On stage with Ravi Shankar!

[allends]

Hello Friends,I have been asked to accompany sitarist Ravi Shankar during his upcoming concert at the University of Notre Dame. I will assist the maestro by playing a drone instrument called the "tanpura". Although playing the tanpura does not require any special musical talent I am honored to be asked to play and I look forward to being on stage with this world renowned musician. Ravi Shankar is affectionately known as the ambassador of Indian Classical Music musician to the world. He is perhaps best known for his performances at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival, the Woodstock Festival in 1969, and as an organizer for The Concert for Bangladesh in 1971 with the late George Harrison. At the age 87 Shankar currently holds the Guinness Record for the longest international career.His daughter and protégé, Anoushka Shankar will also play sitar. She is a highly acclaimed sitarist in her own right having gained world wide fame for her landmark Grammy nominated album "Rise".Thank you for allowing me to share this exciting news with you!Best Regards,Allen DeSomerRavi Shankar With Anoushka ShankarThursday, April 12, 2007, at 7:30 pmLeighton Concert HallDeBartolo Performing Arts CenterUniversity of Notre DameTickets: $54TICKET OFFICE: 574-631-2800 Visit the artists on the web:www.ravishankar.orgwww.anoushkashankar.com

[bc]

Very cool Allen. Shankar has had a unique influence on world pop/rock. bc

[jeffe]

Yep. That guy is pretty well known in the UK.

[grandmatarkin]

Very, very, VERY cool... congrats !!! dave

[davewalton]

Wow! That's a heck of a calling card in the future. Get a good recording and take lots of photos. Speaking of photos, Anoushka Shankar takes a pretty good photo...

[mazz]

Congrats!I hear tuning is just as important as playing in Indian music so you'll have fun with that as well!Did you know Norah Jones is also Ravi Shankar's daughter? I wonder if she'll be there?Have a great time man. I predict a transcendental experience. Mazz

[allends]

Quote:Congrats!I hear tuning is just as important as playing in Indian music so you'll have fun with that as well!Did you know Norah Jones is also Ravi Shankar's daughter? I wonder if she'll be there?Have a great time man. I predict a transcendental experience. MazzThanks Mazz. Tanpura players are a dime a dozen: most Indian musicians recruit from the communities they perform for and don’t bother to tour with their own player because it’s an un-skilled service. But I’m excited to meet the man and soak up the vibe on the stage. Norah Jones has her own musical thing going and this Indiana stop on Thursday is just a stepping stone to a weekend date in Chicago. So there's no chance of Norah stopping by for this one. And yeah, tuning is very important in Indian Classical Music theory. They say that the whole mood of the piece can be altered by the choice of microtones. A great source of info on this topic can be found here:http://www.alaindanielou.org/anglais/ac ... eers,Allen

[mazz]

Allen,You may be interested in my music teacher's book: "Harmonic Experience". http://www.amazon.com/Harmonic-Experien ... 7&sr=8-1He studied Indian vocal music for years with Pandit Pran Nath and uses a Tamboura in his teaching to point out differences in interval tunings and how it relates to temperament. It's a deep, vast, subject.The fact that you get to sit at the feet of the master makes up for being the lowly drone-meister! Mazz

[allends]

Quote:the lowly drone-meister! Good one, Mazz! I can see it now:Allen DeSomer, The Lowly Drone-MeisterThat fits! My wife and I are raising 3 girls so I feel that way most of the time.Wow, Mazz, I didn't know I was preaching to the choir on the subject of the emotional power of microtones. The book you mention looks like a real "must-read". It's on my list & worth repeating:Harmonic Experience: Tonal Harmony from Its Natural Origins to Its Modern Expression by W. A. Mathieu

[allends]

BTW: The organizers for this tour decided to spend a little money and hire a tanpura player from Ravi Shankar's school in Europe, therefore, I will not have the opportunity to meet and perform with the master after all.