I have just returned from a tour around the world performing Indian classical music in Nepal, India, Czech & Germany. The entire trip was a beautiful expereince cuIminating a year of touring starting last spring which included three trips up and down the west coast and Mexico. I would say the
highlight of the journey was Varanasi, where I played 4 concerts in one week including a beautiful temple concert just above the ganga and a program at
Benares Hindu University (BHU is the largest residential University in Asia) for the music students and renown faculty of the performing arts
department. After 5 trips to India, I am so thankful to God to be able to spend time in Varanasi, performing, having fellowship with the great
diversity of music lovers and spiritual seekers from all over the world and yes... of course walking, boating & bathing in the ganga!
Here are a few shots from the sacred city of Varanasi last month.
Paul & Nathalie, my friend & music student from Xalapa, Mexico
With tabla master of Benares gharana, Pt. Kishore Misra
Boat ride on the Ganga
Performing Raga Jogeshwari (creation of Pt. Ravi Shankar) at the Ganesh Temple above Ram Ghat in Varanasi. Gats in vilambit teental, ektal & drut teental, accompanied by Hari Om on tabla.
My dear friends Poonam & Ali are producing a new music series at the Ed Freeman Gallery off of the beautiful pedestrian walkway of Chung King Road. This series is an effort to galvanize the Chinatown & downtown community around a high level of creative genre busting Los Angeles based world music & jazz collaborations. The series is envisioned as a floor seating/Indian style informal relaxed vibe with rugs & pillows (inspired off the art film 'the Music Room' by Satyajit Ray).
Our Arohi Ensemble (with Pete, Dave, Sheela & Javad) will be opening the 'Music Room' series on March 27th at 5pm, hope to see you in Chinatown! Here's a fresh link about the event in the Los Angeles Examiner.com
Download the Press Release for our opening event and the series here... Buy tickets online now to reserve your spot for this concert!
I will be composing and performing on sitar for an play called Naga Mandala at USC which will run 5 shows from April 21st to April 24th.
Next up will be our annual Shplang Youth Education Initiative through the Music LA Program, this program will be 8 weeks of FREE classes of Indian and creative world music for teens in North East Los Angeles, throughout May & June. Will post more info shortly.
This summer we will have Indian music workshops in Mexico City, Xalapa Veracruz & Eugene Oregon. Stay posted for more info on this as well as our Sangeet Yatra (December 2011/January 2012) in Kolkata, India!
God bless you, paulz
Sept 2010
Light & love to you my friends,
Two feature articles came out (LA Times & India Currents), came out in April, about my world music & sitar in church worship settings and my story with Ravi Shankar. We have also created a new page in honor of guruji's 90th birthday and have released a new recording of one his ragas 'Tilak Shyam' with Arohi Ensemble.This full length recording is available now as a download here.
I had the profound expreience and great honor to perform last month with the legendary Pt. Swapan Chaudhuri in our house concert tribute to Raviji. There are pictures from this wonderful event on the right - - - > and a video will be uploaded shortly.
A beautiful film I composed music for
'Kavi' by Gregg Helvey about child slavery was
nominated for an Oscar in the shorts category this year!
We completed our first SANGEET YATRA (Indian classical music workshops & cultural tour) in West Bengal with 5 students from Mexico City & Los Angeles. The great success of this first trip has inspired us
to work to make this an annual part of our Sangeet programming
and visit Kolkata (Calcutta) every Dec/Jan.
DJ/creative music producer Carlos Nino & I produced a show in honor
of Raviji on Spaceways Radio, KPFK 90.7 fm'A retrospective musical journey of Pandit Ravi Shankar' hear the excerpts form the show
here on my music blog.
with Carlos Nino & Paul Livingstone
Last year's highlights included a concert in NYC at the beautiful Rubin Museum and lectures at Yale in the departnents of music & religion.
You can hear segments of the Yale lectures on Indian raga music
here on my RagaJazzMusic blog.
Have been playing with the amazing & inimitable Build an Ark
improvisational world/jazz orchestra several concerts including Royce Hall opening up for McCoy Tyner. We have just released
'Love ~ part 1' cd & order for (US) vinyl LP!
