwanese folk song <em>DueDueDon</em>, for flute and harp; and to conclude, Ravi Shankar's <em>l'Aube Enchantée</em>, for flute, harp, and tabla. It was a wonderful evening; a really enjoyable performance, and great fun to collaborate with such amazing musicians.
<div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/3b34a3361b800ab7ef54393fa747b8458a6ea2d3/large/img-20141112-194117-edit.jpg?1416705304" class="size_orig justify_center border_" alt="" /><p class="caption">Performing Jim Hiscott's Shadow Play with Jack Chen on flute, at the Music Room.</p></div>
<div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/09c1606244d8d6ccb078962a68695c5dbe12db62/large/img-20141112-203624-edit.jpg?1416705300" class="size_orig justify_center border_" alt="" /><p class="caption">With Ellen Gibling on harp, at the Music Room.</p></div>
<br>The next morning, Ellen and I headed out to Acadia University in Wolfville, where I gave a guest lecture on <em>taal</em> for Ken Shorley's world drumming class, followed by a noon-hour recital - a 45 minute tabla solo in Teentaal, again accompanied by Ellen on harp. It's definitely not a traditional combination, but I think that it works really well!<br> <div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/d98b95c283b2d1a26117ab23427a306b829ff9db/large/img-20141113-100706.jpg?1416705308" class="size_orig justify_center border_" alt="" /><p class="caption">Having fun with taal and tihai, with Ken Shorley and his class.</p></div>
<div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/545d7c5b7fb49c9ff75a0b7f1f4a7c1bba66a989/large/img-20141113-114303.jpg?1416705308" class="size_orig justify_center border_" alt="" /><p class="caption">Performing tabla solo with Ellen Gilbling, the best lehra player in the East!</p></div>
<br>After the concert, we jumped back in the car and headed back to Halifax for a workshop and mini-performance at the Halifax Independent School. We were very warmly welcomed, and it was a pleasure to interact with students who were so engaging and inquisitive.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/fb487f750a660fa9a0fb7c54f2da87e82ca00f7f/medium/img-20141113-142648.jpg?1416705305" class="size_m justify_center border_thin" alt="" /><br>The next day, I visited Dalhousie University (also in Halifax), where I performed a mini tabla solo as part of the Percussion Ensemble's concert, followed by a workshop on traditional tabla, and finally, a workshop on composing for tabla. It was great to visit with my old percussion teacher D'Arcy Gray, who I haven't seen in quite some time, as well as composer Jerome Blais. The students at Dal are lucky to have them!<br> <div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/8aebf6f6fd2f8ab848ba2a3f61bf4a00d844b06e/medium/img-20141114-151642-edit-edit.jpg?1416705306" class="size_orig justify_center border_" alt="" /><p class="caption">Talking about pakhawaj!</p></div>
<div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/fd3f999e3bf4a5511ee2c50c6e59e76d8f4fd25f/medium/img-20141114-164851.jpg?1416705300" class="size_orig justify_center border_" alt="" /><p class="caption">Talking about early works that included tabla.</p></div>
<br>Overall, an incredibly busy, incredibly stimulating week. The Maritimes are truly beautiful; I can't wait to go back!<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/353d70e7a9f41f71c9f79d08bbe490c1204ec28d/large/img-20141114-082830.jpg?1416706577" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="" /><br>Thank you to Alan, David, Kirk, Chris, Ellen, Jack, Ken, Nelle, Margaret, Catherine, John, D'Arcy, and Jerome for a wonderful week! And as always, thank you to <a contents="Caroline Tabah" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.carolinetabah.com" target="_blank">Caroline Tabah</a> for the photos!</div>Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/32631772014-11-02T18:09:46-05:002014-11-02T18:16:57-05:00Permutations, a tabla player's best friend!<div style="text-align: justify;">Earlier today, I had a little chat with composer Stace Constantinou on Twitter. He was exploring various permutations of a series of notes; a technique used in serial composition. It got me thinking about how tabla players use permutations quite a lot in our improvisations. He suggested I write a blog post on the subject, and so, here we are! (I'll have to write a blog post on how we actually structure our <em>kaida-palta</em> improvisations, which is a theme-and-variation form; I'll save that for another time.)<br><br>In playing tabla, it often happens that a pattern emerges in the <em>bols</em>. For example: Dha Te Te Dha Te Te Dha Dha. When this happens, a eureka moment occurs - the possibility of permutations being immediately apparent. The permutations in this instance would be:<br><br>Dha Te Te Dha Te Te Dha Dha (the original)<br>Dha Te Te Dha Dha Dha Te Te<br>Dha Dha Dha Te Te Dha Te Te<br><br>This is a simple example, and without the use of any complex formulas, we can see that there are three possibilities. If DhaTeTe = A, and DhaDha = B, then the three possibilities are:<br><br>AAB (our original version)<br>ABA<br>BAA<br><br>(Of course, the DhaDha motive could be split into two separate Dha sounds, and the TeTe could be split as well, but that would not be an idiomatic approach to permutations, as far as the tabla is concerned.)<br><br>The next example which pops up often is AAAAB, for example: Dha TiRa KiTa Dha TiRa KiTa Dha TiRa KiTa Dha TiRa KiTa Dha TiRa KiTa TaKa, or written another way: (Dha TiRa KiTa) x 4 (Dha TiRa KiTa TaKa). That's four groups of three, and one group of four. Here are the possible permutations:<br><br>AAAAB (the original)<br>AAABA<br>AABAA<br>ABAAA<br>BAAAA<br><br>Translating into tabla <em>bols</em>:<br>Dha TiRa KiTa Dha TiRa KiTa Dha TiRa KiTa Dha TiRa KiTa Dha TiRa KiTa TaKa (the original)<br>Dha TiRa KiTa Dha TiRa KiTa Dha TiRa KiTa Dha TiRa KiTa TaKa Dha TiRa KiTa<br>Dha TiRa KiTa Dha TiRa KiTa Dha TiRa KiTa TaKa Dha TiRa KiTa Dha TiRa KiTa<br>Dha TiRa KiTa Dha TiRa KiTa TaKa Dha TiRa KiTa Dha TiRa KiTa Dha TiRa KiTa<br>Dha TiRa KiTa TaKa Dha TiRa KiTa Dha TiRa KiTa Dha TiRa KiTa Dha TiRa KiTa<br><br>For most, it's probably obvious that there would be five possible permutations of this pattern, however if you weren't sure, you could use this mathematical formula, which I learned from my senior <em>guru-bhai</em>, Bob Becker, of the renowned percussion ensemble, Nexus. (If you are curious about rhythm and mathematics on a high level, have a look at his book, <em>Rudimental Arithmetic.</em>)<br><br>There are five items in all, so we must calculate 5! (5 factorial), which means 1 x 2 x 3 x 4 x 5, which gives us a large number of possibilities (120). However, there are four items which are identical (Dha TiRa KiTa), and so we need to eliminate those permutations, as they would sound the same as others, so we divide by 4! (1 x 2 x 3 x 4), leaving us with 5. Amazing, eh? Here's the math:<br><br>5! / 4! = (1 x 2 x 3 x 4 x 5) / (1 x 2 x 3 x 4) = 5<br><br>Another example that pops up often is AAAABB, for example: Ta Ki Ta Ta Ki Ta Ta Ki Ta Ta Ki Ta Tin Na Tin Na, or (Ta Ki Ta) x 4 and (Tin Na) x 2. How many possible permutations now? It's impossible to guesstimate; we need to use the formula.<br><br>There are 6 items.<br>4 are identical (Ta Ki Ta)<br>2 are identical (Tin Na)<br><br>Therefore:<br><br>6! / (4! x 2!) = (1 x 2 x 3 x 4 x 5 x 6) / (1 x 2 x 3 x 4 x 1 x 2) = 15<br><br>15 possibilities, wow! I'm not going to write them all out for you. Let's leave this as homework for you to figure out on your own. The five "simple" permutations will be the same as above, when we had only five possible permutations. Those would be:<br><br>AAAABB (the original)<br>AAABBA<br>AABBAA<br>ABBAAA<br>BBAAAA<br><br>There are ten more. Have fun finding them!<br><br>Now, in performance, we would never play through ALL permutations, as it would soon become predictable and boring. However, as a practice tool, it's invaluable. First, from the technical standpoint, to have practiced all possible permutations, means you will be technically prepared to play any of them. Secondly, playing through all the possible permutations might help you discover certain rhythms and combinations that you may not have otherwise discovered. Thirdly, after having practiced permutations enough, they become intuitive, meaning that we can leave the math behind and let our musical intuition and creativity guide the way.<br><br>These permutation techniques can also be valuable to the practice and performance of other instruments, whether applied to scales, melodies, rudiments, or any musical phrases. I hope that this article helps lead to some interesting musical explorations for you!</div>Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/32420212014-10-20T22:41:06-04:002018-10-22T08:08:01-04:00Toronto Weekend in Review<div style="text-align: justify;">I'm back home after a very busy few days in Toronto. To start off the weekend, on Friday, October 17, I gave a workshop on tabla and North Indian rhythm at the University of Toronto for the percussion area.<br> </div><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/9b55ca82588604c65f152dda31b3eb13e2797bc4/large/img-20141017-134037-edit.jpg?1413855373" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="" style="text-align: justify;" /><div style="text-align: justify;">
<br>That evening, I gave a solo tabla performance to inaugurate the Toronto Tabla Ensemble's new <strong>Baithak intimate concert series</strong>. The evening began with 30 minute solo in <em>Teentaal</em>, performed by the TTE's own Razak Pirani, a student of Ritesh Das.<br> </div><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/e308a9388a64316fc346a544620d70692de2e8ff/medium/img-20141017-192507-edit.jpg?1413855444" class="size_m justify_center border_thin" alt="" style="text-align: justify;" /><div style="text-align: justify;">
<br>I followed with a one-hour solo in <em>vilambit</em> and <em>madhya Teentaal, </em>accompanied by Parmela Attariwala on viola <em>lehra</em>. Parmela had originally planned on playing violin, but we both preferred the rounder tone of the viola, playing the <em>lehra</em> an octave lower than it would have been on violin. I began with a special, larger tabla, allowing me to play an octave lower as well, at least for the opening of the solo. Afterwards, I switched to the upper octave for the rest of the solo. Here's a short clip of the <em>bhumika </em>and <em>uthaan</em> (the introductory section):<br><br><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="506" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/c01aZzCkSSU?rel=0" width="900"></iframe>
</div><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/4fd356330bf29a9873cb0d7e57c801733f8af788/medium/img-20141017-201708-edit-edit.jpg?1413855546" class="size_m justify_center border_thin" alt="" style="text-align: justify;" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/acf75d49d59d095a6b6e8d6cd32f4f0f006d360f/large/img-20141017-210851-edit-edit.jpg?1413855551" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="" style="text-align: justify;" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/ce26f63f4750e218d78a1ac98d54e555860a7a4f/large/10688115-10152763322121397-6208046596571910049-o.jpg?1413857031" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="" style="text-align: justify;" /><div style="text-align: justify;">
<br>After the solo, there was a chance to exchange with members of the audience, who had many questions about the particularities of the Benares <em>gharana</em>, and Benares-made tabla. I was glad that many people noticed that I tuned my baya to <em>Sa </em>(the tonic), and received some questions about that as well. It's still surprising to me that not all tabla players tune their baya; it has a very significant effect, in my opinion. And, we tune the <em>dahina</em>, so why not the <em>baya</em> as well? Many thanks to the kind folks at the TTE for the warm welcome, especially Riteshji, Melissa, and Razak, who put in a lot of work organizing the evening and making it a great success.<br><br>On Saturday, I participated in a panel discussion moderated by Parmela Attariwala, with panelists Melody McKiver and Nicole Rampersaud. The topic was "Ethnocultural Baggage and Contemporary Classical Music." A number of aspects were discussed, including cultural identity, issues of racism, appropriation of culture, and the scope and definition of the term "contemporary classical music." I enjoyed participating, and wish that we had had more time to explore the subject matter! The panel was part of the Music Gallery's X Avant festival.</div>
<div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/e3717925d90df1d26bfb3b450ea9449170cd8f02/large/img-20141018-155829-edit.jpg?1413856249" class="size_orig justify_center border_" alt="" /><p class="caption">From left to right: Parmela Attariwala, Melody McKiver, Nicole Rampersaud, Shawn Mativetsky</p></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br>On Sunday, Parmela and I performed a concert in our cross-cultural duo formation, the <strong>Attar Project</strong>. We performed a number of pieces from our album, <a contents="The Road Ahead" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/AttarProject" target="_blank"><em>The Road Ahead</em></a>. Despite the marathon taking place outside, which made it very difficult to access the venue, there was a surprisingly decent turnout, which we were very happy about. Not bad for a Sunday afternoon, and a great way to wrap up a highly musically stimulating weekend!<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/515b497ded5d583462795b79b9fbf95a076c9717/large/screen-shot-2014-10-20-at-10-35-58-pm.png?1413859066" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="" /><br>Thank you to Caroline Tabah, Christien Ledroit, and the Toronto Tabla Ensemble for the photos used in this blog post.</div>Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/32291332014-10-14T07:20:00-04:002017-01-16T09:36:29-05:00Toronto Weekend<div style="text-align: justify;">This coming weekend, I'll have a busy few days in Toronto. I haven't played a concert in Toronto in quite a while, so I'm really hoping to see my Toronto-area friends this weekend! :)<br><br>On Friday, October 17, I'll be giving a workshop on North Indian Rhythm for the percussion students at the <strong>University of Toronto</strong>. Sorry, but this one is for students only, and isn't open to the public.<br><br>On Friday evening, at 7pm, I'll be playing a full-length traditional <strong>tabla solo </strong>in style of the Benares <em>gharana</em>, inaugurating the <a contents="Toronto Tabla Ensemble" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://torontotabla.com/" target="_blank">Toronto Tabla Ensemble</a>'s new <strong><a contents="Baithak intimate concert series" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://torontotabla.com/event/baithak-series-1-shawn-mativetsky/" target="_blank">Baithak intimate concert series</a></strong>. I'll be accompanied by wonderful violinist, Parmela Attariwala. I've been wanting to play tabla solo in Toronto for a long time, and am really glad that my first solo in Toronto is coinciding with the debut of this great new series. The Baithak series takes place in a small venue, with the feeling of a house concert; up close and personal. Maximum capacity is 40-50 people, so if you're planning on attending, please be sure to reserve in advance! Contact <a contents="razakpirani@rogers.com" data-link-label="" data-link-type="email" href="mailto:razakpirani@rogers.com" target="_blank">razakpirani@rogers.com</a> or call 1-888-958-2252.</div><br><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://torontotabla.com/event/baithak-series-1-shawn-mativetsky/" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/466f8a218dffa6e520095bf2dbdc25e9f00636b0/large/baithak-oct17-banner2-copy.png?1413145854" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="" /></a><br>Razak Pirani, a student of Ritesh Das, will open the concert with a short Lucknow-style tabla solo.<br><br><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.musicgallery.org/ethnocultural-baggage-and-contemporary-classical-music/" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/4133d359ffc85b92a7e71289582d8d59a510e4ee/medium/xavant.jpg?1413227455" class="size_m justify_center border_thin" alt="" /></a>
<div style="text-align: justify;">On Saturday, October 18 at 3pm, I'll be participating in a <strong>panel discussion on <a contents="Ethnocultural Baggage and Contemporary Classical Music" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.musicgallery.org/ethnocultural-baggage-and-contemporary-classical-music/" target="_blank">Ethnocultural Baggage and Contemporary Classical Music</a></strong>, moderated by Parmela Attariwala. The panel is part of the Music Gallery's X Avant festival. I look forward to having exchanges with the other panelists, Melody McKiver and Nicole Rampersaud. We will certainly have lots of baggage to discuss amongst us. :)</div><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/574eab26cad57ea3423010016b5865a1048bff45/medium/posteroct192014.jpg?1413227108" class="size_m justify_center border_thin" alt="" /><div style="text-align: justify;">Finally, on Sunday, October 19, at 3pm, Parmela and I will perform a concert as the <strong><a contents="Attar Project" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://parmela.com/the_Attar_Project.html" target="_blank">Attar Project</a>, </strong>our cross-cultural new music ensemble. This will be our first Toronto performance since our cd launch back 2010. Wow! Admission is $10-$15. The concert takes place at C'est What, 67 Front Street East, Toronto. We'll be performing repertoire that we commissioned for our last CD from composers Paul Frehner, Meiro Stamm, Christien Ledroit, and Nicole Rampersaud, in addition to some older favourites.</div><br>See you there!Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/32268722014-10-11T18:21:17-04:002017-01-16T09:36:29-05:00A Busy Week for Duo Samskara!<div style="text-align: justify;">This past Tuesday, October 7, santoor player Jonathan Voyer and I headed to Quebec City, where we had the pleasure of performing for the VIP pre-launch event for the <strong>Musée nationale des beaux-arts du Québec</strong>'s new exhibition, <strong><a contents="Into India" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.mnbaq.org/en/exhibition/into-india-1217" target="_blank"><em>Into India</em></a></strong>. The exhibition is quite amazing, and I highly recommend it for anyone planning on visiting the Quebec City area. It runs until January 18, 2015. See it while you can!<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/9d4c8a2d79733c28e96e0d1e7d8ec4cd335d841e/medium/mnbaq.jpg?1412207062" class="size_m justify_center border_thin" alt="" /><br><em>The exhibition offers a magnificent overview of 700 years of history and artistic creation, from the 12th to the 19th centuries, through a hundred works from the prestigious Edwin Binney 3rd collection of the San Diego Museum of Art. Extremely rare sacred illuminations, Mughal paintings inspired by Persian culture and its heroes and finely-wrought illustrations of the native flora and fauna demonstrate the amazing eagerness with which Indian artists yielded to the most diverse foreign tastes without ever sacrificing the quality of their work or the indisputably Indian signature of their execution.</em><br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/7093bbc404ff1d99b04e3e0cfab77ddbea224830/large/img-20141007-165504.jpg?1412963420" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="" /><br>We played twice; once in the main hall, and once in a smaller, intimate setting. Jonathan chose to play in <em>Raag Yaman</em> for the evening. We played compositions in <em>Rupak Taal</em>, <em>Jhaptaal</em>, <em>Sitarkhani</em>, and <em>Teentaal</em>. Longtime collaborator, kathak dancer Sudeshna Maulik, also performed.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/4e31bc993582942535439f88bfcd22d120e9b70c/large/musee.jpg?1412963604" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="" /><br>On Wednesday, October 8, we performed twice again at the museum, this time for members and their guests. We performed <em>Raag Yaman </em>and <em>Raag Puriya Kalyan, </em>set to <em>Rupak taal, Sitarkhani,</em> and <em>Teentaal</em>.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/3bec9a67d8a474eb3ece15f6b30402c5610c7401/large/musee2.jpg?1412963644" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="" /><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/69cce953eb9a9fa2d13838145c842f02da9f8ef1/large/sudeshna.jpg?1413065336" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="" /><br>Back in Montreal on Thursday, October 9, we played a concert as part of UQAM's <strong><em>Semaine Inde</em></strong> (India Week), at the Grande Bibliothèque, downtown. I was actually feeling quite sick that day (fever, congestion), but somehow when I got on stage, I was totally fine. And in fact, this was possibly one of our best performances together. Jonathan must have been in the <em>Kalyan</em> mood this week, as we performed <em>Puriya Kalyan</em>, with <em>alap</em>, and <em>gat</em> in <em>vilambit</em> <em>Rupak taal </em>and <em>drut Teentaal</em>. Our recital was followed by a lovely Bharata Natyam dance performance by Julie Beaulieu. The audience was very appreciative, and both segments received standing ovations. A performance that we'll be remembering for quite some time!<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/364da126f9f0e56beb399cf29ca4d6820dc8d583/large/screen-shot-2014-10-11-at-5-53-33-pm.png?1413065321" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="" /><div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/f117166015bd7c4f64fd81ca64e72db43f7cc5ba/large/screen-shot-2014-10-11-at-5-56-23-pm.png?1413065332" class="size_orig justify_center border_" alt="" /><p class="caption">The final Dha!</p></div>
<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/db79813c3e3259a601e60bbee245e6197c80733e/medium/screen-shot-2014-10-11-at-5-54-51-pm.png?1413065325" class="size_m justify_center border_none" alt="" /><div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/4f9a040e92c09dfe5a0bfd14a8cce05d50ee1289/medium/screen-shot-2014-10-11-at-5-58-49-pm.png?1413065337" class="size_orig justify_center border_" alt="" /><p class="caption">Julie reacting to the outcome of the roll of the dice<br>(while enacting the dice game from the Mahabharata)</p></div>
<br>To wrap up this week's performances, on Saturday, October 11, Jonathan and I accompanied a theatrical reading of the Hindu epic <em>Ramayana</em>, also as part of UQAM's <em>Semaine Inde</em>. This version of the <em>Ramayana</em> was scripted by Alexis Martin of the Nouveau Théâtre expérimental, with actors Alexis Martin, Daniel Brière, Sharon Ibgui, and Benoit Drouin-Germain reading the numerous roles.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/c592b0cb267c19b5026048ca8b62f58f518e4fb0/large/img-20141011-131343.jpg?1413064073" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/7f77ff9c9da27db3a20ba7cc7c61daa0e901344c/large/img-20141011-131153.jpg?1413064068" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="" /><br>A very enjoyable week of music-making!</div>Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/32132362014-10-01T20:03:10-04:002017-01-16T09:36:29-05:00This week - santoor extravaganza!<div style="text-align: justify;">If last week was the <a contents="week of the sitar" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.shawnmativetsky.com/home-accueil/blog/my-sitar-weekend-in-review">week of the sitar</a>, then next week is most definitely the week of the santoor! Four concerts with <strong>Duo Samskara</strong>, my duo with talented santoor player Jonathan Voyer.</div>
