- Razbar Ensamble (Kurdish Sufi) This saturday 7:30 p.m. Museum of contemporary art.
Founded in 1997 by a group of Kurdish Ahl-Haqq (literally “Followers of the Truth”) currently residing in Germany, the members of the Razbar Ensemble are natives of Hashtgerd, a town of predominantly Kurdish culture located on the outskirts of Tehran. Through an ongoing series of sacred music concerts in Germany, France, and other European countries, the Ensemble has dedicated itself to upholding the time-honored spiritual music and traditions of the Ahl-e Haqq, a mystical order founded in the 15th century by Soltân Eshâq. The Ensemble derives its name from the beloved saint, Khatoun-e Razbar, who was Soltan’s mother. The Ensemble is truly revolutionary and unique in that it is the first Ahl-e Haqq group to feature both men and women performing together in a devotional context. Historically, spiritual gatherings of the Ahl-e Haqq were reserved only for men, and women were not even allowed to participate, let alone to sing and dance. The Ensemble’s pioneering spirit is a reflection of their firm belief in the material and spiritual equality of men and women.
- Khushal daas and Samar Saha (tabla and sitaar)
free concert, chicago cultural center. 3:00 p.m.
Kushal Das:
A north Indian solo sitarist was born to a highly enriched musical family of Calcutta. His grandfather Late Bimal Ch. Das was a renowned Esraj player while his father Shri Sailen Das and uncle Sri Santanu Das are sitarist-s of high repute.
Kushal started his talim from the age of seven. He received intensive and rigorous training in advanced sitar techniques and the art of music making under the affectionate guidance of Prof. Sanjoy Bandopadhyay, the renowned sitar maestro and academician. He also had the proud privilege of having learnt from great musicians like, Pt. Manas Chakraborty, Pt. Ramkrishna Basu and Late Pt. Ajoy Sinha Roy. With a profound knowledge of musical understanding and raga improvisation Kushal is now considered as one of the foremost torchbearers of the tradition of Indian classical Instrumental Music. The critics and connoisseurs have acknowledged him as a worthy successor of his idol, the legendary maestro Late Pandit Nikhil Bandyopadhyay. His concerts are always marked for their aesthetic appeal and insight with a fine command of technical expertise. With maturity as his forte Kushal thus have the predominant virtues of Indian heritage and music.
Samar Saha:
Trained in Banaras gharana style of tabla playing, Samar Saha showed a great promise at a very young age. Samar’s initial training started at a very tender age under the guidance of his father Shri Sudhangsu Bhusan Saha and brother Shri Tarak Saha, a tabla player of repute. His formal training started under the tutelage of Shri Satchidananda Goswami and then flowered under the able guidance of Shri Krishna Kumar Ganguly (Natubabu) of Banaras Gharana. A highly sought after tabla accompanist, Samar has the privilege of accompanying almost all the top ranking artists of Hindustani music. Samar Saha is a full time senior faculty member of ITC Sangeet Research Academy since its very inception in 1978. He has toured the USA with ITC-SRA musicians six times.
www.icmschicago.org/Artists/samar.html
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