I am resident musician at Throop Unitarian Universalist Church
in Pasadena. We have incorporated Indian, Latin & African music in services there and are presenting concerts & classes in the beautiful sanctuary. Sunday services at 11am are led by the Rev. Clyde Grubbs.
I also teach Indian music at Holy Nativity Epsicopal Church
in Westcheshter where I and will be starting a chanting
class on Thursday evenings in June.
We are now planning our 8th year of Indian music & Raga Jazz Summer Workshops in Mexico City, for end of July, beginning of August, 2010.
A cd of evening melodies (Marwa, Vatchaspati & Anandi Kalyan), you can purchase tracks from this disc here and watch video from the concert here on on my RagaJazzMusic blog.(scroll down below recent entries)
Check out the updated bio & press pages here with music from Salaam Suite cd. Enjoy this video below Mexico City concert!
God bless you, striving for peace within & without in 2010! ~ Paul Z
June 2010
Hello Friends,
We have now initiated the Sangeet Spring House Concerts Series with programs around
Los Angeles of classical Indian music, the next program is Sunday June 1st with myself & Abhijit, see info below.
This February I had an amazing performance tour of India.After playing sitar for 21 years this was my first oppurtunity to perform in India and was a great privledge to play with tabla virtuosos from Calcutta Abhijit Banerjee, Gourishankar & Shashanka Bakshi in & concerts around Calcutta & the state of West Bengal.
I am posting new recordings from India on my RagaJazzMusic blog.
My first Indian classical
cd, 'Vinaya', featuring 3 evening ragas and a live dvd of sitar & violin jugalbandi (duet) from a recent concert with Jagan Ramamoorthy on violin & Abhjit on tabla are now available.
By July I will have the first edition of my sitar workbook,
SITAR TALIM available and we are doing a workshop of
Indian and raga jazz music for musicians July 11-13th.
This fall our Jugalbandi trio with Partho Sarathy & Abhijit will be touring the west coast including a concert in the World Festival
of Sacred Music here in Los Angeles.
See & hear us at the EPK (electronic press kit) for the ensemble. Check out the updated bio & press pages here with music from Salaam Suite cd. Enjoy this video below a recent Mexico City concert!
God bless you & peace in ~ Paul Z
Feb 2010
Blessings & love, dear friends,
A beautiful film I composed music for
'Kavi' by Gregg Helvey about child slavery was
nominated for an Oscar in the shorts category this year!
We completed our first SANGEET YATRA (Indian classical music workshops & cultural tour) in West Bengal with 5 students from Mexico City & Los Angeles. The great success of this first trip has inspired us
to work to make this an annual part of our Sangeet programming
and visit Kolkata (Calcutta) every Dec/Jan.
Last year's highlights included a concert in NYC at the beautiful Rubin Museum and lectures at Yale in the departnents of music & religion. You can hear segments of the Yale lectures on Indian raga music
here on my RagaJazzMusic blog.
Have been playing with the amazing & inimitable Build an Ark
improvisational world/jazz orchestra several concerts including Royce Hall opening up for McCoy Tyner.
I am now a resident musician at Throop Unitarian Universalist Church
in Pasadena. We have incorporated Indian, Latin & African music in services there and are presenting concerts & classes in the beautiful sanctuary. Sunday services at 11am are led by the Rev. Clyde Grubbs.
We are now planning our 8th year of Indian music & Raga Jazz Summer Workshops in Mexico City, for end of July, beginning of August, 2010.
A cd of evening melodies (Marwa, Vatchaspati & Anandi Kalyan), you can purchase tracks from this disc here and watch video from the concert here on on my RagaJazzMusic blog.(scroll down below recent entries)
Check out the updated bio & press pages here with music from Salaam Suite cd. Enjoy this video below Mexico City concert!
God bless you, striving for peace within & without in 2010! ~ Paul Z
Dec 2009
Dear Friends,
Greetings from Kolkata (Calcutta).. I am here with a group of 5 students from Mexico City & Los Angeles for our first SANGEET YATRA (Indian classical music workshops & cultural tour) in West Bengal.
Hopefully this will be the many more group music adventures!
This year's highlights including some wonderfull firsts, a concert in NYC
at the beautiful Rubin Museum and lectures at Yale in the departnents
of music & religion. You can hear secments of the Yale lectures on
Indian raga music here on on my RagaJazzMusic blog.