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<br>On Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, October 7 and 8, in Quebec City, we'll be performing for the launch of the <strong>Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec</strong>'s newest exhibition, <strong><a contents="Into India - South Asian Paintings from the San Diego Museum of Art" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.mnbaq.org/en/exhibition/into-india-1217" target="_blank"><em>Into India - South Asian Paintings from the San Diego Museum of Art</em></a></strong>. Tuesday night is a pre-launch of the exhibition (sorry, not open to the general public), and Wednesday night is the vernissage for MNBAQ subscribers and guests (<a contents="info here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.mnbaq.org/en/activity/journee-de-premiere-octobre-2014-181" target="_blank">info here</a>).</div><br><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.mnbaq.org/en/exhibition/into-india-1217" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/9d4c8a2d79733c28e96e0d1e7d8ec4cd335d841e/medium/mnbaq.jpg?1412207062" class="size_m justify_center border_thin" alt="" /></a><br>Back in Montreal, on Thursday night, October 9, at 7:30pm, we will be performing a concert as part of UQAM's India Week, at the Grande Bibliothèque. Julie Beaulieu will also be presenting a Bharata Natyam dance performance. Here is the link for the <a contents="Facebook event page" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1388141151446503/" target="_blank">Facebook event page</a>, and the <a contents="direct link to purchase tickets" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.ieim.uqam.ca/spip.php?page=semaine&id_mot=376&id_article=9254&lang=fr" target="_blank">direct link to purchase tickets</a>.<br><br><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1388141151446503/" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/4b10828b07709dbcc968ee12af85b062b2b5d70b/large/samskarasemaineinde.jpg?1412207284" class="size_l justify_center border_none" alt="" /></a>
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<br>Finally, on Saturday, October 11, Jonathan and I will be providing musical accompaniment for a theatrical reading of the epic <em>Ramayana</em>, scripted by Alexis Martin of the <span class="mw-headline" id="L.27article_Nouveau_Th.C3.A9.C3.A2tre_exp.C3.A9rimental_n.27existe_pas_encore._Comment_faire_pour_le_cr.C3.A9er.C2.A0.3F">Nouveau Théâtre expérimental, with actors </span>Alexis Martin, Daniel Brière, Sharon Ibgui, and Benoit Drouin-Germain playing the numerous roles. Please <a contents="click here for more info" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.ieim.uqam.ca/spip.php?page=semaine&id_mot=376&id_article=9146&lang=fr" target="_blank">click here for more info</a>.<br><br>Can't wait!</div><br> Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/32080012014-09-28T19:51:14-04:002017-01-16T09:36:29-05:00My Sitar Weekend in Review<div style="text-align: justify;">This week, I had the pleasure of playing three sitar concerts in three days. First, on Thursday night, I played with Brazilian sitarist Krucis Khan at OM West in Pointe-Claire. We performed a mix of Indian folk tunes, devotional songs, and Brazilian folk. Krucis also asked me to play a short tabla solo, which was fun. (Sorry, no photos of this concert.)<br><br>On Friday, I accompanied sitarist Uwe Neumann at the Presbytere in Val-David. The audience was full of friends and Indian music lovers, which made for a great vibe. We opened with <em>Raag Jhinjhoti</em>, with <em>alap</em>, and <em>gat</em> in <em>vilambit</em> and <em>drut teentaal</em>. We then continued with compositions in <em>Jog</em> and <em>Bhairavi</em>. And, as is Uwe's tradition, we ended with a sansa-tabla improvisation. It seemed that Uwe and I were both well tuned to each other, as we followed each other down numerous new and surprising paths as the ragas progressed. Lots of fun!<br> </div><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/ca78df569a838092940c999044492a369a187281/original/img-20140926-211401.jpg?1411947220" class="size_l justify_center border_" style="text-align: justify;" /><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/55a8f748a3aa57d56ccc5f8248550ecb66159558/original/img-20140926-202350.jpg?1411947213" class="size_l justify_center border_" style="text-align: justify;" /><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div>
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<br>Concluding the <em>tihai</em> of sitar concerts, on Saturday, Ragleela had a concert at the Heartroot Farm, out in Audet. It was a beautiful day and the fall colours were out. What a great place to play!<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/904bd2abac4c8db05ae812cc7a875f91288d1d4e/original/img-20140927-162727-edit.jpg?1411948140" class="size_l justify_center border_" />
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<br>Oh, and did I mention our good news? <a contents="Ragleela" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.ragleela.com/" target="_blank">Ragleela</a>'s latest album, <a contents="Deepchandi bleu" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/deepchandi-bleu/id820744831" target="_blank"><em>Deepchandi bleu</em></a>, has been nominated for the ADISQ's album of the year, world music category!<br><br><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/deepchandi-bleu/id820744831" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/1a878776e89b1495cf385e42d5a12d8f9e9fe482/medium/deepchandi.jpg?1407280153" class="size_m justify_center border_thin" alt="" /></a>
</div>Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/31988332014-09-22T20:43:03-04:002017-01-16T09:36:29-05:00This week - three sitar concerts!This must be the week of the sitar, because somehow, it worked out that I have three different sitar concerts this week!<br><br>First, on Thursday, I'll be accompanying Brazilian sitarist, Krucis Khan. We'll be playing at OM West, 46 Avenue Sainte Anne #3, Pointe-Claire, at 7:30pm. Admission is $20.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/a22210040709950e8953cbfdb9756d086db147d2/medium/krucis-khan.jpg?1411432641" class="size_m justify_center border_thin" alt="" /><br><br>Next, on Friday, I'll be accompanying sitarist Uwe Neumann at the Presbytère de Val-David, <span class="adr" style="margin: 0px;"><span class="address" style="margin: 0px;">2485 rue de l'Eglise</span>, <span class="city" style="margin: 0px;">Val-David, also at 7:30pm. Admission is on a sliding scale, $10 to $20.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/9cdd317f3e937de19d2ab9763941d7ed96a24689/medium/sitaria-poster-2014-vd.jpeg?1411432497" class="size_m justify_center border_thin" alt="" /><br><br>Finally, on Saturday, I'll be performing with Ragleela (Indian-world fusion, recently nominated for the ADISQ World Music Album of the Year category), with Uwe Neumann on sitar and Jean-Marc Hébert on guitar, at the beautiful Heartroot Farm, </span><span class="address" style="margin: 0px;">86 chemin Vallerand</span>, <span class="city" style="margin: 0px;">Audet, at 3pm. Sliding scale, $10 to $20.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/03f5c2050a36d36e65e43410e1465babdace1e32/medium/ragleelaheartroot.jpg?1411432408" class="size_m justify_center border_thin" alt="" /><br><br>I hope to see some of you at at least one of these shows! :)<br><br>As always, you can see details of my upcoming concerts on my <a contents="calendar page" data-link-label="Calendar | Calendrier" data-link-type="page" href="/calendar-calendrier">calendar page</a>.</span></span>Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/31785422014-09-09T14:18:21-04:002017-01-16T09:36:29-05:00New Release: Something to Say!<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="font_large">Announcing my first online release! <a contents="Tawnie Olson" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.tawnieolson.com/" target="_blank">Tawnie Olson</a>'s <em><strong>Something to Say</strong>, </em>for tabla and fixed media. You can download a full-quality WAV file of the recording for only $1.49 (Canadian funds), and for each purchase, we will be donating 50</span><span class="font_regular">¢</span><span class="font_large"> to <a contents="Equality Now" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.equalitynow.org/" target="_blank"><strong>Equality Now</strong></a>! <a contents="Click here for Something to Say" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://shawnmativetsky.com/track/687406/something-to-say">Click here for <em><strong>Something to Say</strong></em></a>!</span><br><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://shawnmativetsky.com/track/687406/something-to-say" style="text-align: start;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/be2983c02eab2555b8baf8b246db6fb91071ea38/large/banner9-something.jpg?1410274349" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="" style="text-align: justify;" /></a>
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<div style="text-align: justify;"> </div>Tawnie Olson is a talented Canadian composer, currently living in New Haven, CT, USA. <em style="text-align: justify;">Something to Say</em><span style="text-align: justify;"> was composed in early 2014, and it has quickly turned into my most often performed piece of the year! </span>I premiered the piece in Montreal on February 15, and since then, I have presented it in Montreal (again!), Bangor (Wales), Hartford, New Haven (USA), and Belo Horizonte (Brazil).<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/d01aff59ad25135f876f7ea6c9ea243cc4e3bdd6/large/dscf6663.jpg?1410285839" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="" /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="font_small">A photo from the premiere performance of <em>Something to Say</em>, at the Chapelle Historique du Bon Pasteur, Montreal.</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">In order to create the electronic part for the piece, Tawnie had me record a number of phrases on tabla, which can be heard in the background; it's as if I'm performing a duo with myself, with one tabla tuned to A and the other to C. The composition itself is set to <em>Jhaptaal</em>, a 10-beat cycle commonly heard in North Indian classical music. The tabla part is fully composed, however there are a number of sections where I must perform English text, re-interpreted on the tabla. "WHAT?!" you say?<br><br>In the Indian tradition, all tabla sounds are represented by <em>bols</em>, vocal syllables that represent each sound of the tabla, like solfège. Every tabla composition is first learned by reciting and memorizing the <em>bols</em>. The <em>bols </em>of any composition can be seen as a sort of drum poetry. More literally, there are compositions called <em>bol paran</em>, which are in fact Sanskrit and Hindi poetry, which are first spoken, and then played on the tabla; the tabla imitates the sound of the voice. In <em>Something to Say</em>, Tawnie has taken this idea and translated it to English. In numerous sections of the piece, I am imitating the sound of the spoken word on the tabla. Tawnie did not specify how this should be done; rather, I determined what to play based on my experience with <em>bol paran</em>, just that in this instance, I am imitating the sound of English speech, rather than Hindi or Sanskrit speech.<br><br>The tabla isn't just speaking on its own, but it is imitating the speech heard in the electronics part. What is this speech? The text is made up of things that were said to the composer. Silly things, rude things, insensitive things, hurtful things. Perhaps the people who said these things meant nothing by it, but yet their words were hurtful. Of course, Tawnie hasn't been walking around, recording all her conversations with people. We had to get our friends to re-enact the statements (and of course, they do not believe the words they are saying!), and recorded them doing so.<br><br>Tawnie dedicated the composition to <strong><a contents="Equality Now" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.equalitynow.org/" target="_blank">Equality Now</a></strong>. Founded in 1992, Equality Now is an organization that advocates for the human rights of women and girls around the world by raising international visibility of individual cases of abuse, mobilizing public support through their global membership, and wielding strategic political pressure to ensure that governments enact or enforce laws and policies that uphold the rights of women and girls. With offices in New York, Nairobi and London and presences in Amman, Jordan and Washington, DC, their areas of focus include Discrimination in Law, Sexual Violence, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and Trafficking. Combining grassroots activism with international, regional and national legal advocacy, we envision a world in which women and men have equal rights under the law and full enjoyment of those rights. <br><br><a contents="So, do you have something to say about human rights? Something to say about equality? Then, lend a helping hand through your purchase of Something to Say!" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://shawnmativetsky.com/track/687406/something-to-say"><strong><span class="font_large">So, do you have something to say about human rights? Something to say about equality? Then, lend a helping hand through your purchase of <em>Something to Say</em>!</span></strong></a><br><br><strong>New music is music of the times, the music of today. Art is a reflection of society and art makes society reflect. Please help by sharing Something to Say with your friends and family! </strong><br><br><em><strong>Want to know more about us?</strong></em>
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<ul> <li style="text-align: justify;"><a contents="Equality Now" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.equalitynow.org/" target="_blank">Equality Now</a></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"><a contents="Tawnie Olson" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.tawnieolson.com/" target="_blank">Tawnie Olson</a></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"><a contents="Shawn Mativetsky" data-link-label="Bio" data-link-type="page" href="/bio">Shawn Mativetsky</a></li>
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<br><span class="font_large"><strong>THANK YOU for your support!</strong></span><br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/4b356fa3cd320252b1437d60be3846a5e2e0fe0f/original/dscf6702.jpg?1410285863" class="size_l justify_center border_" />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="font_small">Tawnie Olson and Shawn Mativetsky after the premiere performance of <em>Something to Say</em>.</span></div>
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<br>(Concert photos by Nick Hyatt)</div>Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/31740892014-09-05T21:26:18-04:002017-01-16T09:36:29-05:00Highlights of the Festival Internacional de Música – Percussão Contemporânea<div style="text-align: justify;">The second edition of the <em><strong>Festival Internacional de Música – Percussão Contemporânea</strong></em> was a huge success. Four days packed with concerts and workshops, featuring percussionists from Canada, USA, Argentina, and Brazil, representing a wide variety of styles and approaches. For more background info, please see <a contents="my first blog post on the subject" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.shawnmativetsky.com/home-accueil/blog/tabla-in-brazil">my first blog post on the subject</a> and for info about my activities during the festival, <a contents="please see this post" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.shawnmativetsky.com/home-accueil/blog/back-from-brazil">please see this post</a>.</div>
<div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/98ea500cf2226ec8adcc0bab8cb9405ab99613c9/original/img-20140820-160954.jpg?1409962830" class="size_orig justify_center border_" alt="" /><p class="caption">With Fernando Rocha, festival organizer extraordinaire!</p></div>
<div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/46bea7e59cc551017153c914f5e7d756cc9975b6/original/img-20140824-163447.jpg?1409962836" class="size_orig justify_center border_" alt="" /><p class="caption">The UFMG Percussion Ensemble in rehearsal for the opening concert</p></div><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/3f07478ab2083f55019a0903f828cb90ddab85e2/medium/img-20140824-173622.jpg?1409963833" class="size_m justify_center border_thin" alt="" /><br><br><strong>Wednesday, August 27 </strong>- The first day of the festival took place on the beautiful UFMG campus.<br> <div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/9894537929c4115980e8a300923f5044dc1cd0c0/original/img-20140827-123502.jpg?1409963312" class="size_orig justify_center border_" alt="" /><p class="caption">Fernando Rocha welcoming everyone to the festival</p></div>
<div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/c8a2c5d9db68c89fab25d17a4e480a0b4d63caeb/original/img-20140827-123912.jpg?1409963344" class="size_orig justify_center border_" alt="" /><p class="caption">Bill Lucas and Bantuquerê - an incredible samba group! Bill is an amazingly dynamic and musical bandleader; and a really nice guy to boot!<br> </p></div><strong><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/fa063836b418dc55f8d5c69256bb3df6a85e0f2f/large/img-20140827-195845.jpg?1409963873" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="" /></strong>
<div style="text-align: center;">The UFMG Percussion Ensemble performing the official opening concert in the evening, with Marcio Bahia on drumset.</div><br><strong>Thursday, August 28 </strong>- Day two, at the Conservatorio UFMG<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/be5cb0c365456566e0a9c33bd3b4ae4094681eeb/large/img-20140828-112604.jpg?1409963918" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="" /><div style="text-align: center;">A really interesting vibraphone workshop with Ted Piltzecker, on the many hows and whys of dampening.</div><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/364909955160e379a46e1861e0571d3fc81d0cb8/large/88911047.jpg?1409879461" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="" /><div style="text-align: center;">My solo concert took place on the Thursday night, with guests Elise Pittenger on cello, and the UFMG Percussion Ensemble, directed by Fernando Rocha.</div><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/59c42dafa2cb606a5ee9680a7b00726c56e96718/large/img-20140828-220937-edit.jpg?1409879477" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="" /><div style="text-align: center;">Really honoured to have shared the evening with Hands On'semble, who played a great set of world drumming.</div><br><strong>Friday, August 29</strong> - Day three, at the Fundação de Educação Artística<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/80d1289b9796a2d0658f48b9af92c0665149d481/large/img-20140829-120851-edit.jpg?1409879485" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="" /><div style="text-align: center;">A great way to start the morning - with a workshop on tabla and North Indian rhythm!</div><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/da081d380cad71e96e36046f8332c499e976e61d/large/img-20140829-162836-edit.jpg?1409964880" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="" /><div style="text-align: center;">A concert by Fernando Rocha and the UFMG Percussion Ensemble, in honour of Eduardo Alvares. Some really different repertoire on the programme. In this particular piece, three of the percussionists were yelling through bullhorns!<br> </div><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/17ba20bf95e7d59db195b355676cc5ff56929ed6/large/img-20140829-165112.jpg?1409964901" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="" /><div style="text-align: center;">Hands On'semble workshop, in which they demystified some of the repertoire they performed the previous night. Cycles of 9.5 beats, groupings of 3-3-2, 4-4-3, 5-5-4 ... all kinds of fun stuff! :)</div><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/fd844b9dd629fa3a84da4eb5f8ae35203713d721/large/img-20140829-214918-edit.jpg?1409964923" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="" /><div style="text-align: center;">The evening ended with a concert by Aiyun Huang and the Meehan/Perkins Duo. Aiyun performed a few of her music theatre pieces; my favourite would definitely have to be Sean Griffin's <em>Tension Study II: Eagle Claw Wu Tsiao Chen Wins. </em>
</div><br><strong>Saturday, August 30</strong> - Day four, at the Fundação de Educação Artística<br><br>This day was packed with numerous activities, including a pandeiro workshop with legendary Guello, a mini-concert by Fabio Oliveira and Fernando Chaib, a workshop by the Meehan/Perkins Duo, and a concert by the Grupo de Percussão da Fundação Cultural Patagônia, from Argentina. Unfortunately, I don't have photos of all.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/c631386e51d777d709caf47090ac08f1852085df/large/img-20140830-142640.jpg?1409965489" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="" /><div style="text-align: center;">A frame drum, augmented with a Wii controller, for movement and orientation detection.<br> </div><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/146eb675c3ec5b73999eb8809d42d7f7bc7ec1a9/medium/img-1409434018820-edit.jpg?1409965568" class="size_m justify_center border_thin" alt="" /><div style="text-align: center;">Eduardo Campos and his augmented frame drum<br> </div><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/b3f15819e69ff38933894816698821a7b80df3dc/medium/img-1409593332724-edit.jpg?1409965571" class="size_m justify_center border_thin" alt="" /><div style="text-align: center;">Charles Augusto and his augmented guiro</div><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/8aab1bd2cb8041148baa6f89bc2635879563d630/large/img-20140830-212100-edit.jpg?1409965505" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="" /><div style="text-align: center;">An incredibly inspiring concert by Duo Ello - Carlos Stasi and Guello. AMAZING!</div><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/afbd90f0d578510526a174e3cb0b4cbdbf5d9458/large/img-20140830-224000-edit.jpg?1409965522" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="" /><div style="text-align: center;">The closing concert featured jazz vibraphonist Ted Piltzecker, and was held outside at the beautiful Praça da Liberdade.</div><br><strong>Sunday, August 31</strong> - At Inhotim. Not officially part of the festival, but a great number of us went to attend a concert by Nana Vasconcelos. Inhotim is a unique, indoor/outdoor contemporary art museum. Such a beautiful place. Definitely worth visiting if you are ever in the area! Nana's concert was inspiring. As Andrew from Hands On'semble said, "it was a perfect day." 'nuff said.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/118d0faa02134f07f4ecbac87b126bb4dbcc83c1/large/img-20140831-153022-edit.jpg?1409965537" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="" /><div style="text-align: center;">Nana was smiling the entire time. What a cool dude. His glass ghatam sounded INCREDIBLE, by the way!</div><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/0d92f9b69663cd3aa7534992344be63fa2b62a58/large/inhotimgang.jpg?1409966353" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="" /><div style="text-align: center;">Superb photo by Caroline Tabah of the gang after Nana's concert. Such wonderful memories!</div>
