06th October, 2024
24th March, 2014What better way to celebrate a 50th birthday than with music?
“Ragas to Reels” concert tour brings a cultural confluence of the music from India and Ireland.
The performances are presented by the Embassy of Ireland in India and the internationally acclaimed musicians-Utsav Lal( India) & Sam Comerford (Ireland) collaborate in a unique meeting of the East & West. A centerpiece of the cultural celebrations of the 50th anniversary year, this tour will be marked with performances in the cities of Bangalore, Goa, Delhi& Mumbai between 30th March to 6th April 2014.
Internationally acclaimed musicians-Utsav Lal (India) and Sam Comerford (Ireland) collaborate in a unique meeting of the East & West and the music presented will be an exciting confluence of two rich and age-old traditions. From the soulful sounds of the Indian Ragas to the pounding energy of Irish Reels, the artists enter into a musical dialogue and present a melodious crossover celebrating the friendship between the two countries.
The best of Indian and Irish music will be showcased in "ragas to reels" by the versatile and highly gifted young, cultural ambassadors from each country who have already successfully staged this unique confluence in a previous India tour Jan 2011 and in prestigious venues in India & Ireland including The National Concert Hall- Dublin, Southbank Centre-London & Lyrics Theatre-Belfast.
Terry Blain, music critic from the UK commented. “…...Lal's playing veers from delicately decorative through intelligent probing, to full-tilt spearheading of the trio with dreamy embellishments & flights of fancy while Comerford introduces foot tapping Irish reel material into the mix and peels off increasingly furious flute-licks as the trio crank up the tempo with increasingly complex rhythmic patterns on the tabla....the high energy meeting of the East & west sends a virtually full house happy and mulling over the intermeshings which are possible when cultures face each other...finding areas of commonality and overlap where previously it seemed that none existed".
Artists: Utsav Lal
Glasgow based creative pianist & composer, Utsav Lal has captured the imagination of worldwide audiences & the unique title of ‘Raga Pianist’ with his inimitable playing style & innovative handling of a raga. Acclaimed for the simplicity, sincerity & depth of his music, this 21-year-old classical & jazz pianist has also drawn attention for his extensive collaborative work with Irish & Scottish musicians. Over 200 raga concerts at several jazz festivals & global venues, including The Kennedy Centre-Washington DC, Lal is a disciple of Utsad.F.W.Dagar & mentored by Sharat Srivastava. He holds the coveted title of “Young Steinway Artist” on the world top pianists’ roster, TiE-Aspire Young Indian Achiever award 2012 & is the first musician to introduce the piano at the 137th Harivallabh Sangeet Sammelan, India’s oldest classical music festival. Lal is a part of Scotland's instrumental 15 piece music collective FAT-SUIT & recently led the Utsav Lal Project which mixes jazz, celtic & Indian rhythms to excellent reviews at The Jazz bar, Edinburgh & Glasgow Art Club.
Sam Comerford- Irish Flute/Saxophone:
Hailing from a family of musicians, 22 yr old, Sam Comerford has been involved with Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann-the largest group involved in the preservation & promotion of Irish traditional music. Sam plays the tin whistle, wooden flute and is a well-known Jazz saxophonist. Representing Ireland in the European Saxophone Ensemble with over 25 concerts in Europe, improvising and playing new music from contemporary jazz and new music composers, Sam is also co-leader of Aerie, a music group from Ireland / Germany / Estonia / Switzerland. Extensive performances with several groups in Ireland, Sam has earned a name for his exceptional musicality in both jazz and trad Irish music circuits.
Durjay Bhaumik-Tabla:
Accompanying on tabla, Durjay Bhaumik’s tonal excellency, technical virtuosity and sensitivity towards music has seen him participate in several music festivals in India as a soloist & accompanist, as well as in collaboration with jazz & fusion bands.
Ragas to Reels Tour Schedule
Bangalore - Royal Orchid Hotel Sun 30th March, 2014
Bangalore - Opus pub & bar Mon 31st March, 2014
Goa - Art Chamber Tue 1st April, 2014
Goa - Royal Orchid Hotel Wed 2nd April, 2014
Mumbai - Blue Frog Thurs 3rd April, 2014
Mumbai - The Oberoi, Nariman Point Fri 4th April, 2014
Delhi – The Oberoi Gurgaon Sun 6th April, 2014