Played an amazing concert with the inimitable Build an Ark
improvisational world/jazz orchestra at Royce Hall opening up for
McCoy Tyner. We have just released 'Love' cd & order for (US) vinyl LP!
I am now the music director at Throop Unitarian Universalist Church in Pasadena. We have incorporated Indian, Latin & African music in services there and presented 2 wonderful concerts this fall in the beautiful sanctuary. I will resume Sunday services (11am) beginning Jan 24th when we return from India.
A cd of evening melodies (Marwa, Vatchaspati & Anandi Kalyan) You can purchase tracks from this disc here and watch video from the concert here on on my RagaJazzMusic blog.
Check out the updated bio & press pages here with music from Salaam Suite cd. Enjoy this video below Mexico City concert!
God bless you & may you have peace within for 2010! ~ Paul Z
Jan 2009
Dear Friends,
Greetings from Los Angeles it's 2009 with a fresh breeze
in the air as we celebrate the 'Obama Nation'!
Check out LA Times video story of a bit of my journey with Indian music on the Times website the just came out on Friday. Some of the tracks from the live cd 'Classical Ragas' I have released of evening melodies (Marwa, Vatchaspati & Anandi Kalyan) as some solo raga mediations
are available for purchase on My Space/Arohi and the music link shortly as well.
I posted a KPFK interview performance with Partho Sarothy & Shashanka Bakshi & mslef playing and explain our dear guruji's (Ravi Shankar)
own raga creation Parameshwari on the blog: RagaJazzMusic
See a sneak preview of the upcoming Jugalbandi Trio dvd with
Partho, Abhijit Banerjee on tabla and myself on sitar from our capacity audience performance from the World Festival of Sacred Music at USC. A live dvd of sitar & violin jugalbandi with myself, Jagan Ramamoorthy on violin & Abhijit Banerjee on tabla is now available as well.
My sitar manual, SITAR TALIM is now available and will be ready in March for internet sales from CAFE PRESS. Check out the updated bio & press pages here with music from Salaam Suite cd.
I'll post another video below from our jugalbandi
performance in Santa Cruz shortly!
God bless you & peace in ~ Paul Z
May 2008
Greetings Friends,
Hope you are well and looking forward for
some positive change despite all the difficulties we
face in our lives, our country & the world. May
we continue to pray for peace & justice, the ease
of suffering around the world & a more aware New
Year!
Go in peace…with God,
Paul Z.
Prayer for the New Year
Dear Creator Lord,
May we find in man today those who proclaim you bravely in
love…
not in fear & hate.
May we build up those who stand firm in the truth…
not deceiving with double talk.
May we teach unity of humankind…
not blinding ourselves with divisive nationalism.
May we stand for justice… and lift our voices against
oppression & inequality.
May we work daily for peace… opposing the machineries
of war.
In the face of all calamities and injustice…
May we trust that you will reveal in us a great light and
your Spirit of unconquerable love.
Paul Z.
June 2007
Hope you are having a glangin' summer my friends!
May we continue to pray
for peace & justice throughout the Middle East & the world and an end to this imoral & disatrous war in Iraq!
I am currently in musical collaboration with tabla player from Calcutta Abhijit Banerjee, disciple of Gyan Prakash Ghosh of the Faukhabad school of tabla playing. He is performing with Arohi Ensemble & in classical Indian concerts while on his US tour and teaching workshops in Los Angeles.
I have released my first Indian classical
cd, 'Vinaya', featuring 3 evening ragas and am in the process of mixing a live cd of sitar & violin jugalbandi (duet) from a recent concert with Jagan Ramamoorthy on violin & Abhjit on tabla.
This spring I performed my first concerts on my 18 string double neck RAGAPHONE (fretless & fretted guitar) this month modified by luthier wizard Jay Scott Hackleman.
Our world music youth ensemble courses 'World Unity Jam' & 'Shplang Ensemble' ended with a bang in two performances by our talented young students ages 12-18 in culmination concerts in Sun Valley & Eagle Rock. Thanks to Music LA, LA City Cultural Affairs Dept, Fender Guitars & Remo Drums for their support of these innovative courses!
Check out our upcoming weeklong intensive Indian Music workshop in beautiful Cuernavaca (Aug 12-18) & 3 concert tour in central Mexico!