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<br>That's all for now! More to come...</div>Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/31710242014-09-04T21:28:45-04:002017-01-16T09:36:28-05:00Back from Brazil!<div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 1.428571em; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Droid Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-align: justify;">I'm back home after an amazing couple of weeks in Brazil! I was invited to perform and present a workshop as part of the <a contents="Festival Internacionale de Música Percussão Contemporânea de Belo Horizonte" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://fimpercussao.com.br/" target="_blank">Festival Internacionale de Música Percussão Contemporânea de Belo Horizonte</a>, which took place from August 27-30.</div>
<div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 1.428571em; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Droid Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-align: justify;"> </div>
<div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 1.428571em; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Droid Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-align: justify;">During the first week, I rehearsed Payton MacDonald's <em>4th Concerto for Tabla and Percussion Quartet</em> with the UFMG Percussion Ensemble, directed by Fernando Rocha. The students were extremely well prepared, and the rehearsals went really smoothly. I also got to spend some time visiting the UFMG campus which is really beautiful. The campus is very green, with numerous palm trees, banana trees, bamboo groves and even jack fruit trees!<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/988514ba18077e9bcba7f7323a5e200a3ef02cf7/medium/yellowtreecampus.jpg?1409879299" class="size_m justify_center border_thin" alt="" /><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/e290053f23c1996c042f6a3951349bfa12c72421/large/g0020199-1408969242993-high-edit1.jpg?1409879202" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="" />
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<br>The festival also got a lot of attention in the press. Here are just a few of the articles that appeared:<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/c682d2df0f9c8d3e061f014bdac5acdb8c46f323/medium/facebook-20140827-181617.png?1409878790" class="size_m justify_center border_thin" alt="" /> <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/85f9923c84678e2aa0d0ed37091fa056cd3e75b9/medium/facebook-20140827-181624.png?1409878797" class="size_m justify_center border_thin" alt="" /> <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/28388f95482c52567ec0b766a6f7ba876749a342/medium/facebook-20140827-181611.png?1409878786" class="size_m justify_center border_thin" alt="" /><br><span style="line-height: 1.428571em;">My concert took place on Thursday, August 28 at the UFMG Conservatory. The Conservatory is an older building, with colonial design features. The hall was packed and it was HOT! There was a very special vibe that night and I really had a great time playing this particular concert. Every concert has a different feeling to it, and this was one of those truly exceptional nights. I started with a traditional solo in Teentaal, accompanied by Elise Pittenger on cello lehra. The solo was about 30 minutes long. The program continued with the South American premieres of Bruno Paquet's <em>Les arbres célestes</em>, and Tawnie Olson's <em><a contents="Something to Say" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://shawnmativetsky.com/track/687406/something-to-say?feature_id=136482&trackship_id=769717">Something to Say</a>, </em>both for tabla and fixed media. For the last piece, I was joined by Fernando Rocha and the UFMG Percussion Ensemble (Rafael Matos, Daniela Oliveira, Mateos Oliveira, and Charles Augusto) for Payton MacDonald's <em>4th Concerto for Tabla and Percussion Quartet</em>. I was amazed by the warm and enthusiastic reception that I received for all the repertoire, whether traditional or contemporary. And, I couldn't have hoped to play with better musicians. Such an amazing audience in BH! And to top it all off, I split the concert with renowned world percussion group Hands On'semble, who performed a dynamic, varied program of world percussion in the second half of the concert. It was an honour to share the evening with them.</span>
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<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/364909955160e379a46e1861e0571d3fc81d0cb8/original/88911047.jpg?1409879461" class="size_orig justify_center border_thin" alt="" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/2c2326ecf4752e0a9e78d45a8bfb077e5a41dc3e/large/g0040297-1409312238148-high-edit.jpg?1409879468" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/59c42dafa2cb606a5ee9680a7b00726c56e96718/large/img-20140828-220937-edit.jpg?1409879477" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="" /><br><span style="line-height: 1.428571em;">The next morning, I gave a workshop, introducing the tabla and North Indian rhythmic concepts. I mainly spoke about <em>taal</em> and <em>tihai</em>, but we also had time to talk about cultural issues, <em>kaida</em> development, and <em>Guru-shishya-parampara</em>. The participants had some really good questions and so we had a nice dialogue. Fernando translated to Portuguese throughout. <br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/80d1289b9796a2d0658f48b9af92c0665149d481/large/img-20140829-120851-edit.jpg?1409879485" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="" /></span>
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<div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 1.428571em; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Droid Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 1.428571em;">The room was somewhat small, and was absolutely packed to capacity! Some people sat on the floor, which was nice and some people unfortunately had to look in from the hallway. What was really funny, though, is that a number of people watched from outside through the open windows! And they weren't just passerbys; they stayed for the whole workshop and participated in the clapping of the <em>taals</em> and <em>bol</em> recitation. </span></div>
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<div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; line-height: 1.428571em; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Droid Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-align: justify;"><span data-mce-style="font-family: sans-serif;" style="line-height: 1.428571em; font-family: sans-serif;">The festival was put together by Fernando Rocha, an excellent percussionist, who is Professor of Percussion at the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais. I must say that he did an absolutely top notch job in organizing every aspect of the festival, from transportation to accommodations, and rehearsals to performances. Also, special thanks to his assistants Nathália Fragoso and Renan Fontes who were always available to help us out with information, translation, or anything else we needed. There was such a great variety of participants, and such a high level of musicianship. I found this festival to be a truly enriching and inspiring experience.<br><br>I think that this will just be the first blog post of many regarding this festival. More to come soon...</span></div>Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/31338002014-08-19T07:40:00-04:002014-08-19T07:40:42-04:00Tabla in Brazil!<div style="text-align: justify;">I am honoured and excited to be participating in the upcoming <a contents="II Festival Internacional de Música – Percussão Contemporânea" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://fimpercussao.com.br/" target="_blank"><strong>II Festival Internacional de Música – Percussão Contemporânea</strong></a>, taking place in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, from August 27 through to August 31. Organized by percussionist extraordinaire, Fernando Rocha, the festival will feature percussionists from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, and the USA, in a wide variety of styles. Check out the teaser video!<br> </div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">Artists include Aiyun Huang (McGill colleague), Angel Frette (Argentina) , Bantuquerê (Brazil), Duo Ello (Brazil), Meehan-Perkins Duo (USA), Eduardo Campos (Brazil), Fabio Oliveira (Brazil), Fernando Chaib (Brazil), Grupo de Percussão da Fundação Cultural Patagônia (Argentina), Grupo de Percussão da UFMG (Brazil), Hands On’Semble (USA), Márcio Bahia (Brazil), Marimbaia (Brazil), Rafael Leite (Brazil), Rubem Alves (Brazil), Rubens Oliveira (Brazil), and Ted Piltzecker (USA).<br><br>I will be presenting a tabla workshop and a solo recital, combining both Indian classical and new music. The programme will include a tabla solo in <em>Teentaal</em>, Bruno Paquet's<em> Les arbres célestes, </em>Tawnie Olson's <em>Something to Say</em>, and Payton MacDonald's <em>4th Concerto for Tabla and Percussion Quartet, </em>which I'll be performing with the UFMG Percussion Ensemble, directed by Fernando Rocha. Here is a clip of the concerto, from the premiere performance at PASIC 2013:<br> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="OazBX8hDDGE" data-video-thumb-url="http://img.youtube.com/vi/OazBX8hDDGE/0.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OazBX8hDDGE?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="480" width="853" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></div>
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<br>Really looking forward to bringing the tabla down south. It's going to be an amazing festival!</div>Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/31340122014-08-15T06:20:00-04:002017-01-16T09:36:28-05:00iLehra App - An Essential Tool for Tabla Practice<div style="text-align: justify;">Tabla solos are accompanied by cyclic melodies called <em>lehra </em>(also sometimes called<em> lahara </em>or<em> nagma), </em>which serve as an aural reference to the <em>taal </em>(rhythmic cycle) for both the performer and for the audience. Practicing to a <em>lehra </em>is an important part of a tabla player's practice routine, and the best tool available for this, other than hiring a sarangi or harmonium player to accompany one's practice, is the <a contents="iLehra" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://upasani.org/home/iLehra.html" target="_blank">iLehra</a> app for iOS by Prasad Upasani. The app is available in the <a contents="Apple App Store" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://itunes.apple.com/app/ilehra-lehra-nagma-player/id333183750?mt=8" target="_blank">Apple App Store</a>, and costs $19.99 USD. The app is definitely not cheap, but when one compares with other professional music tools, it is in fact very reasonable for what is offered. And, you definitely do get what you pay for (and more...). (For a free <em>lehra</em> app, please see <a contents="this blog post" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://shawnmativetsky.com/home-accueil/blog/free-lahara-software">this blog post</a>.)<br><br>The app provides <em>lehras </em>in numerous common and uncommon <em>taals</em>, and with multiple <em>ragas</em> to choose from within each <em>taal</em>. The interface is straightforward and easy to use, with most of the controls easily accessible on the main screen. There is also a <em>tanpura, </em>which sounds great; much better than those electronic <em>tanpura</em> boxes. The <em>tanpura </em>automatically adjusts to Ma or Pa tuning, as appropriate for the selected raga. There are even some <em>ragas </em>where the <em>tanpura </em>will switch to Ni tuning, which is a nice touch.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/bb4d28ae56efe02310d87e6426428818cff8e16e/medium/screenshot-main-iphoneframe-1.png?1408032796" class="size_m justify_left border_thin" alt="" /><br>Basic operation is simple. Right at the top, is the pitch selector. Clicking on the up or down arrows moves through the pitches by semi-tone, ie: C, C#, D, D#, etc. Directly underneath is the fine-tuner for microtonal adjustment, if needed. When this option is used, the resulting frequency will be shown next to the note name. Another way to select the pitch is by simply clicking on the letter; then a pull-down menu appears.<br><br>Next, one selects the <em>taal</em>, and then the desired <em>raag</em>. There is also a choice of instrument. The samples used for playback are pretty basic, but do the job. The santoor probably sounds the most realistic, but I personally use the harmonium sample the most. What I would really love to have is a sarangi option!<br><br>Underneath this, we see the play buttons for <em>tanpura</em> and <em>lehra</em>, providing the ability to start and stop the <em>tanpura</em> and <em>lehra</em> playback separately. The <em>tanpura</em> can also be configured to auto-start when the <em>lehra</em> button is pressed (Settings --> Sync-Play Tanpura). The settings screen also allows for the volume levels of the <em>tanpura </em>and <em>lehra </em>to be set.<br><br>Between the two play buttons, we can see the current tempo, <em>matra</em> (beat) number, and <em>tali/khali</em> (claps/waves). The tempo can be selected either by tapping in the tempo box (a feature that most people I spoke to were completely unaware of!), or by using the tempo controls below. There is a slider, which moves quickly through the range of available tempos; the - and the +, which move the tempo up or down by one bpm at a time; and underneath, options to halve the tempo, subtract 5 bpm, add 5 bpm, or double the tempo. The available range is 15 bpm up to 500 bpm (up from 400 bpm in previous releases). These tempos do exist in North Indian classical music!<br><br>There are some additional features, such as a built-in tuner (but really, we should tune with our ears!), and the ability to add a metronome click on the beat, or in subdivisions of 2, 3 or 4.<br clear="all"><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/7be895fb4570cd94adc30f73ccace48fdc83a8f0/medium/screenshot-settings-iphoneframe-1.png?1408032798" class="size_m justify_center border_thin" alt="" /><br>While playing, the screen saver shows the time, beat count, tempo, and the amount of time that the app has been playing; a great way to keep track of how long you've actually been practicing.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/e112304074c8d39228b678714587410378e00b55/medium/screenshot-screensaver-iphoneframe-1.png?1408032797" class="size_m justify_center border_thin" alt="" /><br>What's great is that the app is constantly being developed, and is updated often with new melodies. For a tabla player, iLehra is all you need, but if you are a singer or instrumentalist, then you should definitely have a look at <a contents="iTablaPro" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://upasani.org/home/iTablaPro.html" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">iTablaPro</a><span style="text-align: justify;"> ($24.99), which includes both tabla and <em>tanpura</em> accompaniment, along with a number of other bells and whistles. It should be noted that iTablaPro includes the iTanpura app, which is also available separately. I use it when I want to create a <em>tanpura</em> with more complex tuning, as the app allows for two <em>tanpuras</em> to run simultaneously, and each can be tuned differently.<br><br>Know of any other Indian music apps that I should write about? <a contents="Contact me" data-link-label="Contact" data-link-type="page" href="/contact">Contact me</a>!</span>
</div>Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/31339232014-08-14T08:05:00-04:002022-04-26T08:08:48-04:00Free Lahara Software!<div style="text-align: justify;">Tabla solos are accompanied by a cyclic melody called <em>lahara</em> (also called <em>lehra</em> or <em>nagma</em>). This repeating melody serves as a reference point for both the performer and the audience, providing an aural outline of the <em>taal</em> (rhythmic cycle). For those of you who don't have a <em>lahara</em> machine, or similar, <strong>TaalPulse</strong> is a great (and free) tool for your Indian music practice. I found out about this software back in 2007, when the developer, Guillaume Pothier, visited one of my tabla classes at McGill.<br><br>The software has programmable volume, tempo, and pitch for tabla, <em>lahara</em>, and <em>tanpura</em>. A large number of <em>laharas</em> are included. The only downside to using this app is that the software is no longer being developed, and the samples are not of great quality. So, the app is stuck as-is. Still, it's hard to beat free! (If you don't mind spending some cash, the best <em>lahara </em>app, hands down, is <a contents="iLehra" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://upasani.org/home/iLehra.html" target="_blank">iLehra</a> by Prasad Upasani, for iOS (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch). It is most definitely worth the investment. I'll be doing a write-up on this app in another post.)<br><br>Because the software is programmed in a programming language called Squeek, it can run on almost any platform (PC, Mac, Linux). The installation is straightforward for PCs, and slightly more involved for Mac and Linux, as you need to install the Squeek Virtual Machine, but it's not complicated.</div>
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<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/a0d67dbd6873935666c33850b98724f64e17d843/original/screenshot-volume.png?1407891321" class="size_orig justify_none border_thin" alt="" /> <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/c01ec3737b3137ecc59ef30653662c682991d528/original/screenshot-score.png?1407891324" class="size_orig justify_none border_thin" alt="" /> <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/0f990cb370a97997754198f87513c0d72e28fd96/original/screenshot-pulse.png?1407891322" class="size_orig justify_none border_thin" alt="" />
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<br>For more info and to download the software, please see this link: <a href="http://taalpulse.sourceforge.net/">http://taalpulse.sourceforge.net/</a><br><br>Enjoy!</div>Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/31338602014-08-12T20:40:30-04:002014-10-21T10:40:01-04:00How to Play Tabla!<div style="text-align: justify;">Back in 1998, my Guru, <a contents="Pandit Sharda Sahai" data-link-label="Guruji - Pandit Sharda Sahai" data-link-type="page" href="/guruji-pandit-sharda-sahai"><strong>Pandit Sharda Sahai</strong></a>, Caroline Howard Jones, and Frances Shepherd released an instructional video called <em><strong>Play Tabla</strong>. </em>It was first released as a VHS and later remastered for DVD. Caroline Howard-Jones (director and script writer) and Conrad Weiskrantz (editor) are now re-launching <em>Play Tabla </em>as a series of short videos, and they are including extra material never seen before. As I always say, there's nothing like learning from the best. Guruji's quality of tone and picture-perfect technique are the examples that we all try to emulate. Though intended for beginners, these videos are truly invaluable for tabla players of any level.</div><br><strong>Video 1/15 - Basic bols:</strong>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="675" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/gCB9Ke81Hs4?rel=0" width="900"></iframe></div><br><br><strong>Video 2/15 - GhiGhiTeTe kaida:</strong>
<div style="text-align: center;"><strong><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="675" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/RdvTKzdD9HM?rel=0" width="900"></iframe></strong></div><br><strong>Video 3/15 - Additional bols - NA/TA:</strong>
<div style="text-align: center;"><strong><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="675" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/L-bSpm7DvYs?rel=0" width="900"></iframe></strong></div><br><br><strong>Video 4/15 - DhaDhaTeTe kaida:</strong>
<div style="text-align: center;"><strong><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="675" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/dMmjy0OIAjA?rel=0" width="900"></iframe></strong></div><br><strong>Video 5/15 - How to tune tabla:</strong>
<div style="text-align: center;"><strong><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="675" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/KhrIoRLwpw4?rel=0" width="900"></iframe></strong></div>
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<br><strong>Video 6/15 - On the subject of Improvisation:</strong>
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<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="675" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/P7QORi4XsQo?rel=0" width="900"></iframe></div>
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<br><strong>Video 7/15 - Fast phrases, for rela:</strong>
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<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="675" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/zkmo9XAT7pc?rel=0" width="900"></iframe></div>
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<br><strong>Video 8/15 - A discussion of taal with Pandit Sharda Sahai-ji:</strong>
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<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="675" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/OY3gaZKnSd8?rel=0" width="900"></iframe></div>
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<br><strong>Video 9/15 - An introduction to Ari Laykari:</strong>
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<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="675" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Fok00jPZ37A?rel=0" width="900"></iframe></div>
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<br><strong>Video 10/15 - Kaida #2 in Ari Laykari:</strong>
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<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="675" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/1z1_KwpFkp0?rel=0" width="900"></iframe></div>
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<br><strong>Video 11/15 - Na / Ta on chanti and two more bol phrases for practice:</strong>
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<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="675" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/BmPsgMalcTA?rel=0" width="900"></iframe></div>
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<br><strong>Video 12/15 - Dha-tirakitataka Kaida:</strong>
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<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="675" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/GEudDfrlZrA?rel=0" width="900"></iframe></div>
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<br><strong>Video 13/15 - Bedumdar tihais: </strong>
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<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="675" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/xUtmD42pfxU?rel=0" width="900"></iframe></div>
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<br><strong>Video 14/15 - Playing 3 over 2, or 1.5x speed:</strong>
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<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="675" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/3ROnne5maNU?rel=0" width="900"></iframe></div>
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<br><strong>Video 15/15 - Teentaal theka:</strong>
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<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="675" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/lmvOeMaJUr8?rel=0" width="900"></iframe></div>
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<br>Enjoy!</div>Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/31315592014-08-11T22:21:28-04:002017-01-16T09:36:28-05:00The Marathon Weekend<div style="text-align: justify;">Wow, what a weekend! In two days, I gave three concerts with three different groups, and presented a workshop, in addition to 1000km of driving! One of the great things about what I do is the great variety of musical projects that I have the fortune of playing with, and the adventures we have along the way.<br><br>On Saturday, I was in Quebec CIty with <a contents="Ragleela" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.ragleela.com" target="_blank">Ragleela</a> to play on the Plaines d'Abraham. This was my first time playing on the Plaines, and I was pretty excited about it. The Plaines d'Abraham is quite an important place for music during the summertime, with a lot of great artists having performed there in the past. Upon arrival, we were really well taken care of by the crew, and had time for a nice soundcheck, which surprisingly is not always the case! We performed most of the tunes from our latest album, <a contents="Deepchandi bleu" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/deepchandi-bleu/id820744831" target="_blank"><em>Deepchandi bleu</em></a>, in addition to a few favourites from the previous album. There was an amazing turnout for the concert, the weather was perfect, and the full moon created a really special vibe.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/08a5d07cca918f2d04b4b396885e2ea4ca504067/large/g0020129.jpg?1407792562" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="Ragleela at the Kiosque Edwin Belanger, Plaines d'Abraham, Quebec City" style="text-align: justify;" /><div style="text-align: justify;">
<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/2d648dd1c045bc1d82b67be99b4e6804b24fc0d2/large/7577.jpg?1407808955" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="Ragleela at the Kiosque Edwin Belanger, Plaines d'Abraham, Quebec City" /><br>The next morning, I was off to Ottawa to take part in the <a contents="Festival of India" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://festivalofindiaottawa.org/" target="_blank">Festival of India</a>. I started the day off by giving a tabla demonstration and workshop on North Indian rhythm. I introduced the instrument, the <em>bols</em>, talked about <em>taal, Teentaal</em> specifically, and ended with a short solo<i>. </i>The time just flew by! I stuck around to accompany santoor player Jonathan Voyer for his santoor workshop, which was right after. That evening, we performed a set together, with a performance of <em>Raag </em><span dir="auto"><em>Hamsadhvani</em>, with an <em>alap, gat in jhaptaal, </em>and a <em>gat in drut teentaal. </em>Jonathan had spoken about the <em>raga</em> earlier, during his workshop, explaining that the name of this <em>raag</em> literally translates to 'sound of swans'. The <em>raga</em> has actually been taken from Carnatic music, and adapted to Hindustani music (as is one of my favourite <em>ragas</em>, <em>Raag Charukeshi</em>).<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/f09f810249ad5071a080d0ea6bbdddb395dd31a0/large/7635.jpg?1407809703" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="Duo Samskara - Jonathan Voyer, santoor and Shawn Mativetsky, tabla at the Festival of India, Ottawa." /></span>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span dir="auto">The day at the Festival of India wrapped up with a Galitcha concert. Since we were performing on an outdoor stage, Kuljit (the band leader) decided to pull out the more lively pieces, including the addition of a couple of old Bollywood classics, </span><em>Tujhe Dekha To Yeh Jaana Sanam</em> and <em>Main Nikla Gaddi Leke. </em>In putting together this blog post, I came across the video of the original Bollywood version of <em>Mein Nikla, </em>so just for laughs, here it is:</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;"> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="5fvbWoK1C5w" data-video-thumb-url="http://img.youtube.com/vi/5fvbWoK1C5w/0.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5fvbWoK1C5w?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="315" width="560" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></div>
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<br>Because of the more dance-oriented set, Kuljit decided to perform standing up, which to me is somewhat unusual, but it let him move around more freely to interact with the audience. Kuljit had members of the audience dancing away, and he joined them on more than one occasion.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/146415/d721b6150cae183d47dee0d95698c5ebe90b4d6f/large/7688.jpg?1407809615" class="size_l justify_center border_thin" alt="Galitcha at the Festival of India, Ottawa - Shawn Mativetsky, Linsey Wellman, Kuljit Sodhi, Matt Smith" /><br>So, three concerts and 1000km later, back home and writing this blog post! Until the next adventure...<br><br>(Thanks to <a contents="Caroline Tabah" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.carolinetabah.com" target="_blank">Caroline Tabah</a> for the photos!)</div>Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/31221892014-07-21T16:06:00-04:002017-02-04T02:47:09-05:00ground / terre : In Concert with Xenia Pestova<div style="text-align: justify;">This past February 15, <a href="http://www.xeniapestova.com/" target="_blank">Xenia Pestova</a> and I presented the inaugural concert of our new duo at the Chapelle Historique du Bon Pasteur, as part of the <a href="http://innovationsenconcert.ca/" target="_blank">Innovations in Concert</a> series. The concert, titled <i>ground / terre</i> combined practices of North Indian classical music and new music. Our goal was to create an intimate, embodied experience, deeply influenced by the warmth and intimacy of Indian music. The performance included commissioned work, improvisations, and traditional music.</div><br>Innovations in Concert recorded this short promo video, where we discussed the concepts behind the event.<br><div style="text-align: center;"><br></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/85618057" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The idea for the duo began when we collaborated for the recording of <a href="http://www.nicolelizee.com/" target="_blank">Nicole Lizée</a>'s <i>Metal Jacket</i>, for tabla and harmonium, for my album, <i><a href="http://www.shawnmativetsky.com/html/discography/cycles/" target="_blank">Cycles</a>. </i>Xenia has done a lot of work with toy piano, and I thought that since both the harmonium and toy piano are played seated on the ground, that, in additional to their complementary sonic palettes, they would work really well with tabla.</div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br></i></div></div><div class="widget_iframe" style="border: 0; display: inline-block; height: 104px; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 380px;">
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="widget_iframe" frameborder="0" height="100%" scrolling="no" src="https://www.reverbnation.com/widget_code/html_widget/artist_1579422?widget_id=50&posted_by=artist_1579422&pwc%5Bdesign%5D=default&pwc%5Bbackground_color%5D=%23333333&pwc%5Bincluded_songs%5D=0&pwc%5Bsong_ids%5D=14199170&pwc%5Bphoto%5D=0%2C1&pwc%5Bsize%5D=undefined" width="100%"></iframe></div>
<div class="footer_branding" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; margin-top: -5px;"><center><a href="https://www.reverbnation.com/band-promotion/promoteit?utm_campaign=a_features_promote_it&utm_medium=widget&utm_source=HTML5_Player&utm_content=widgetfooter_Learn%20how%20to%20get%20your%20music%20heard%20at%20ReverbNation.com" style="color: #444444; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"></a></center></div>
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The programme included the world premieres of <i>The Migration of Their Materials, </i>for toy piano and tabla, by Tina Pearson and <i>Something to Say</i>, by Tawnie Olson. <i>Migration </i>combines composed and improvised aspects, and has us focus on our breathing to set the pacing. I play tabla, with some extended techniques, while Xenia plays toy piano, in addition to her voice and the use of combs to imitate bird sounds. <i>Something to Say</i> is a provocative piece for tabla and fixed media. In it, the tabla plays English text, much like how the tabla plays Sanskrit and Hindi in traditional <i>bol paran</i> compositions. Here, the <i>bols</i> are in English, and I try as best as possible to have the tabla 'speak' the words. (It's the words themselves that are provocative...)<br><br>We also performed the piece that started it all, Nicole Lizee's <i>Metal Jacket</i>, for harmonium and tabla (one baya and 4 dahinas!)<i>;</i> a duo improvisation, which we named <i>terre, </i>making use of all our instruments<i>;</i> and I played a traditional tabla solo in <i>Teentaal</i>, accompanied by Xenia on harmonium. Xenia also played some solos to round out the programme: <i>Three Liturgies </i>by Carlos D. Perales, <i>Gothic, </i>by Ed Bennett, <i>Sonata in D minor K10</i>, by Domenico Scarlatti, and <i>Étude d’après Scarlatti, </i>by Patricia Alessandrini.<br><br>Before the concert, I took some shots of our beautiful setup, while Xenia was practicing:<br><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--Ku5dto5pgE/U8lNb6m_bnI/AAAAAAAACKc/Kdyno0Z7rL0/s1600/IMG_20140215_143505_hdr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//2.bp.blogspot.com/--Ku5dto5pgE/U8lNb6m_bnI/AAAAAAAACKc/Kdyno0Z7rL0/s1600/IMG_20140215_143505_hdr.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="320" width="190" /></a></div>
<br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8fmYE4KqjZc/U8lNegUdruI/AAAAAAAACKs/zlDGkh6Akd8/s1600/IMG_20140215_143555_hdr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//4.bp.blogspot.com/-8fmYE4KqjZc/U8lNegUdruI/AAAAAAAACKs/zlDGkh6Akd8/s1600/IMG_20140215_143555_hdr.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
<br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KTje3c_FSOo/U8lNciYX-sI/AAAAAAAACKg/zk97eTZOK28/s1600/IMG_20140215_143820_hdr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//4.bp.blogspot.com/-KTje3c_FSOo/U8lNciYX-sI/AAAAAAAACKg/zk97eTZOK28/s1600/IMG_20140215_143820_hdr.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;">And here are some concert photos by Nick Hyatt of Innovations in Concert:<br><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sOalvjqxREg/U8lOQQCbu8I/AAAAAAAACLE/57eiOCwnkE0/s1600/DSCF6622.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//4.bp.blogspot.com/-sOalvjqxREg/U8lOQQCbu8I/AAAAAAAACLE/57eiOCwnkE0/s1600/DSCF6622.JPG" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gyvQg1HNiNE/U8lOPYa_HjI/AAAAAAAACK8/6aU7duTWxLo/s1600/DSCF6663.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//2.bp.blogspot.com/-gyvQg1HNiNE/U8lOPYa_HjI/AAAAAAAACK8/6aU7duTWxLo/s1600/DSCF6663.JPG" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--7_T10cZiLs/U8lOOZRuhRI/AAAAAAAACK0/KnepGD7FzE8/s1600/DSCF6670.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//3.bp.blogspot.com/--7_T10cZiLs/U8lOOZRuhRI/AAAAAAAACK0/KnepGD7FzE8/s1600/DSCF6670.JPG" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-irzoak2Gs0o/U8lOViSgXcI/AAAAAAAACLM/xKTegDevUnM/s1600/DSCF6690.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="//1.bp.blogspot.com/-irzoak2Gs0o/U8lOViSgXcI/AAAAAAAACLM/xKTegDevUnM/s1600/DSCF6690.JPG" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Performing Nicole Lizée's <i>Metal Jacket</i>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rvFve1rlsZY/U8lOWfMsyyI/AAAAAAAACLU/P83mG7UQNXs/s1600/DSCF6702.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="//3.bp.blogspot.com/-rvFve1rlsZY/U8lOWfMsyyI/AAAAAAAACLU/P83mG7UQNXs/s1600/DSCF6702.JPG" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With composer Tawnie Olson</td></tr>
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;">This concert was just the first of many to come. There will certainly be more tabla + harmonium + toy piano coming your way!<br><br>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4KQlRFYl9mg/U8lOXujo35I/AAAAAAAACLc/8uPlFxELoHY/s1600/DSCF6706.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//4.bp.blogspot.com/-4KQlRFYl9mg/U8lOXujo35I/AAAAAAAACLc/8uPlFxELoHY/s1600/DSCF6706.JPG" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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</div>Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/31221902014-07-18T11:58:00-04:002017-01-16T09:36:26-05:00Mini Connecticut Tour<div style="text-align: justify;">A couple of weeks after returning from <a href="http://tablamontreal.blogspot.ca/2014/07/short-tabla-residency-in-bangor-wales.html">Bangor</a>, I headed out on a small tour of Connecticut, centred around New Haven. Many thanks to composer <a href="http://www.tawnieolson.com/" target="_blank">Tawnie Olson</a>, without whom this tour would not have been possible.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The first stop was the Educational Center for the Arts, in New Haven, where I presented a workshop on North Indian rhythm, followed by a lecture/recital on tabla in new music. I spoke about some of the existing repertoire and issues of notation, and performed a few pieces, including the US premiere of <a href="http://www.tawnieolson.com/" target="_blank">Tawnie Olson</a>'s provocative new piece, <i>Something to Say</i>, for tabla and fixed media.</div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ji22R_o8u90/U8k8CXjqW5I/AAAAAAAACJ0/1ecAb2tJdP4/s1600/5278.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img src="//4.bp.blogspot.com/-ji22R_o8u90/U8k8CXjqW5I/AAAAAAAACJ0/1ecAb2tJdP4/s1600/5278.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="169" width="320" /></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I1sYoiQFppQ/U8k8AY2At3I/AAAAAAAACJc/9leE6J1xhaE/s1600/5265.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//2.bp.blogspot.com/-I1sYoiQFppQ/U8k8AY2At3I/AAAAAAAACJc/9leE6J1xhaE/s1600/5265.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="202" width="320" /></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Cirm5i6pVY8/U8k8AmYVTmI/AAAAAAAACJk/I6SmmA5ivqo/s1600/5266.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//4.bp.blogspot.com/-Cirm5i6pVY8/U8k8AmYVTmI/AAAAAAAACJk/I6SmmA5ivqo/s1600/5266.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="158" width="320" /></a></div><br><div style="text-align: justify;">The next day, we were off to The Hartt School, at the University of Hartford, where I presented a tabla masterclass for the percussion students, hosted by Prof. Benjamin Toth.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MseIxqMAHSo/U8k8EzEALNI/AAAAAAAACKM/7xiSlZ0ULFc/s1600/5297.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//1.bp.blogspot.com/-MseIxqMAHSo/U8k8EzEALNI/AAAAAAAACKM/7xiSlZ0ULFc/s1600/5297.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="214" width="320" /></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KKAwuRQVaxQ/U8k8DdR15wI/AAAAAAAACKA/s123cTZyqE0/s1600/5295.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//1.bp.blogspot.com/-KKAwuRQVaxQ/U8k8DdR15wI/AAAAAAAACKA/s123cTZyqE0/s1600/5295.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="188" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The tour wrapped up with a lecture at Yale, organized by Reena Esmail and the Yale Raga Society.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mQWbYER81h4/U8k8Exp9g4I/AAAAAAAACKI/sFZIRBYN27Y/s1600/IMG_20140330_152104_edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//4.bp.blogspot.com/-mQWbYER81h4/U8k8Exp9g4I/AAAAAAAACKI/sFZIRBYN27Y/s1600/IMG_20140330_152104_edit.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="188" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Thank you to <a href="http://www.carolinetabah.com/" target="_blank">Caroline Tabah</a> for the photos!</div>Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/31221912014-07-18T10:35:00-04:002017-01-16T09:36:26-05:00Short Tabla Residency in Bangor, Wales<div style="text-align: justify;">This past March, I was invited to perform a tabla recital in <a href="https://www.pontio.co.uk/" target="_blank">Pontio</a>'s Music@Bangor series, in Bangor, Wales, UK. I was in residence at Bangor University for a few days, where I rehearsed with local musicians Andrew Woolley and Josephine Wilkin in preparation for the recital. I also gave tabla workshops at the Pontio shop, at Bangor University, and at Ysgol Friars school.<br><br>I have to say that Bangor is a beautiful city (feels more like a town), with amazing mountain and coastal views. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming, and my time there just flew by.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">My first activity was an Indian rhythm workshop at the Bangor University School of Music. My goal here was to rhythmically challenge the students, and to provide them with some strategies and solutions for approaching complex rhythm. All using concepts from tabla, of course.<br><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4iopgqkxRBE/U8hqeD1iBYI/AAAAAAAACIQ/zTE0wJF1utY/s1600/5108.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//2.bp.blogspot.com/-4iopgqkxRBE/U8hqeD1iBYI/AAAAAAAACIQ/zTE0wJF1utY/s1600/5108.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I also gave a 'Taste of Tabla' demonstration at the Pontio shop. The shop is Pontio's publicly accessible office space, on Bangor's high street. The shop will often host small, intimate events, as a way of publicizing upcoming concerts, and as a way for performers and audience to interact. It's a great idea, that more arts organizations should imitate.<br><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8_GD3CJMHf0/U8kri4D11DI/AAAAAAAACIg/3SaYXY11dR0/s1600/5009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//1.bp.blogspot.com/-8_GD3CJMHf0/U8kri4D11DI/AAAAAAAACIg/3SaYXY11dR0/s1600/5009.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="191" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6Kg7_M0CGr8/U8kuR5kAjkI/AAAAAAAACJM/Kxoa4GmX_TA/s1600/pontioshop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//4.bp.blogspot.com/-6Kg7_M0CGr8/U8kuR5kAjkI/AAAAAAAACJM/Kxoa4GmX_TA/s1600/pontioshop.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;">For the tabla recital, I performed a number of works for tabla by Canadian and American composers. As I typically do, I opened the recital with a traditional tabla solo in Teentaal, as a way of showing the tabla in its traditional setting, and showing the depth and beauty of the repertoire. Something different this time around was the accompaniment, since no harmonium was available locally, I was accompanied by Andrew Woolley on an old electric organ! In the context of this concert of new music, it worked quite well. I then followed with Bruno Paquet's <i>Les arbres célestes</i>, for tabla and fixed media, inspired by Quebec's ice storm of 1998, and then Payton MacDonald's <i>Alap</i>, for solo tabla.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The second half began with Paul Frehner's <i>Ke-Te</i> for solo tabla, followed by the UK premieres of my composition, <i>Bol</i>, which is based on traditional <i>bol paran</i> compositions, and Tawnie Olson's provocative new piece, <i>Something to Say</i>, for tabla and fixed media. The concert concluded with Jim Hiscott's <i>Shadow Play</i>, for which I was joined by talented flautist, Josephine Wilkin.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;">On my last day, I gave a second 'Taste of Tabla' workshop, for a small group of very enthusiastic music students at Ysgol Friars high school. They had an excellent sense of time, and clapped <i>taal</i> quite expertly!<br><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IMqmzwxZ7tE/U8kskR5969I/AAAAAAAACJA/A8qgNtF4S0c/s1600/5163.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//1.bp.blogspot.com/-IMqmzwxZ7tE/U8kskR5969I/AAAAAAAACJA/A8qgNtF4S0c/s1600/5163.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="320" width="227" /></a></div>
<br>Many thanks to <a href="http://www.xeniapestova.com/" target="_blank">Xenia Pestova</a> and Pontio for having invited me to Bangor. I hope to return soon!<br><br>Also, special thanks to the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec for its financial support.<br><br>Thank you to <a href="http://www.carolinetabah.com/" target="_blank">Caroline Tabah</a> for the photos! For additional photos, please visit the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152155377031360.1073741857.139069326359&type=1" target="_blank">Facebook album</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div>Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/31221922014-07-01T12:24:00-04:002017-01-16T09:36:26-05:00Fourth Annual Summer Tabla Workshop<div style="text-align: justify;">This year's intensive <a href="http://www.shawnmativetsky.com/html/tabla/annual-summer-tabla-workshop/" target="_blank">summer tabla workshop</a> took place from June 23 through to June 29 at the Schulich School of Music of McGill University. There were students who came from as far away as Ottawa, New York, Michigan, and Massachusetts. A big thank you to this year's wonderful participants, who made it such an enjoyable week!<br><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wJ0U_uFeTXw/U7LfUPFGOjI/AAAAAAAACGw/K9tTa1HDHz8/s1600/7271.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//3.bp.blogspot.com/-wJ0U_uFeTXw/U7LfUPFGOjI/AAAAAAAACGw/K9tTa1HDHz8/s1600/7271.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;">As always, there were group classes, daily group practice sessions, listening/video sessions, and we ended with a touching Guru Puja. A few of the students got together to make malas (flower garlands), and all brought fruits and sweets for the puja. We talked about the history of the Benares <i>gharana</i> as I introduced the participants to the legendary artists that make up Guruji's family tree. It was really nice having everyone pay homage to Guruji and his family, and I think that everyone really enjoyed the cultural experience. It's so important to honour our teachers, and the rich history of the <i>gharana</i>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The week just flew by; I can't believe it's over already. Already thinking about next year, which will be the fifth edition!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Thanks to <a href="http://www.carolinetabah.com/" target="_blank">Caroline</a> for the photos! For more photos, please visit the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152125408001360.1073741853.139069326359&type=1" target="_blank">Facebook album</a>.</div>Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/31221932014-01-08T19:17:00-05:002017-01-16T09:36:26-05:00CD Launch of Deepchandi bleu, Ragleela's New Album<div style="text-align: justify;">In the making for over a year, <a href="http://www.ragleela.com/" target="_blank">Ragleela</a>'s new CD, <i>Deepchandi bleu</i>, is finally ready for release! While the in-store and online release will actually take place some time in January, the band played a couple of pre-release concerts to celebrate the album's arrival. The first took place on November 27 in Val David, and the second was at the Sala Rossa in Montreal, on December 11. At both occasions, we performed all the tunes of the CD to a packed house. We couldn't have hoped for a better turnout!</div><div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UVwvG0-_q2s/Us3p6Fgy7vI/AAAAAAAACGQ/db_OGVGTMN4/s1600/deepchandibleu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//3.bp.blogspot.com/-UVwvG0-_q2s/Us3p6Fgy7vI/AAAAAAAACGQ/db_OGVGTMN4/s1600/deepchandibleu.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">For the Val David show, we played as a quartet with Uwe Neumann on sitar, Jean-Marc Hébert on guitar, Guillaume Bourque on clarinet, and with myself on tabla. At the Sala Rossa, we were joined by Cedric Dind-Lavoie on bass. Here are some photos:</div>
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<br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eRUJklWf-uw/Us3oAkiYRCI/AAAAAAAACFM/lhzODgy__AA/s1600/0847.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//3.bp.blogspot.com/-eRUJklWf-uw/Us3oAkiYRCI/AAAAAAAACFM/lhzODgy__AA/s1600/0847.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="184" width="320" /></a></div>
<br><div style="text-align: justify;">Really looking forward to the online and in-store release. Soon! In the meantime, there are some short samples here: <a href="https://soundcloud.com/sitaruwe">https://soundcloud.com/sitaruwe</a> and there are some more photos posted on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151812340526360.1073741850.139069326359&type=1" target="_blank">Facebook, here</a>.</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">A week after the Montreal launch, we also played a concert in the Parc des Compagnons Saint-Laurent, on the Montreal Plateau. It was quite a bizarre experience, playing in this heated cabin, with the audience freezing outside, huddled around a fire (which was quite far from the stage). Since we were separated from the audience by these plexiglass windows, we couldn't hear the audience's applause. The feeling was similar to playing in a recording studio; we could hear each other just fine, but no connection with the audience, unfortunately, except for through our microphones. Strange, but fun nonetheless!</div>
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<br><br>Thanks to <a href="http://www.carolinetabah.com/" target="_blank">Caroline Tabah</a> for the photos!</div>Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/31221942013-11-26T20:10:00-05:002017-01-16T09:36:26-05:00Tabla at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention 2013<div style="text-align: justify;">From November 12-17, I was in Indianapolis for the <b><a href="http://www.pas.org/pasic" target="_blank">Percussive Arts Society International Convention</a></b>. And what a great time it was! I arrived in Indy on the Tuesday afternoon, and met percussionist <a href="http://neerajmehta.com/" target="_blank">Neeraj Mehta</a> at the airport. We were soon picked up by <a href="http://music.wisc.edu/faculty/bio?faculty_id=21" target="_blank">Tony DiSanza</a>, who had driven in from Wisconsin, and off we were to Butler University to meet up with <a href="http://www.jonathanovalle.com/" target="_blank">Jonathan Ovalle</a> and <a href="http://www.danpiccolo.com/" target="_blank">Dan Piccolo</a> to begin rehearsals for Saturday's clinic/performance. We rehearsed throughout the week, and played a run-through for the students at Butler before the official premieres at PASIC.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Saturday concert, Neeraj's brainchild, was a trio of concertos for world percussion instruments and percussion ensemble. The first piece on the program was <b>Tony DiSanza's <i>Time's Arc: 2nd Concerto for Darabukka</i></b>, with Tony as the soloist, accompanied by Neeraj, Dan, and Jonathan on percussion. The piece opens with a duo <i>alap</i> on slide whistle, which is quite something to behold. The piece showcases the darabukka in a variety of settings, and blends music of the middle East with flavours of samba! Tony had quite a collection of darabukkas on stage, and brought out many subtle nuances of tone and timbre.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-s1zZqzzTiOg/UpVD3ohmvXI/AAAAAAAACEQ/jBBs0uaqdDo/s1600/IMG_00000482.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="//3.bp.blogspot.com/-s1zZqzzTiOg/UpVD3ohmvXI/AAAAAAAACEQ/jBBs0uaqdDo/s320/IMG_00000482.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tony in rehearsal with Dan Piccolo, Jonathan Ovalle, and Neeraj Mehta.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">Next was the premiere of <b>Payton MacDonald's </b><i><b>4th Concerto for Tabla and Percussion Quartet</b>. </i>I have a long history of performing Payton's music, and am so happy that he wrote this new concerto especially for this occasion (the <i>1st</i>, <i>2nd</i>, and <i>3rd Concertos</i> are all available on our CD, <i><a href="http://www.shawnmativetsky.com/html/discography/works-for-tabla/" target="_blank">Works for Tabla</a></i>). Many thanks to Neeraj, Tony, Jonathan, and Dan for their excellent accompaniment on marimba, vibraphone, and multi-perc setup. I especially enjoyed the interaction with Dan (who also has training on tabla), doubling the <i>tukras</i> on bongos and tom-toms. Throughout the opening <i>bant</i> improvisation, I had some great exchanges with Tony, who was holding down the fort so to speak, playing eighth notes, over which I improvise in 3:2 and 7:4 before finally arriving at the <i>dugun </i>(double speed)<i> </i>of the <i>bant </i>(somewhat unusual that in this concerto, Payton decided to omit the <i>thah</i>, or single-speed exposition of the <i>bant</i>). Lots of tension there! A highlight for me was Payton's pre-recorded intro (Payton could not attend, as he is in India studying dhrupad with the Gundecha brothers), which made me smile and also provided me with a C tanpura to tune to while he introduced the piece. :)</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vs_Ip8PMEUE/UpVAS00olVI/AAAAAAAACDY/n6rWreuZ-yw/s1600/_MG_0328.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="//4.bp.blogspot.com/-vs_Ip8PMEUE/UpVAS00olVI/AAAAAAAACDY/n6rWreuZ-yw/s320/_MG_0328.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lots of baya!<br>Photo credit: Ken Porter, PASIC 2013</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ie7_357s5oA/UpVAUKg5A-I/AAAAAAAACDg/t7o9OQxx3is/s1600/_MG_0331.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="//2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ie7_357s5oA/UpVAUKg5A-I/AAAAAAAACDg/t7o9OQxx3is/s320/_MG_0331.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Always smiling! :)<br>Photo credit: Ken Porter, PASIC 2013</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">UPDATE: Here's a video clip of the performance!<br><br><center><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="225" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/OazBX8hDDGE?rel=0" width="400"></iframe></center>
<br><br>The concert concluded with Neeraj playing solo conga on <b>Jonathan Ovalle's <i>Three Movements for Conga Soloist and Percussion Trio</i></b>. Neeraj really rocked the congas, in what was a very virtuosic and energetic performance. The piece references a number of Latin music traditions, and brings them together in a percussion ensemble context. It's a very exciting piece, and a wonderful way to end the concert.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dAw678jwgcw/UpVBfLRy-TI/AAAAAAAACD4/6P1LWbMVsuU/s1600/0544.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="//1.bp.blogspot.com/-dAw678jwgcw/UpVBfLRy-TI/AAAAAAAACD4/6P1LWbMVsuU/s320/0544.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="195" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Neeraj Mehta rocking the congas! With Dan Piccolo, Jonathan Ovalle, and Tony DiSanza.<br>Photo credit: Caroline Tabah</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">Later that afternoon, another idea of Neeraj's came to fruition: the world percussion panel discussion, with the topic of <b>Practice to Performance: Taking World Percussion Traditions from the Field to the Ensemble Concert</b>. Moderated by Neeraj, the panel was made up of <a href="http://nexuspercussion.com/members/russell-hartenberger/" target="_blank">Russell Hartenberger</a>, <a href="http://bmichaelwilliams.com/" target="_blank">B Michael Williams</a>, <a href="http://www.michaelspiro.com/" target="_blank">Michael Spiro</a>, all legends in the world of percussion... and me! It was truly an honour to have been invited to participate. Each panelist represented various world music traditions, and I was involved because of my experience with North Indian classical music and the McGill Tabla Ensemble. Numerous relevant and throught-provoking subjects were brought up. The common thread revolved around how we can present world music cultures authentically, and with respect for the source cultures, without compromising the integrity of the music, or the cultural context in which it is found. It was unanimously felt that cultural education is as vital as musical education, and that one should not happen without the other. The session was extremely well attended, which is rare for panel discussions; especially for ones taking place at 4pm on the last day of the convention! </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-g74cBMsbh3g/UpVA7mhClCI/AAAAAAAACDo/1H-aEdSWhbU/s1600/DSC09527.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="//2.bp.blogspot.com/-g74cBMsbh3g/UpVA7mhClCI/AAAAAAAACDo/1H-aEdSWhbU/s320/DSC09527.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Neeraj Mehta, Russell Hartenberger, B Michael Williams, Shawn Mativetsky, Michael Spiro<br>Photo credit: Brian Diehl, PASIC 2013</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5ReTYimBHCA/UpVA8cT3NGI/AAAAAAAACDs/pNyvjEUxJuA/s1600/DSC09528.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="//4.bp.blogspot.com/-5ReTYimBHCA/UpVA8cT3NGI/AAAAAAAACDs/pNyvjEUxJuA/s320/DSC09528.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Neeraj Mehta, Russell Hartenberger, B Michael Williams, Shawn Mativetsky, Michael Spiro<br>Photo credit: Brian Diehl, PASIC 2013</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">Many thanks to Neeraj Mehta for these two great ideas, making them a reality, and for having involved me in both of them!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">During PASIC, I also had a chance to meet David Yovino for the first time. David is the inventor of the <a href="http://vnodne.com/transtabla/" target="_blank">TransTabla</a>, which is a new tuning system for tabla. I have one, and use it quite a bit with Ragleela. It's especially handy in the wintertime (which is soon upon us), when I need to detune my tabla before going outside, and then quickly retune again once inside. David actually redesigned the mechanism somewhat since the early version that I had purchased, and offered to upgrade mine. The new version is even easier to turn, and it's a real pleasure to use. Thanks, David! It was also a great chance to see and try out some of David's other innovations, such as his new <a href="http://vnodne.com/tablatool/" target="_blank">tuning hammer</a> and <a href="http://vnodne.com/tabladome/" target="_blank">plexiglass screen</a> for playing tabla in high-volume situations.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ditMLEXJEeA/UpVCoiWzMeI/AAAAAAAACEI/64mGPIvFj08/s1600/0476.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="//2.bp.blogspot.com/-ditMLEXJEeA/UpVCoiWzMeI/AAAAAAAACEI/64mGPIvFj08/s320/0476.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="225" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chatting with David Yovino.<br>Photo credit: Caroline Tabah</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">A great week, full of wonderful interactions and enriching musical experiences. Until the next one!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Q-lAwYpMjsY/UpVBttKG2iI/AAAAAAAACEA/4yomXS7yxmA/s1600/0547.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="//4.bp.blogspot.com/-Q-lAwYpMjsY/UpVBttKG2iI/AAAAAAAACEA/4yomXS7yxmA/s320/0547.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="194" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo credit: Caroline Tabah</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">If you'd like to see more photos, please check out my <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151722948771360.1073741847.139069326359&type=1" target="_blank">Facebook album</a>.</div>Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/31221952013-10-26T21:04:00-04:002017-01-16T09:36:26-05:00The Return of the Attar Project<div style="text-align: justify;">You may have noticed that since the release of <i><a href="http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/AttarProject" target="_blank">The Road Ahead</a></i>, and a few launch concerts in the Toronto area, the Attar Project has unfortunately been somewhat quiet. Parmela (Attariwala; violinist) was completing work on her PhD, and so had limited time available for performing. Now that she has completed her PhD (congrats!), we're back in action! Last Wednesday, we performed a concert of Canadian works for violin and tabla at the Espace Cercle Carré in Old Montreal.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">First on the program was Paul Frehner's <i>Oracle</i>, composed for violin with congas and bongos, which I'm not sure the piece has actually ever been played on! When I first heard the piece premiered by violinist Nadia Francavilla, with D'Arcy Gray on percussion, D'Arcy played the piece on frame drum. That's what gave me the idea that the piece might work well on tabla, and it does! It's a high energy, technically difficult piece (especially the violin part), which works really nicely as an overture of sorts.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Next was Meiro Stamm's <i>The Melody of Rhythm. </i>This piece combines aspects of Mozart's style, with North Indian tabla drumming vocabulary. Yes; Mozart and tabla! The multi-movement work presents variations on the principal theme, through varying time signatures - 2, 3, 5, and 7. We then followed this with Nicole Rampersaud's <i>The Road Ahead... </i>which is principally improvised, via conceptual instructions and fixed structure with certain melodic and harmonic motives being specified by the composer.<br><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z5fY83pYZS0/UmxmZx9nTvI/AAAAAAAACDA/mjjkV33F498/s1600/0377.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z5fY83pYZS0/UmxmZx9nTvI/AAAAAAAACDA/mjjkV33F498/s320/0377.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="162" width="320" /></a></div>
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We ended the first half with Christien Ledroit's <i>Never the Twain Shall Meet</i>, for violin, tabla, and fixed media (pre-recorded electronics). The composer's alter-ego as a punk guitarist is certainly evident in this piece, as <i>kaida-palta</i> in <i>Jhaptaal </i>are accompanied by distorted guitars and other processed sounds. A nice way to end the first half with a bang! Coincidentally, all the pieces in the first part appear on our CD, <i><a href="http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/AttarProject" target="_blank">The Road Ahead</a></i>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Parmela opened the second half with her solo dance piece, <i>Frank, </i>in which she dances while playing the violin, accompanied by a very subtle, eerie backing track of bowed temple bowls and crotales. Her movements are slow and deliberate, swaying back and forth like a blade of grass.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">
<br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-g26-HFOgytc/UmxmgHak3bI/AAAAAAAACDI/1O-r5Da5AKs/s1600/0394.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//2.bp.blogspot.com/-g26-HFOgytc/UmxmgHak3bI/AAAAAAAACDI/1O-r5Da5AKs/s320/0394.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="320" width="192" /></a></div>
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I then followed with a short tabla solo in <i>Teentaal</i>, perhaps around 10 minutes long. I opened with <i>uthaan</i>, and played a famous Benarsi bant through subdivisions of 4-5-6-7-8, and then into a rela. I concluded with a few of my favourite tukras. I'm definitely looking forward to playing a more extended solo, hopefully some time soon!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We ended the concert with the now classic <i>LA</i>, by Robert Rosen. Fortunately for us, Robert now lives in Ottawa, and so was able to attend the concert. It's always a pleasure to have one of the composers in the audience, and especially one so enthusiastic about our performance of his music! </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Looking forward to the next concert!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Thanks to <a href="http://www.carolinetabah.com/" target="_blank">Caroline</a> for the photos!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div>Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/31221962013-10-13T19:19:00-04:002017-01-16T09:36:26-05:00Musica Masala II in Quebec City<div style="text-align: justify;">This past October 5, I had the great pleasure to perform in <a href="http://erreurdetype27.com/" target="_blank">Erreur de Type 27</a>'s production <b><i>Musica Masala II</i></b>, a concert of new music inspired by India. The concert took place at the Salle d'Youville, in Quebec City's beautiful Palais Montcalm, which is quite a prestigious hall, along the lines of Montreal's Place des Arts.<br><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MZOebUOu7bo/UlgOeVfWCWI/AAAAAAAACB0/3vUyzb3fFyc/s1600/ShawnYouville.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//1.bp.blogspot.com/-MZOebUOu7bo/UlgOeVfWCWI/AAAAAAAACB0/3vUyzb3fFyc/s320/ShawnYouville.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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</div><div><div style="text-align: justify;">The concert program was made up of works by mostly Canadian composers, with varying levels of inspiration from Indian music and culture. We opened up with <a href="http://paytonmacdonald.com/" target="_blank">Payton MacDonald</a>'s <i>Farmaishi</i>, which is a sort of tabla concerto, accompanied by flute, clarinet, marimba, and contrabass. The tabla materials are traditional, based on a famous Benarsi <i>farmaishi tukra</i>, and also including <i>Benarsi theka</i>, and some famous Benarsi <i>kaidas/bants</i>. Next was the world premiere of <i>Courants</i>, for flute, clarinet, tabla, marimba, and contrabass; a new piece by <a href="http://www.lautrebooking.ca/" target="_blank">Pierre-Olivier Roy</a>, commissioned by E27 especially for this occasion. Here, the tabla writing is not at all traditionally-inspired. Still, the tabla (along with the bass) takes on the traditionally timekeeping role, grooving along through quickly changing metric structures.</div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;">
<br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3BPno66LFr8/Ulsnch-35oI/AAAAAAAACCE/21tdcpP7r9o/s1600/0204.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//1.bp.blogspot.com/-3BPno66LFr8/Ulsnch-35oI/AAAAAAAACCE/21tdcpP7r9o/s320/0204.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="206" width="320" /></a></div>
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</div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;">The next piece was a special arrangement of a traditional Carnatic piece, <i>Mokshamu Galada</i>, for cello, accompanied by myself on tabla, along with drones provided by bowed vibraphone and contrabass. I'm not really used to accompanying Carnatic music, so we took more of a North-South fusion approach to the materials, with Gabriel Dharmoo playing in traditional Carnatic fashion, and me playing in a more typical Hindustani accompaniment style, with the addition of tabla tihais at the ends of sections, as a mridangam player might do.<br><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UK-Wly3QeCs/UlsnmhQbs9I/AAAAAAAACCM/CYjqhFOGzuA/s1600/0178.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//4.bp.blogspot.com/-UK-Wly3QeCs/UlsnmhQbs9I/AAAAAAAACCM/CYjqhFOGzuA/s320/0178.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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</div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;">I then performed a solo tabla piece, <i>Frictions</i>, written for me by Quebec composer Patrick Saint-Denis. It is a particularly challenging piece to play, as it does not make use of any of the usual phrasings found in Indian classical tabla playing. The 'friction' is the use of the tabla in this very 'non-tablaistic' (or non-idiomatic) way. Though I find the piece to be extremely challenging, the piece got an excellent reaction from the audience.</div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;">We ended the first half with <a href="http://www.christienledroit.ca/" target="_blank">Christien Ledroit</a>'s <i>Elementalities</i>, for flute, vibraphone, and tabla. This is a piece that I have played numerous times since having commissioned it in 2000. It is truly an excellent piece; one that I believe is quite significant in the contemporary tabla repertoire. It is actually the opening piece on my latest CD, <i><a href="http://www.shawnmativetsky.com/html/discography/cycles/" target="_blank">Cycles</a>.</i><br><i><br></i><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1yJ2F6nPXxY/UlspGJJ3NDI/AAAAAAAACCw/4er_P7tV_yM/s1600/0216.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//1.bp.blogspot.com/-1yJ2F6nPXxY/UlspGJJ3NDI/AAAAAAAACCw/4er_P7tV_yM/s320/0216.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="234" width="320" /></a></div>
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</div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;">After the intermission, the concert continued with Gabriel Dharmoo's <i>Ainthu Miniyeccars</i> for flute, vibraphone, and tabla. This was only our second time playing the piece, the last time being its premiere during the first edition of Musica Masala back in 2011. This was followed by the only piece that I did not play on: an improvisation led by Gabriel Dharmoo, inspired by the nine <i>rasas</i>. The concert concluded with a new arrangement of Pandit Ravi Shankar's <i>Aube Enchantée</i>, which is normally performed on flute and harp (or guitar, or marimba). We came up with our own arrangement for flute, clarinet, marimba, contrabass, and tabla; a combination that works really, really well.</div></div><div>
<div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">And what a great gang of musicians to collaborate with - Marie-Hélène Breault and Geneviève Savoie on flute, Marie-Julie Chagnon on clarinet, Etienne Lafrance on contrabass, Isabelle Tardif on marimba and vibraphone, and Gabriel Dharmoo on cello.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div>
</div><div><div style="text-align: justify;">I was extremely happy to see that the hall was absolutely full. It's not easy to fill the hall for contemporary music concerts! The team at Erreur de Type 27 did a great job in spreading word of the concert, and Marie-Hélène Breault did an exceptional job in coming up with the concept and the programming. <b>For those of you who missed the concert, we'll be presenting it again twice in Montreal, on December 10 and 13 at the Maisons de la culture Cote-des-Neiges and Plateau Mont-Royal!</b><br><b><br></b><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_zAOOskxT7E/Ulsn17RPnnI/AAAAAAAACCU/nEtG6RcT_8c/s1600/0228.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="//3.bp.blogspot.com/-_zAOOskxT7E/Ulsn17RPnnI/AAAAAAAACCU/nEtG6RcT_8c/s320/0228.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="175" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marie-Hélène being congratulated for her years of work as Artistic Director of Erreur de Type 27</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">In preparing for the concert, aside from numerous rehearsals in the month leading up to the concert, we were very fortunate to be in residence at the Salle d'Youville for a couple of days before the concert. During this time in Quebec, I was very happy to present a tabla masterclass at the Conservatoire, graciously hosted by percussion instructor Anne-Julie Caron and the conservatory's director Louis Dallaire. Quebec City is such a lovely city; not at all a bad way to spend a few days!<br><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--v1mx8NrxNA/UlsoN6nSY0I/AAAAAAAACCg/kZQbv886ygk/s1600/0109.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//3.bp.blogspot.com/--v1mx8NrxNA/UlsoN6nSY0I/AAAAAAAACCg/kZQbv886ygk/s320/0109.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="307" width="320" /></a></div>
<br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-X_p2uFS4Vwk/UlsoNSYHjZI/AAAAAAAACCc/37EFKqz9yHk/s1600/0118.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//2.bp.blogspot.com/-X_p2uFS4Vwk/UlsoNSYHjZI/AAAAAAAACCc/37EFKqz9yHk/s320/0118.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="207" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">Thanks to <a href="http://www.carolinetabah.com/" target="_blank">Caroline</a> for the photos! I have posted many more on my <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151639572061360.1073741844.139069326359&type=1" target="_blank">Facebook page</a>.</div>
</div>Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/31221972013-09-08T22:32:00-04:002017-01-16T09:36:26-05:00Elsiane at the Cabaret du Mile End<div style="text-align: justify;">This past Saturday, September 7, I had the great pleasure of playing with one of my favourite bands, <a href="http://www.elsiane.ca/" target="_blank">Elsiane</a>, at the Cabaret du Mile End in Montreal. Elsiane is made up of Elsieanne Caplette, who is an amazingly talented singer and composer, and drummer Stephane Sotto, who has a super-solid groove, and loads of serious creativity in his playing. I highly recommend checking out their website, and having a listen to their two albums.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sD32tqDQIQc/Ui0waNqc0-I/AAAAAAAACA8/eTtgxo_lsno/s1600/Elsianneposter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//1.bp.blogspot.com/-sD32tqDQIQc/Ui0waNqc0-I/AAAAAAAACA8/eTtgxo_lsno/s320/Elsianneposter.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="320" width="207" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I was invited to be the opening act, and then later to play with the band as a guest musician. Other guests were violinist Stéphanie Caplette, oboist Annick Beauvais, and bassist Patrice Agbokou.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">For the opening tabla set, I wanted to do something completely different from my usual tabla solos, and something that would fit with the Elsiane sound. Elsieanne generously composed two amazing backing tracks for my opening tabla set. The first was an elaborately textured drone, over which I played introductory materials, including <i>Benarsi theka</i>, followed by <i>angrusthana</i>. The second track had a drum groove in a medium 12-beat cycle, which I matched with an improvisation in Ektaal. This then transitioned into a duet with Stephane, which we had great fun in creating and in performing! We were eventually joined by Elsieanne and her <i>quijada </i>(a percussion instrument made of a donkey's jaw; the ancestor of the modern vibraslap), and began the Elsiane portion of the show with their song, <i>Paranoia</i>. I got a serious baya workout with the groove that we worked out for this tune, which has got to be one of my favourites that we collaborated on.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XRV6OiF3Smo/Ui0yM7v9vqI/AAAAAAAACBg/b_S1FMEptOM/s1600/IMG_9965.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="//4.bp.blogspot.com/-XRV6OiF3Smo/Ui0yM7v9vqI/AAAAAAAACBg/b_S1FMEptOM/s320/IMG_9965.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="224" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tabla solo!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2oYthDVVwyo/Ui0yJ0wT-qI/AAAAAAAACBI/hiLxeRCTtd4/s1600/9931.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="//1.bp.blogspot.com/-2oYthDVVwyo/Ui0yJ0wT-qI/AAAAAAAACBI/hiLxeRCTtd4/s320/9931.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elsieanne</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-55UVXwk6XlM/Ui0yKv0iffI/AAAAAAAACBQ/2fFXbvu5Kg4/s1600/9949.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="//1.bp.blogspot.com/-55UVXwk6XlM/Ui0yKv0iffI/AAAAAAAACBQ/2fFXbvu5Kg4/s320/9949.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="320" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stephane </td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iVYSWYM4eeQ/Ui0yMJZTH1I/AAAAAAAACBY/tJyVA2U1nGg/s1600/9974.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="//1.bp.blogspot.com/-iVYSWYM4eeQ/Ui0yMJZTH1I/AAAAAAAACBY/tJyVA2U1nGg/s320/9974.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="203" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stéphanie, Annick, Elsieanne, Stephane, Shawn</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">I re-joined the band at different points in the set to play tabla on <i>Distance, Underhelped</i>, and <i>In the Shadows</i>. The tabla fits their music so well, so naturally. I'm sincerely looking forward to more collaborations with the band in the near future!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I was really impressed with how dedicated Elsieanne and Stephane are to their music, and the incredible team that they work with. Rob Heaney making everything sound so good, amazing lighting and stage design by Karine Gauthier, and also people helping out with hair and makeup (for those with hair, hahah!). When Elsiane puts on a show, it's not just a concert; it's an experience.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Thanks to <a href="http://www.carolinetabah.com/" target="_blank">Caroline</a> for the photos!</div>Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/31221982013-08-30T19:08:00-04:002017-01-16T09:36:26-05:00Kirtan at the Wanderlust Festival in Mont-Tremblant<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://www.tremblant.ca/" target="_blank">Mont-Tremblant</a> is a beautiful ski resort in the Laurentians, about 90 minutes north-west of Montreal. When I think of Tremblant, I think of outdoor sports, like skiing, showshoeing, hiking, mountain biking, and so on. But yoga? Not really. But somehow, it happened. This past weekend, the <a href="http://tremblant.wanderlustfestival.com/" target="_blank">Wanderlust Festival</a> was in full swing. The village itself was the same, but rather than seeing the usual mountain bikers and hikers, the pedestrian streets were full of people with yoga mats strapped to their backs. There were vendors with coconut water, kombucha, fresh juices, yoga clothes, etc. The whole vibe of the village was quite different from the usual. Tremblant was most definitely transformed.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7YQ2DCUrcWc/Uh6LtVhFU6I/AAAAAAAAB_g/zKnmVckfyn8/s1600/IMG_00000367.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="//1.bp.blogspot.com/-7YQ2DCUrcWc/Uh6LtVhFU6I/AAAAAAAAB_g/zKnmVckfyn8/s320/IMG_00000367.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big yoga class outside!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">I was there to accompany <a href="http://www.lealongo.com/" target="_blank">Lea Longo</a> for a kirtan, along with Rad Crasto on guitar, Marcelo on bass, and Genevieve on backing vocals. Though there were numerous yoga classes and activities going on all around, when I walked out in my white kurta-pyjama (traditional Indian clothing) for the kirtan, I could feel that many curious eyes were upon me. I was definitely feeling somewhat out of place, as no one else was wearing Indian-style clothing (aside from a couple of Indian families that joined in the kirtan), but rather, athletic-style yoga clothing was the primary outfit of choice. Aside from the few odd looks I received, people were very open-minded, and there was a very strong sense of community at the festival. During the soundcheck, people started to gather around, and once we started, more and more people came and joined in. After about 30 minutes, I'm sure that there were at least 150 people around the stage, with most of them singing along. Not bad!</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9NHJ8Phgkuo/Uh6LuwiRCLI/AAAAAAAAB_o/dnCFPZV9HOo/s1600/IMG_00000371.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="//1.bp.blogspot.com/-9NHJ8Phgkuo/Uh6LuwiRCLI/AAAAAAAAB_o/dnCFPZV9HOo/s320/IMG_00000371.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="320" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taking advantage of the silence to set up and tune! :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sGKaowNPbZU/UiElxatlXrI/AAAAAAAACAk/dxpW5GAStr0/s1600/9661.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//4.bp.blogspot.com/-sGKaowNPbZU/UiElxatlXrI/AAAAAAAACAk/dxpW5GAStr0/s320/9661.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="218" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_k6XXZjANI0/UiElxeYzoII/AAAAAAAACAo/MgayuChzokI/s1600/9665.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//2.bp.blogspot.com/-_k6XXZjANI0/UiElxeYzoII/AAAAAAAACAo/MgayuChzokI/s320/9665.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="212" width="320" /></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-z8SZqoOcG7I/UiElwlkIbrI/AAAAAAAACAc/73C1UBov2Zk/s1600/9666.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//2.bp.blogspot.com/-z8SZqoOcG7I/UiElwlkIbrI/AAAAAAAACAc/73C1UBov2Zk/s320/9666.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="218" width="320" /></a></div><br>We had fun, and people enjoyed! Until the next time!<br><br>Thanks to <a href="http://www.carolinetabah.com/" target="_blank">Caroline</a> for the photos!Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/31221992013-08-28T19:55:00-04:002017-01-16T09:36:26-05:00Bansuri Concert with Chloé Bennett at H-OM<div style="text-align: justify;">Before <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/chloebennettmusic/biography" target="_blank">Chloé</a> headed back home to India, we decided to organize a second concert for her (<a href="http://tablamontreal.blogspot.ca/2013/08/bansuri-concert-with-chloe-bennett.html" target="_blank">you can read about our first concert, at Sivananda Yoga, here</a>), this time at <a href="http://www.homyogacenter.com/" target="_blank">H-OM Yoga</a> in Vaudreuil-Dorion, just West of the island of Montreal. We were warmly welcomed by Heleen in her spacious yoga studio. We played acoustically, which surprisingly doesn't happen that often! The space has a very clean acoustic, with not much reverb. You can really hear every detail of the sound.</div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div></div><div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">If I remember correctly, the raags included <i>Puriya Kalyan</i> in Jhaptaal and Teentaal, and <i>Desh </i>in Rupak.</div>
<br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ALAunp_6QwQ/Uh6Ngg6-6NI/AAAAAAAAB_8/Eqp2EZGbwu0/s1600/9622.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//3.bp.blogspot.com/-ALAunp_6QwQ/Uh6Ngg6-6NI/AAAAAAAAB_8/Eqp2EZGbwu0/s320/9622.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="205" width="320" /></a></div>
<br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-d0bDv7la2Ks/Uh6NgCtZxgI/AAAAAAAAB_0/MECNJ8tM6Wk/s1600/9636.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//2.bp.blogspot.com/-d0bDv7la2Ks/Uh6NgCtZxgI/AAAAAAAAB_0/MECNJ8tM6Wk/s320/9636.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xGmjLl-ntbo/Uh6NguzE7BI/AAAAAAAACAA/P9wIJ7QbZFk/s1600/9641.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//4.bp.blogspot.com/-xGmjLl-ntbo/Uh6NguzE7BI/AAAAAAAACAA/P9wIJ7QbZFk/s320/9641.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="211" width="320" /></a></div>
<br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ErnxeXUj6VY/Uh6NipMC9WI/AAAAAAAACAM/KWrUbgHktKs/s1600/IMG_9625.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//2.bp.blogspot.com/-ErnxeXUj6VY/Uh6NipMC9WI/AAAAAAAACAM/KWrUbgHktKs/s320/IMG_9625.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="320" width="224" /></a></div>
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</div><div><br></div><div>I really enjoyed these two concerts with Chloé, and looking forward to her next visit to Montreal!<br><div><br></div>
</div><div>Thanks to <a href="http://www.carolinetabah.com/" target="_blank">Caroline</a> for the photos!</div>Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/31222002013-08-21T19:06:00-04:002017-01-16T09:36:26-05:00Ragleela in Verchères for Musique sur le Fleuve<div style="text-align: justify;">This past Sunday, I made the trip to Verchères for the first time. Verchères is a small town, just south-east of Montreal, about a 30-40 minute drive. Ragleela (this time, as a quintet) performed in the <a href="http://www.musiquesurlefleuve.com/" target="_blank">Musique sur le Fleuve</a> series, organized by Suzie Auclair. Our noon-hour concert was really well attended, with about 350 people onsite. With the perfect weather and waterfront views, there's no wonder that this festival attracts a lot of people...</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We played a 75-minute set, mostly made up of tunes from the upcoming album (yes, it is coming soon!). It was nice to have a few of the old favourites included as well, most notably <i>Camp in Town</i>, which opens with a tabla solo. No complaints here! :)</div><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hdaw4u8K22c/UhQeTeEjOAI/AAAAAAAAB-4/1UPTN5UgABw/s1600/9551.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="//4.bp.blogspot.com/-hdaw4u8K22c/UhQeTeEjOAI/AAAAAAAAB-4/1UPTN5UgABw/s320/9551.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="209" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Left to right: Mathieu Deschenaux (bass), me (tabla), Uwe Neumann (sitar),<br>Jean-Marc Hébert (guitar), Eric Breton (percussion)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AEqHCj8uEvg/UhQeQH1GErI/AAAAAAAAB-w/z6v06Ulh8jc/s1600/9552.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="//1.bp.blogspot.com/-AEqHCj8uEvg/UhQeQH1GErI/AAAAAAAAB-w/z6v06Ulh8jc/s320/9552.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="221" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Uwe on sansa, for <i>Sansonica</i>!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5qqUomurqyk/UhQeTh4ZebI/AAAAAAAAB-8/rR635nco1I8/s1600/9557.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//4.bp.blogspot.com/-5qqUomurqyk/UhQeTh4ZebI/AAAAAAAAB-8/rR635nco1I8/s320/9557.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="182" width="320" /></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BsBZKmBtHyw/UhQeWdp9vxI/AAAAAAAAB_I/2jA0uu_E3rY/s1600/9559.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//3.bp.blogspot.com/-BsBZKmBtHyw/UhQeWdp9vxI/AAAAAAAAB_I/2jA0uu_E3rY/s320/9559.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="203" width="320" /></a></div><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PkbfQ_eySnc/UhQeWqUMJcI/AAAAAAAAB_M/qw4Dw-P06pc/s1600/9572.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="//3.bp.blogspot.com/-PkbfQ_eySnc/UhQeWqUMJcI/AAAAAAAAB_M/qw4Dw-P06pc/s320/9572.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="320" width="245" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Time for an encore, I think!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>We all had a really fun day, and looking forward to the next time! Thank you to Suzie and the whole team for the warm (and very professional) welcome!<br><br>Thanks to <a href="http://www.carolinetabah.com/" target="_blank">Caroline</a> for the photos!Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/31222012013-08-20T21:27:00-04:002017-01-16T09:36:27-05:00Ragleela at Heartroot Farm<div style="text-align: justify;">This past Saturday, the <a href="http://www.ragleela.com/" target="_blank">Ragleela</a> trio played at <a href="http://heartroot.com/" target="_blank">Heartroot Farm</a>, in Audet, QC (a little past Lac-Megantic, near to the Maine border). It is a community farm, quite isolated, in a beautiful spot in the countryside. Run by Dawn Bramadat, the farm is a place where people connect with nature, through a combination of hard work, simple living, organic food, and spiritual practice. We were really well received, and it was a pleasure to share our music with those in attendance. We played in what I think used to be a barn, converted into a concert space, complete with stage and sound system. The space was very open, allowing the outside air to flow through, and providing us with panoramic views.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There was a short impromptu opening set by Dawn's daughter, <a href="http://www.kyras.net/" target="_blank">Kyra</a> (vocals, guitar) and her friend Steve on kora. Their music was calm and serene, and was perfect to set the mood. We went on to play two sets, combining pieces from the new album, as well as some older favourites. :)</div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QyThFLttMdQ/UhQW3SZrXmI/AAAAAAAAB-I/D7pXMkhNfwk/s1600/9426.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//4.bp.blogspot.com/-QyThFLttMdQ/UhQW3SZrXmI/AAAAAAAAB-I/D7pXMkhNfwk/s320/9426.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="200" width="320" /></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xZv_94MWw4c/UhQW4pvTfJI/AAAAAAAAB-U/7_E00fjtFvE/s1600/9428.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//3.bp.blogspot.com/-xZv_94MWw4c/UhQW4pvTfJI/AAAAAAAAB-U/7_E00fjtFvE/s320/9428.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="320" width="231" /></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VC_wy2Ejekk/UhQW4VlkyxI/AAAAAAAAB-Q/Ba_k1EB5diM/s1600/9436.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//2.bp.blogspot.com/-VC_wy2Ejekk/UhQW4VlkyxI/AAAAAAAAB-Q/Ba_k1EB5diM/s320/9436.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="320" width="213" /></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AN8xgrAytes/UhQW6fpdmrI/AAAAAAAAB-g/9dSAjwh9WHQ/s1600/9438.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//1.bp.blogspot.com/-AN8xgrAytes/UhQW6fpdmrI/AAAAAAAAB-g/9dSAjwh9WHQ/s320/9438.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="203" width="320" /></a></div><br><br>Thank you to <a href="http://www.carolinetabah.com/" target="_blank">Caroline</a> for the photos!<br><br>Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/31222022013-08-05T18:06:00-04:002017-01-16T09:36:27-05:00Kirtan in the Park<div style="text-align: justify;">On Friday, July 26, I had the pleasure of accompanying <a href="http://www.lealongo.com/" target="_blank">Lea Longo</a> and Rad Crasto for a kirtan in Westmount Park. The session was really well attended, by both kirtan regulars and people just passing by in the park (who were very surprised to see this type of participatory singing taking place). The session was filmed by Radio Canada for the show, <i>Second Regard</i>. I will post again once I know the broadcast schedule.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gtydH94ok-M/UgAhzPjoNTI/AAAAAAAAB9E/r0MyjwSLHYc/s1600/8144.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//4.bp.blogspot.com/-gtydH94ok-M/UgAhzPjoNTI/AAAAAAAAB9E/r0MyjwSLHYc/s320/8144.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="204" width="320" /></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eJB8Nb8sloU/UgAh0IbQPJI/AAAAAAAAB9U/MLuGN3KG5Fw/s1600/8145.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//3.bp.blogspot.com/-eJB8Nb8sloU/UgAh0IbQPJI/AAAAAAAAB9U/MLuGN3KG5Fw/s320/8145.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="213" width="320" /></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cNZi9jKhBHQ/UgAhzD_Jo6I/AAAAAAAAB9I/Nyx2s0K2BqM/s1600/8153.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//3.bp.blogspot.com/-cNZi9jKhBHQ/UgAhzD_Jo6I/AAAAAAAAB9I/Nyx2s0K2BqM/s320/8153.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="213" width="320" /></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FYEQDS_EQ9o/UgAh2zJlsLI/AAAAAAAAB9c/RQ3hKOYdn6g/s1600/8154.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//1.bp.blogspot.com/-FYEQDS_EQ9o/UgAh2zJlsLI/AAAAAAAAB9c/RQ3hKOYdn6g/s320/8154.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="189" width="320" /></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wvGS5rJ2rc4/UgAh350UC7I/AAAAAAAAB9s/KUV2ChZDqVU/s1600/8156.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//3.bp.blogspot.com/-wvGS5rJ2rc4/UgAh350UC7I/AAAAAAAAB9s/KUV2ChZDqVU/s320/8156.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="213" width="320" /></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8_W2OymurmQ/UgAh3u1RcKI/AAAAAAAAB9k/W3voFpzuptw/s1600/8157.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//3.bp.blogspot.com/-8_W2OymurmQ/UgAh3u1RcKI/AAAAAAAAB9k/W3voFpzuptw/s320/8157.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="232" width="320" /></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qy9xbLS_h_g/UgAh52TwU7I/AAAAAAAAB90/RiWH55Ql1Pg/s1600/8159.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//2.bp.blogspot.com/-qy9xbLS_h_g/UgAh52TwU7I/AAAAAAAAB90/RiWH55Ql1Pg/s320/8159.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="320" width="213" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Thanks to <a href="http://www.carolinetabah.com/" target="_blank">Caroline</a> for the photos!</div>Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/31222032013-08-04T22:17:00-04:002020-06-21T08:55:07-04:00Bansuri Concert with Chloé Bennett<div style="text-align: justify;">This past Saturday, August 3, I accompanied bansuri player <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/chloebennettmusic/biography" target="_blank">Chloé Bennett</a> for her Indian music début in her hometown of Montreal. She has been living in India for the past five years, studying with legendary bansuri maestro, Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia. She is currently in town for a few weeks, visiting her family, and so we took this opportunity to set up a couple of concerts for her.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This first concert took place at the Sivananda Yoga Centre in downtown Montreal. The concert was really well attended, as many of Chloé's friends and family have never heard her play Indian music before. It was a very special occasion and Chloé did really well, engaging the audience with both her words and her music. She opened with raag <i>Malkauns</i>, with an alap-jor, followed by compositions in Jhaptaal and Teentaal. I particularly enjoyed the Jhaptaal composition; it's one of those that really sticks in your head, even hours after the performance. The Teentaal was a bit odd, as the melody began on khali, and so had a feeling of being flipped around backwards (this is not unusual). She then followed with raag <i>Bageshri </i>in Rupak, a thumri in <i>Pilu</i>, and then a Bengali folk song to conclude.<br><br>We were accompanied by flutist and bansuri player <a href="http://www.mariesaintonge.net/" target="_blank">Marie Saintonge</a>, which was a very welcome surprise for me.<br><br><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6Lqnkz45dz8/Uf8I9NYxJsI/AAAAAAAAB8Y/aO_YUwgf6Gw/s1600/8334.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="//4.bp.blogspot.com/-6Lqnkz45dz8/Uf8I9NYxJsI/AAAAAAAAB8Y/aO_YUwgf6Gw/s320/8334.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="320" width="205" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chloé on bansuri, with Marie on tanpura.</td></tr>
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<br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-X2IKb4iYItQ/Uf8JCRjiZEI/AAAAAAAAB8w/p_V18r_-YoQ/s1600/8345.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//4.bp.blogspot.com/-X2IKb4iYItQ/Uf8JCRjiZEI/AAAAAAAAB8w/p_V18r_-YoQ/s320/8345.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="200" width="320" /></a></div>
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;">If you missed this concert, there is still another chance to hear Chloé before she heads back to India. We will be playing at H-OM Yoga in Vaudreuil-Dorion (3187 Harwood), on Friday, August 23 at 8pm.</div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2pN2mpD88Gs/Uf6e_wzj-CI/AAAAAAAAB60/NsIqgaCPEAI/s1600/Hudson2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//1.bp.blogspot.com/-2pN2mpD88Gs/Uf6e_wzj-CI/AAAAAAAAB60/NsIqgaCPEAI/s640/Hudson2.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="640" width="451" /></a></div><br>I am really looking forward to it, and hope to see many of you there! For those of you in Montreal, it will be worth the trip! Here is a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/187452728090939/" target="_blank">link to the Facebook event page</a>, for those of you on Facebook.<br><br>As usual, thank you to <a href="http://www.carolinetabah.com/" target="_blank">Caroline Tabah</a> for the photos!<br><br>Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/31222042013-08-04T15:55:00-04:002017-01-16T09:36:27-05:00Three Concerts at OpenMind Festival<div style="text-align: justify;">This past week, I had the pleasure of accompanying three different artists over the course of three days at the OpenMind Festival in La Patrie, Quebec. OpenMind Festival is a music festival, bringing people together in a celebration of diversity and sound ecological practices. The festival takes place every two years, and in a different location that is always very isolated (no cell phone coverage this year!) and very beautiful. You may remember my <a href="http://tablamontreal.blogspot.ca/2012/01/openmind-festival-with-sitarist-uwe.html" target="_blank">performance with Uwe Neumann from the last OpenMind Festival</a>, in 2011.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">My first performance at this year's festival was an early evening concert with sitarist <a href="http://www.sitaria.com/sitaria.html" target="_blank">Uwe Neumann</a>. I accompanied him in raag <i>Kirwani</i>, in Sitarkhani, followed by another raag in Rupak, the name of which has slipped my mind, and lastly, a <i>Bhairavi</i> in Teentaal. We concluded with Uwe's customary finale - an improvised piece on sansa.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FdzaEVcap9Y/Uf6tZGqOPxI/AAAAAAAAB7E/BV5egBaWMXs/s1600/Uweconcert.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//2.bp.blogspot.com/-FdzaEVcap9Y/Uf6tZGqOPxI/AAAAAAAAB7E/BV5egBaWMXs/s320/Uweconcert.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="239" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FKtdv3TULmY/Uf6w8n4ZhSI/AAAAAAAAB70/UYErguxBidM/s1600/UweField.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="//4.bp.blogspot.com/-FKtdv3TULmY/Uf6w8n4ZhSI/AAAAAAAAB70/UYErguxBidM/s320/UweField.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A view of the stage and surrounding stunning views!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">Next was a noon concert, accompanying santoor player <a href="http://www.samskara.ca/en/biographies/jonathan-voyer" target="_blank">Jonathan Voyer</a>. Our outdoor performance was quickly rained out (Jonathan didn't even get to finish his alap), even though Jonathan had specifically decided NOT to play raag <i>Megh </i>(a monsoon raga, which would have been appropriate, considering the OpenMind theme of the day was water), and instead opted for <i>Bhimpalasi</i>. Well, raag <i>Megh</i> or not, the rain came down hard! The tech crew quickly scrambled to move us and all the equipment into ... how to explain ... an enormous, inflated white ball, with carpets and pillows laid out on the inside. It was a really nice, intimate setting for the music, but also incredibly hot! Jonathan wrapped up his alap, and we moved on to compositions in Rupak and Teentaal. It must have been 40 degrees (C) in there, no exaggeration. Nevertheless, we brought full energy (and lots of sweat!) to the performance, and the audience was extremely receptive.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mKFOqO7NfVU/Uf6t5PS7yQI/AAAAAAAAB7Y/9cX4KwKBcpw/s1600/8213.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//1.bp.blogspot.com/-mKFOqO7NfVU/Uf6t5PS7yQI/AAAAAAAAB7Y/9cX4KwKBcpw/s320/8213.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="192" width="320" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Photo from soundcheck. No more photos from the outdoor stage, as it soon started to rain!</div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z3wvxQi-raw/Uf6t45y_MrI/AAAAAAAAB7U/Re9Awc2VnOk/s1600/8224.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//1.bp.blogspot.com/-z3wvxQi-raw/Uf6t45y_MrI/AAAAAAAAB7U/Re9Awc2VnOk/s320/8224.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="213" width="320" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Inside the big inflated white ball. The stage was unfortunately placed behind an altar, as you can see here.</div><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BwLMQx8LrcQ/Uf6t4DzidfI/AAAAAAAAB7M/1vWuCyLqT0I/s1600/8226.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="//4.bp.blogspot.com/-BwLMQx8LrcQ/Uf6t4DzidfI/AAAAAAAAB7M/1vWuCyLqT0I/s320/8226.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="320" width="216" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iDGwHGCevqI/Uf6wmObxlpI/AAAAAAAAB7s/SWr9jAiQ8DU/s1600/Ball.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="//1.bp.blogspot.com/-iDGwHGCevqI/Uf6wmObxlpI/AAAAAAAAB7s/SWr9jAiQ8DU/s320/Ball.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The ball!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">Last, but not least, was a sitar performance with Toronto-based musician, <a href="http://beyondbordersmusic.com/" target="_blank">Prosad</a>. This was actually our first time meeting and playing together. Prosad has studied with musicians in both the Vilayat Khan style and Ali Akbar Khan style of playing, and so his approach was quite different from the Montreal-based musicians that I usually play with. It was great fun to follow and see where he might lead me. Lots of fun rhythmic interplay and intricate tihais!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FkSkX3KBRBM/Uf6xU5j_dHI/AAAAAAAAB8E/sFG93u3Lr4I/s1600/8282.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//4.bp.blogspot.com/-FkSkX3KBRBM/Uf6xU5j_dHI/AAAAAAAAB8E/sFG93u3Lr4I/s320/8282.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="206" width="320" /></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X3TG-BR-KO0/Uf6xTYNuxHI/AAAAAAAAB78/ASB3EWERYYo/s1600/8285.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//1.bp.blogspot.com/-X3TG-BR-KO0/Uf6xTYNuxHI/AAAAAAAAB78/ASB3EWERYYo/s320/8285.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="213" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Again, in the ball, and hidden behind the altar!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Overall, a great three days of tabla accompaniment! Thanks to <a href="http://www.carolinetabah.com/" target="_blank">Caroline Tabah</a> for most of the photos, aside from the few cellphone shots. :)</div>Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/31222052013-07-10T20:29:00-04:002017-01-16T09:36:27-05:00Percussion Duo Concert with Marla Leigh Goldstein<div style="text-align: justify;">Just before the start of my summer tabla workshop, I had the pleasure of working with talented Californian frame drummer, <a href="http://marlaleigh.com/" target="_blank">Marla Leigh Goldstein</a>. We have known each other for a number of years, but never had the chance to play together in concert! She had organized a frame drum workshop in Ottawa, and so was able to come over to Montreal to visit for a few days, before heading off to the Cooperman Drum factory in Vermont. We performed at <a href="http://www.timpano-percussion.com/" target="_blank">Timpano Percussion</a> on Friday, June 28, and then she gave two workshops the following day.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">For this special occasion, I composed two new tabla / frame drum duets. <i>Bol</i>, inspired by traditional <i>bol paran</i> repertoire, and <i>Dancing Hands</i>, inspired by the kathak dance tradition. Marla also brought in some of her compositions, for frame drum and flute. We had a blast putting this concert together, and hopefully we'll be able to present it again sometime soon!</div><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NabXEUdbCkQ/Ud37UvoLoyI/AAAAAAAAB6g/v34_XtY6Jz8/s1600/IMG_00000251_hdr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="//2.bp.blogspot.com/-NabXEUdbCkQ/Ud37UvoLoyI/AAAAAAAAB6g/v34_XtY6Jz8/s320/IMG_00000251_hdr.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Having fun in rehearsal, before the concert.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-neWd-ynrx0s/Ud37Qe4ilnI/AAAAAAAAB58/LyVayPRNT_g/s1600/7732.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="//4.bp.blogspot.com/-neWd-ynrx0s/Ud37Qe4ilnI/AAAAAAAAB58/LyVayPRNT_g/s320/7732.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="216" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marla on flute.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3eJpdHxVuNE/Ud37RsHRJMI/AAAAAAAAB6E/PhgkVaxrCj0/s1600/7738.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="//3.bp.blogspot.com/-3eJpdHxVuNE/Ud37RsHRJMI/AAAAAAAAB6E/PhgkVaxrCj0/s320/7738.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="177" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In concert!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vZQyznUodME/Ud37SUFw5OI/AAAAAAAAB6M/qDs4iwfmvz8/s1600/7741.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="//1.bp.blogspot.com/-vZQyznUodME/Ud37SUFw5OI/AAAAAAAAB6M/qDs4iwfmvz8/s320/7741.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="206" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">
<i>Bol</i> exchange!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br><br><br><br>Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/31222062013-07-09T22:21:00-04:002017-01-16T09:36:27-05:00Annual Summer Tabla Workshop 2013!Wow, this past week just flew by so quickly! As I have for the past three years, I held my annual summer tabla workshop during the first week of July, at the Schulich School of Music of McGill University. This year, the participants all came from the Montreal area. I had two groups - one of pure beginners, who had no prior experience with tabla, and an intermediate group of students with a few years of experience. Each group had four 90-minute classes, spread throughout the week, and both groups joined together daily for a two-hour group practice session. We also met for two video-viewing sessions, where I showed videos of concerts by some of the great maestros, and as always, we concluded the workshop with a Guru Puja.<br><br>The participants this year had such great enthusiasm and energy. We were also joined by two guests from the UK, Caroline (my Gurubahen) and her partner Neil. Neil participated in the beginner class, while Caroline helped out with some of the teaching.<br><br>This year, for the intermediate class, I decided to follow an 'accompaniment' theme, and so for one of the classes, I invited my santoor buddy <a href="http://www.samskara.ca/" target="_blank">Jonathan Voyer</a> to come, and be accompanied by the students in Rupaktaal, Sitarkhani, and Teentaal. The following class, Neil sang some bhajans, which gave the students a chance to accompany in Kaherva, Dadra, and Bhajani theka. The experiment was a great success, and I will surely integrate this type of activity again in the future.<br><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aUOlyoIMVBY/Udy80Php0uI/AAAAAAAAB5k/7DC7aGng1NE/s1600/IMG_7783.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="//1.bp.blogspot.com/-aUOlyoIMVBY/Udy80Php0uI/AAAAAAAAB5k/7DC7aGng1NE/s320/IMG_7783.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="152" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the many group practice sessions.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-D2Fz6e6h0I8/Udy8tzkRNnI/AAAAAAAAB5E/uUY1gG5BZYY/s1600/7838.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="//2.bp.blogspot.com/-D2Fz6e6h0I8/Udy8tzkRNnI/AAAAAAAAB5E/uUY1gG5BZYY/s320/7838.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="201" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lighting the incense for Guru Puja.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dCEAuwN8KGo/Udy8vqCSf-I/AAAAAAAAB5M/qu3OD60qbUw/s1600/7847.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="//1.bp.blogspot.com/-dCEAuwN8KGo/Udy8vqCSf-I/AAAAAAAAB5M/qu3OD60qbUw/s320/7847.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="193" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marc doing puja. This is his third year at the workshop!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mr7wE3V_dQQ/Udy8vjnUX9I/AAAAAAAAB5Q/V_X-7JLjHXY/s1600/7854.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="//4.bp.blogspot.com/-mr7wE3V_dQQ/Udy8vjnUX9I/AAAAAAAAB5Q/V_X-7JLjHXY/s320/7854.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="236" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kai getting his offerings, walking around everyone's tabla. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HHp7LvedX1g/Udy80dRFd9I/AAAAAAAAB5o/0HhlubL-cZU/s1600/7908.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//1.bp.blogspot.com/-HHp7LvedX1g/Udy80dRFd9I/AAAAAAAAB5o/0HhlubL-cZU/s320/7908.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="219" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cUGJ6XZrJvM/Udy8xZAHtvI/AAAAAAAAB5c/c7SzUobs-qY/s1600/7864.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//3.bp.blogspot.com/-cUGJ6XZrJvM/Udy8xZAHtvI/AAAAAAAAB5c/c7SzUobs-qY/s320/7864.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="213" width="320" /></a></div><br>In case you would like to see more, I have posted <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151472701501360.1073741834.139069326359&type=1" target="_blank">many more photos on Facebook</a>.<br><br>Until next year! Thank you to <a href="http://www.carolinetabah.com/" target="_blank">Caroline Tabah</a> for the photos!<br><br>Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/31222072013-07-08T21:21:00-04:002017-01-16T09:36:27-05:00One More Show with Kiran!<div style="text-align: justify;">Just a few days before bansuri artist Kiran Hegde returned to India, Marie Saintonge organized one last concert, at an art gallery in Saint-Hyacinthe. The show was really well attended, and the gallery had quite an exceptional acoustic! Kiran and I were joined by special guest Ziya Tabassian, who is an excellent percussionist, specializing in Persian tombak. The trio format was a nice change of pace, and the tombak/frame drum and tabla work really well together!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It was sad to have Kiran leave, as it was a great two months of musical adventures together. Looking forward to his return to Canada next year!</div><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qxfqWiWKvCM/UdtkomEPRiI/AAAAAAAAB4Q/hSqIkKVhO5Y/s1600/7619.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="//4.bp.blogspot.com/-qxfqWiWKvCM/UdtkomEPRiI/AAAAAAAAB4Q/hSqIkKVhO5Y/s320/7619.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="209" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ziya accompanying Kiran during the <i>jor</i>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GY14JvIR-GY/UdtkoHXn0SI/AAAAAAAAB4E/JHqjel_U8hU/s1600/7623.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="//1.bp.blogspot.com/-GY14JvIR-GY/UdtkoHXn0SI/AAAAAAAAB4E/JHqjel_U8hU/s320/7623.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes! The tihai came on sam! :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_cLTKOun3S8/Udtkoc6zdtI/AAAAAAAAB4I/IrdQw_qtefI/s1600/7643.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//2.bp.blogspot.com/-_cLTKOun3S8/Udtkoc6zdtI/AAAAAAAAB4I/IrdQw_qtefI/s320/7643.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="213" width="320" /></a></div><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pRXiowukgwE/UdtkqIO3QRI/AAAAAAAAB4c/5wfOGWflsxk/s1600/7649.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="//3.bp.blogspot.com/-pRXiowukgwE/UdtkqIO3QRI/AAAAAAAAB4c/5wfOGWflsxk/s320/7649.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="190" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tabla - bansuri - tombak trio!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-q4STl3mcPPs/UdtkskyrB1I/AAAAAAAAB4k/z4uuftp-O6s/s1600/7694.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="//2.bp.blogspot.com/-q4STl3mcPPs/UdtkskyrB1I/AAAAAAAAB4k/z4uuftp-O6s/s320/7694.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Kiran, after the concert.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cXIv-AKMpCY/UdtktYhAarI/AAAAAAAAB4w/_QCvNsn9gYE/s1600/7704.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="//4.bp.blogspot.com/-cXIv-AKMpCY/UdtktYhAarI/AAAAAAAAB4w/_QCvNsn9gYE/s320/7704.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The whole gang!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s2_4HgevL6c/UdtktEgb7FI/AAAAAAAAB4s/mPJPNo9OQx0/s1600/7716.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="//1.bp.blogspot.com/-s2_4HgevL6c/UdtktEgb7FI/AAAAAAAAB4s/mPJPNo9OQx0/s320/7716.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marie and Caroline!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br><br>Thank you to Caroline Tabah for the photos!<br><br><br>Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/31222082013-06-17T17:34:00-04:002017-01-16T09:36:27-05:00Accompanying Bansuri Player Kiran Hegde on his First Canadian Tour<div style="text-align: justify;">My friend Marie Saintonge recently spent six months in India, studying the bansuri with Kiran Hegde, himself a student of legendary violinist N Rajam. Marie has since invited him to Canada, where he is currently spending two months performing and teaching. I am very happy to be accompanying him for all his Canadian concerts and workshops.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Kiran has a very sweet sound, and plays in a very vocal style, though is not shy to bring out the more 'instrumental' aspects of bansuri playing as well, from the slowest vilambit ektaal, to a blazing fast drut.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Our first concert took place at the Grande Bibliotheque in Montreal on May 11.</div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tO1oOwD3oRA/Ub989hx1z1I/AAAAAAAAB2Y/g19ZscQpPGM/s1600/6475.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//2.bp.blogspot.com/-tO1oOwD3oRA/Ub989hx1z1I/AAAAAAAAB2Y/g19ZscQpPGM/s320/6475.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="166" width="320" /></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fNZvFqyPtl4/Ub98-CX_v-I/AAAAAAAAB2g/rvDm4tZbJVc/s1600/IMG_6476.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//4.bp.blogspot.com/-fNZvFqyPtl4/Ub98-CX_v-I/AAAAAAAAB2g/rvDm4tZbJVc/s320/IMG_6476.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="223" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The next day, I accompanied Kiran for a hands-on raga workshop that he gave at Timpano Percussion. Quite a few musicians came, and we had singers, flutists, a saxophonist, and even a fretless electric guitarist!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gP0t4oA-pJE/Ub99jUK7MYI/AAAAAAAAB3A/kFMCIN_3M_8/s1600/atelier6547.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//2.bp.blogspot.com/-gP0t4oA-pJE/Ub99jUK7MYI/AAAAAAAAB3A/kFMCIN_3M_8/s320/atelier6547.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="209" width="320" /></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kuz8YZbiSnU/Ub99iA1JqxI/AAAAAAAAB2o/GZCIGBGUvkI/s1600/Atelier.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//2.bp.blogspot.com/-kuz8YZbiSnU/Ub99iA1JqxI/AAAAAAAAB2o/GZCIGBGUvkI/s320/Atelier.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="206" width="320" /></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4EQfWy9RvZk/Ub99ittjLGI/AAAAAAAAB20/Ombn2Sqemj8/s1600/Kiran_atelier6580.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//2.bp.blogspot.com/-4EQfWy9RvZk/Ub99ittjLGI/AAAAAAAAB20/Ombn2Sqemj8/s320/Kiran_atelier6580.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="227" width="320" /></a></div><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pZLRK6wYh-c/Ub99icKXZFI/AAAAAAAAB2s/xGI0MtQ3JMQ/s1600/Marie_atelier6558.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="//1.bp.blogspot.com/-pZLRK6wYh-c/Ub99icKXZFI/AAAAAAAAB2s/xGI0MtQ3JMQ/s320/Marie_atelier6558.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="223" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marie, during the workshop.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">A couple of weeks later, we headed to Toronto, for a concert graciously hosted by Joanna de Souza and Ritesh Das from M-DO/Toronto Tabla Ensemble, at the lovely St-Stephens-in-the-Fields church. Here, we were joined by longtime collaborator, and Kiran's Guru-bhai, Jake Charkey, for a rare bansuri-cello jugalbandi. Jake and I have performed numerous times before in Montreal, before he headed out to Mumbai to study with N Rajam. He has been there for the last three years, and so it was great to be playing together again, and to hear the progress he has made in all this time.</div><div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IxCat4MsnNM/Ub9-zcK48VI/AAAAAAAAB3M/-lwx5jzdI9E/s1600/6744.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//2.bp.blogspot.com/-IxCat4MsnNM/Ub9-zcK48VI/AAAAAAAAB3M/-lwx5jzdI9E/s320/6744.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="320" width="213" /></a></div><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1lvXmy_Pwbw/Ub9-0GcRXlI/AAAAAAAAB3k/u9Bvw79Z850/s1600/eg6746.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="//2.bp.blogspot.com/-1lvXmy_Pwbw/Ub9-0GcRXlI/AAAAAAAAB3k/u9Bvw79Z850/s320/eg6746.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="320" width="198" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kiran's solo, with Joanna on tanpura.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wcuKRTmhlyg/Ub9-1CAOtcI/AAAAAAAAB3c/8__UWx0BzCo/s1600/eglise6760.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="//2.bp.blogspot.com/-wcuKRTmhlyg/Ub9-1CAOtcI/AAAAAAAAB3c/8__UWx0BzCo/s320/eglise6760.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="255" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here with Jake, for the bansuri-cello jugalbandi.</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The next morning, we hit the road, and were back in Quebec for a concert at the beautiful Sivananda Ashram, in Val Morin.</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jTU6bdyr0-g/Ub9_R96EyqI/AAAAAAAAB3w/r6hsyp_yiak/s1600/Ashram_Kiran_6851.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//1.bp.blogspot.com/-jTU6bdyr0-g/Ub9_R96EyqI/AAAAAAAAB3w/r6hsyp_yiak/s320/Ashram_Kiran_6851.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="196" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">We also performed a house concert last week, but I unfortunately don't have any photos of that occasion. There is yet one more concert to take place on this tour, on June 26 at an art gallery in Ste-Hyacinthe. Please see <a href="http://www.shawnmativetsky.com/">my website</a> for more details...</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Thank you to <a href="http://www.carolinetabah.com/" target="_blank">Caroline Tabah</a> for the photos!</div>
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</div>Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/31222092013-06-17T17:05:00-04:002017-01-16T09:36:27-05:00Tribute to Pandit Ravi Shankar<div style="text-align: justify;">This past April 27, I took part in a concert in honour of the late Pandit Ravi Shankar, organized by Hindustani vocalist Vinay Bhide, in Ottawa. The evening concert took place at the Centrepointe Studio Theatre in Ottawa. The concert included performances by vocalist Vinay Bhide, Aditya Verma (sarod; Montreal), Bageshree Vaze (kathak dance; Toronto), Jonathan Voyer (santoor; Montreal), and Tara Krishnan (Bharatanatyam dance), and Kiran Morarji (Toronto) and myself on tabla.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I accompanied Jonathan Voyer for his set, as well as Vinay Bhide for his, followed by a concluding piece with the Ottawa Ensemble, joined by some of the other artists.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It was a beautiful evening, and it was a pleasure to have participated. I really enjoy these types of concerts, where many artists get together and collaborate. Pt. Ravi Shankar was such an important artist of our time, having influenced and inspired so many musicians around the world.</div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JxKdcJ3L3Qg/Ub93JiQRN6I/AAAAAAAAB1o/c0Xmn-xjLRQ/s1600/RS5533.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//4.bp.blogspot.com/-JxKdcJ3L3Qg/Ub93JiQRN6I/AAAAAAAAB1o/c0Xmn-xjLRQ/s320/RS5533.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="213" width="320" /></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-l4Q1EMvHpEE/Ub93Kz0ESTI/AAAAAAAAB10/brVkLjSGJjo/s1600/RSJ5541.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//3.bp.blogspot.com/-l4Q1EMvHpEE/Ub93Kz0ESTI/AAAAAAAAB10/brVkLjSGJjo/s320/RSJ5541.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="230" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tFOZRvodgRY/Ub93LJxU_rI/AAAAAAAAB14/emZmZ1Bz5Do/s1600/RSJS5537.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="//3.bp.blogspot.com/-tFOZRvodgRY/Ub93LJxU_rI/AAAAAAAAB14/emZmZ1Bz5Do/s320/RSJS5537.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="278" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Accompanying santoor player, Jonathan Voyer</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-or5a1HEZRhw/Ub93LwqMulI/AAAAAAAAB2E/UEUH3wACrkM/s1600/RS_V5552.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="//2.bp.blogspot.com/-or5a1HEZRhw/Ub93LwqMulI/AAAAAAAAB2E/UEUH3wACrkM/s320/RS_V5552.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Accompanying vocalist Vinay Bhide, with his son Udit on harmonium.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All artists on stage for the final bhajan, composed by Pt. Ravi Shankar.</td></tr>
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Thank you to <a href="http://www.carolinetabah.com/" target="_blank">Caroline Tabah</a> for the photos!</div>Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/31222102013-04-23T17:49:00-04:002017-01-16T09:36:27-05:00Ragleela in the StudioThis past January, <a href="http://www.ragleela.com/" target="_blank">Ragleela</a> went into the studio to record the group's third album (my first with the group), <i>Third Ear</i>, which will be released this fall. On the album is Uwe on sitar and sansa, Jean-Marc on 7-string guitar, Eric on percussion, Cédric on contrabass, Guillaume on clarinet and bass-clarinet, and with myself on tabla and some other percussion as well.<br><br>We recorded at Studio Frisson (Montreal), with Don on sound and Michel producing. I have recorded at Frisson numerous times in the past, with composers Nicole Lizée and Ram Borcar, but this was my first time at the new Frisson space in the east-end of the city. It's an old church that has been converted; very spacious!<br><br>Everything was recorded live, with everyone in the same space. Dividers were placed between us in order to isolate the sound of each instrument as much as possible.<br><br>Since the album won't be out for quite a while (patience, patience...), here are some photos in the meantime! :)<br><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pV02zPL9dj8/UXb66OkMJNI/AAAAAAAABzo/fne4o1GPcAI/s1600/3564.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="//1.bp.blogspot.com/-pV02zPL9dj8/UXb66OkMJNI/AAAAAAAABzo/fne4o1GPcAI/s320/3564.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="320" width="208" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cedric, deep in concentration.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ObQQuydWTCE/UXb67Y_xYsI/AAAAAAAABz8/8YKaGxZXlQQ/s1600/3604.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="//1.bp.blogspot.com/-ObQQuydWTCE/UXb67Y_xYsI/AAAAAAAABz8/8YKaGxZXlQQ/s320/3604.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="211" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Percussionists on lunch break!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fTGOPQy0f-Q/UXb66eLRnEI/AAAAAAAABzw/wQ4k2pozz10/s1600/3611.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="//4.bp.blogspot.com/-fTGOPQy0f-Q/UXb66eLRnEI/AAAAAAAABzw/wQ4k2pozz10/s320/3611.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="216" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Creative discussions in progress!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-u8Qw5LsxRrI/UXb67MRfq3I/AAAAAAAABz4/T6F4Dh3f0p4/s1600/3631.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="//4.bp.blogspot.com/-u8Qw5LsxRrI/UXb67MRfq3I/AAAAAAAABz4/T6F4Dh3f0p4/s320/3631.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="215" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jean-Marc in the hot seat.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-K001ItfvjVk/UXb68DCUsOI/AAAAAAAAB0I/ofrFXkVTGJ4/s1600/3644.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//4.bp.blogspot.com/-K001ItfvjVk/UXb68DCUsOI/AAAAAAAAB0I/ofrFXkVTGJ4/s320/3644.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="217" width="320" /></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aK_wMNRbbq0/UXb69Z2QRzI/AAAAAAAAB0Q/JfdOaQUaEJc/s1600/3646.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//3.bp.blogspot.com/-aK_wMNRbbq0/UXb69Z2QRzI/AAAAAAAAB0Q/JfdOaQUaEJc/s320/3646.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="219" width="320" /></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yLqr9ACOzPk/UXb6-kMFx0I/AAAAAAAAB1A/1l__9KH7BcA/s1600/3709.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//1.bp.blogspot.com/-yLqr9ACOzPk/UXb6-kMFx0I/AAAAAAAAB1A/1l__9KH7BcA/s320/3709.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="250" width="320" /></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ubfEYicoPzE/UXb6-Fd_ZfI/AAAAAAAAB0Y/plVSbIxUaaQ/s1600/3712.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//3.bp.blogspot.com/-ubfEYicoPzE/UXb6-Fd_ZfI/AAAAAAAAB0Y/plVSbIxUaaQ/s320/3712.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="222" width="320" /></a></div><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7CTmpJI7hcM/UXb6_ZG1tjI/AAAAAAAAB0g/jJM-i7DbYc8/s1600/3721.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="//1.bp.blogspot.com/-7CTmpJI7hcM/UXb6_ZG1tjI/AAAAAAAAB0g/jJM-i7DbYc8/s320/3721.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Percussive exchanges!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wy2iwSUqVWY/UXb6_jcNY2I/AAAAAAAAB0o/0uRQTK53bDo/s1600/3736.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//2.bp.blogspot.com/-wy2iwSUqVWY/UXb6_jcNY2I/AAAAAAAAB0o/0uRQTK53bDo/s320/3736.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="213" width="320" /></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7xl-3UgXsvs/UXb7ApLS8rI/AAAAAAAAB0w/hy2596YIGE8/s1600/3927.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//4.bp.blogspot.com/-7xl-3UgXsvs/UXb7ApLS8rI/AAAAAAAAB0w/hy2596YIGE8/s320/3927.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="320" width="213" /></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-o59mwL3QRpI/UXb7BgttreI/AAAAAAAAB04/igHKLksn9G0/s1600/3973.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//4.bp.blogspot.com/-o59mwL3QRpI/UXb7BgttreI/AAAAAAAAB04/igHKLksn9G0/s320/3973.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="211" width="320" /></a></div><br>Thanks to <a href="http://www.carolinetabah.com/" target="_blank">Caroline</a> for the photos!<br><br>Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/31222112013-04-14T19:51:00-04:002017-01-16T09:36:27-05:00Saturday Matinee with Ragleela<div style="text-align: justify;">Yesterday, <a href="http://www.ragleela.com/" target="_blank">Ragleela</a> performed an afternoon concert at the Salle de Diffusion Parc-Extension in Montreal. We didn't know what to expect from a concert at 4pm, but the hall was completely full to capacity (overflowing, in fact)! I suppose it helps that the concert was free. :)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">As some of you may have seen in previous posts, the Ragleela ensemble is somewhat variable in instrumentation. For this concert, the group was made up of Uwe on sitar (and sansa), Jean-Marc on guitar (his custom 7-string, and gourd guitar), Cédric on contrabass, Guillaume on clarinet (and bass-clarinet), and myself on tabla (with my new tabla-percussion kit that includes two Tablatones and a couple of cymbals).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Aside from the opening tune, <i>View of the Green Valley</i>, all the pieces we played were from Ragleela's upcoming CD. This was also the concert premiere of <i>Open Horizons </i>and <i>Sansala</i>, both of which were composed mainly by Jean-Marc, making them oddities in our repertoire (most of Ragleela's music is principally composed by sitarist Uwe).<i> Open Horizons</i> is in drut Teentaal, and features some lovely melodies, and virtuosic solos exchanges between the sitar and the guitar. <i>Sansala</i> features some haunting melodies on bass clarinet, with the tabla and sansa providing a relentless groove in three. Unfortunately, I can't post any samples until the CD is released!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9zCAxJ4Z13E/UWs-HwBOMzI/AAAAAAAAByk/-gJGkFzEj20/s1600/5400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//1.bp.blogspot.com/-9zCAxJ4Z13E/UWs-HwBOMzI/AAAAAAAAByk/-gJGkFzEj20/s320/5400.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="190" width="320" /></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eO_lZoMVQFc/UWs-H8htp-I/AAAAAAAAByo/c7zMbfbzF3o/s1600/5379.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//4.bp.blogspot.com/-eO_lZoMVQFc/UWs-H8htp-I/AAAAAAAAByo/c7zMbfbzF3o/s320/5379.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="320" width="213" /></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-f4o3PzPeUfI/UWs-H3gZpmI/AAAAAAAABys/u2JmhhQnsl0/s1600/5394.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//2.bp.blogspot.com/-f4o3PzPeUfI/UWs-H3gZpmI/AAAAAAAABys/u2JmhhQnsl0/s320/5394.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="170" width="320" /></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KOk8ggljsUY/UWs-I5pqqQI/AAAAAAAABy8/wMCXVIHr_ZY/s1600/5402.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//3.bp.blogspot.com/-KOk8ggljsUY/UWs-I5pqqQI/AAAAAAAABy8/wMCXVIHr_ZY/s320/5402.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="213" width="320" /></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bt_Ept5o6gk/UWs-Jce683I/AAAAAAAABzE/YJROExc4N3M/s1600/5405.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//4.bp.blogspot.com/-bt_Ept5o6gk/UWs-Jce683I/AAAAAAAABzE/YJROExc4N3M/s320/5405.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="231" width="320" /></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VI7mpx8a758/UWs-J23esJI/AAAAAAAABzM/mmuD17XNhJo/s1600/5412.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//2.bp.blogspot.com/-VI7mpx8a758/UWs-J23esJI/AAAAAAAABzM/mmuD17XNhJo/s320/5412.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="210" width="320" /></a></div><br><div style="text-align: justify;">The next Ragleela concerts are set for July 21 in Sainte-Therese, and August 18 in Vercheres. The new album should be out this fall!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Please visit my <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151339321291360.1073741828.139069326359&type=3" target="_blank">Facebook page for even more photos</a>!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Thank you to <a href="http://www.carolinetabah.com/" target="_blank">Caroline</a> for capturing these musical moments.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div>Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/31222122013-03-27T19:21:00-04:002017-01-16T09:36:28-05:00The Inaugural Calgary Tabla Workshop<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">While in Calgary to <a href="http://tablamontreal.blogspot.ca/2013/03/kathak-and-tabla-in-calgary.html">accompany kathak dancer Sudeshna Maulik</a>, I was also fortunate to present a small tabla workshop, organized by my percussionist friends <a href="http://www.rhythmmastery.com/" target="_blank">Malcolm</a> and Kyle. During the first half of the workshop, I gave a hands-on introduction to the tabla and basic techniques. For the second part, the focus was on North Indian rhythmic concepts, which we explored using clapping and bol recitation.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--XQEd55yz74/UVIKia2Q4iI/AAAAAAAABxY/dCN1IdKauPQ/s1600/4889.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//2.bp.blogspot.com/--XQEd55yz74/UVIKia2Q4iI/AAAAAAAABxY/dCN1IdKauPQ/s320/4889.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="213" width="320" /></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Tc8KPsKTpoo/UVIKiXKugxI/AAAAAAAABxc/rfI5S2RXOMo/s1600/4890.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//2.bp.blogspot.com/-Tc8KPsKTpoo/UVIKiXKugxI/AAAAAAAABxc/rfI5S2RXOMo/s320/4890.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="199" width="320" /></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Dde4lFEAPBI/UVIKihl7U7I/AAAAAAAABxg/V8-M2m14_ac/s1600/4884.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//2.bp.blogspot.com/-Dde4lFEAPBI/UVIKihl7U7I/AAAAAAAABxg/V8-M2m14_ac/s320/4884.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="213" width="320" /></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HySFyPh-zrE/UVIKjEQb7SI/AAAAAAAABxo/PWjeXI-cD_w/s1600/4891.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//3.bp.blogspot.com/-HySFyPh-zrE/UVIKjEQb7SI/AAAAAAAABxo/PWjeXI-cD_w/s320/4891.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="213" width="320" /></a></div><br><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I ended the workshop with a short tabla solo. The participants all did a great job of keeping taal! I had a wonderful time, and I think that all the participants had great fun too. I'm always very happy to share my love for tabla and Indian classical music, and the time just flew by! Many thanks to Malcolm for organizing, and to Kyle for being such a gracious host.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-x399tCqfFwI/UVIKjnoLJGI/AAAAAAAABx4/weojTcshFLo/s1600/4893.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="//3.bp.blogspot.com/-x399tCqfFwI/UVIKjnoLJGI/AAAAAAAABx4/weojTcshFLo/s320/4893.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="220" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even the fish seemed to want to know more. :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-buRm2gxXACo/UVN-TJIEw_I/AAAAAAAAByI/4Buk9XMjJDo/s1600/4923.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//2.bp.blogspot.com/-buRm2gxXACo/UVN-TJIEw_I/AAAAAAAAByI/4Buk9XMjJDo/s320/4923.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="204" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Keeping taal during the solo.</div><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sKGFwxkTiPc/UVN-TN7r90I/AAAAAAAAByM/o7jvVuJEi0Y/s1600/4928.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="//4.bp.blogspot.com/-sKGFwxkTiPc/UVN-TN7r90I/AAAAAAAAByM/o7jvVuJEi0Y/s320/4928.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="205" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The whole gang!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As always, thanks to <a href="http://www.carolinetabah.com/" target="_blank">Caroline Tabah</a> for the photos!</div><br>Shawn Mativetskytag:shawnmativetsky.com,2005:Post/31222132013-03-26T16:46:00-04:002017-01-16T09:36:28-05:00Kathak and Tabla in CalgaryThis past March 1, I had the great pleasure of accompanying kathak dancer extraordinaire, <a href="http://www.sudeshnakathak.com/" target="_blank">Sudeshna Maulik</a>, for a performance at the University Theatre in Calgary. We have performed together many times in the Montreal area, but this was the first time that we'd travelled so far to perform. Our performance was presented by the <a href="http://www.ragamala.ca/" target="_blank">Calgary Raga Mala</a>, who gave us a really warm welcome.<br><br>Sudeshna opened the evening with an invocation piece dedicated to Lord Shiva. Afterwards, sarodiya Raja Bhattacharya (who also travelled with us from Montreal) opened with a short alap in Madhukauns, which was coupled with recitation of Sanskrit poetry by local poet, Prabir Chandra. I then performed a short introductory solo in vilambit Dhammar taal, using a tabla tuned one-octave below the usual C tabla, to give a pakhawaj-like flavour. Sudeshna then joined us, and we performed a full segment of Dhammar taal compositions and improvisations.<br><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X_sGJ4h7mxY/UVIF8YcWR4I/AAAAAAAABwI/EMgXYC92sFk/s1600/4742.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//1.bp.blogspot.com/-X_sGJ4h7mxY/UVIF8YcWR4I/AAAAAAAABwI/EMgXYC92sFk/s320/4742.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="222" width="320" /></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_WsMdIK0wZQ/UVIF8Rw550I/AAAAAAAABwM/bOeHSh4t1jg/s1600/4779.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//3.bp.blogspot.com/-_WsMdIK0wZQ/UVIF8Rw550I/AAAAAAAABwM/bOeHSh4t1jg/s320/4779.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="213" width="320" /></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9T9NtmScVm4/UVIF8iRL7fI/AAAAAAAABwU/VwaJcf6ysbE/s1600/4806.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//3.bp.blogspot.com/-9T9NtmScVm4/UVIF8iRL7fI/AAAAAAAABwU/VwaJcf6ysbE/s320/4806.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="320" width="213" /></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u9_ukixk8rE/UVIF9eygYRI/AAAAAAAABwg/r8jVBXkc3lo/s1600/I4837.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//1.bp.blogspot.com/-u9_ukixk8rE/UVIF9eygYRI/AAAAAAAABwg/r8jVBXkc3lo/s320/I4837.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="213" width="320" /></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HGGJfiI4EFw/UVIF9Pbuc8I/AAAAAAAABwk/FT53LW3zP4A/s1600/I4819.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="//3.bp.blogspot.com/-HGGJfiI4EFw/UVIF9Pbuc8I/AAAAAAAABwk/FT53LW3zP4A/s320/I4819.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="211" width="320" /></a></div><br><br>After a short break, we resumed with Raja's Kirwani solo in Vilambit Teentaal. Sudeshna then returned to the stage, and we continued with the kathak recital through Madhya and Drut Teentaal. It was a full evening of kathak, punctuated by musical interludes and poetic verses.<br><br>More photos are available in my <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151313365826360.1073741826.139069326359&type=1" target="_blank">Facebook album</a>.<br><br>Thank you to <a href="http://www.carolinetabah.com/" target="_blank">Caroline Tabah</a> for the photos!Shawn Mativetsky