"Very effective and impressive approach"
~ Pt. Ravi Shankar

The Arohi Ensemble plays ragajazz, a very open description for our sound, featuring original compositions and improvisation steeped in the classical ragas and rhythmic dynamism and excitement of Indian music. Our global approach to creative music making also incorporates authentic musical traditions and concepts of Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe along with jazz and and the layered counterpoint of western chamber music.

Members of Arohi play traditional and contemporary innovative instruments designed to stretch the boundaries of new world music. The word Arohi, derived from the practical structure the North Indian ragas means 'ascending melody'.

The Arohi Ensemble features 6 virtuoso musicians, including leading artists from India, the US & Venezuela.

Paul Livingstone ~ sitar, fretless guitar & requinto
Pedro Eustache ~ bansuri, flutes & world winds
Partho Sarothy ~ sarod
Peter Jacobson ~ cello
Abhijit Banerjee ~ tabla
Dave Lewis ~ drums
Somnath Roy ~ ghatum & folk percussion

2010 Arohi Tour (dedicated to legacy of Ravi Shankar)

On April 7th, Ravi Shankar turned 90 years young! We are booking a world tour of this unique group, beginning in the fall 2010 and ending up in India (Dec/Jan) with performances in Kolkata, Delhi & Benares. Led by Livingstone, one of the few American disciples of the legendary musical visionary, this very special ensemble features 4 disciples of the maestro, along with two leading Indian percussionists performing in an east/west chamber music ensemble format. The Arohi Ensemble Tour this year will feature music inspired by Panditiji and include new music performances of his raga creations, including their new recording being released in conjunction with Pandiji's birthday, TILAK SHYAM.

Booking contact: Meena Patil, Raga Jazz Music: zpaulz@gmail.com (323) 899-0704.

Past members and guest artists of the ensemble include Dana Harlow on bass, Leonice Shinneman playing African drum set, Indian and world percussion, Barry Phillips on cello, Poovalur Srinivasan (Sriji) playing mridangam and kanjeera, Geetha Bennett on veena & vocals and Leticia Meza on pandiero & Brazilian percussion, John Bergamo & Randy Gloss on world percussion, Anand Bennett playing electric mandacello and contrabass.

'Peloraga' - a track from our upcoming 2010 releasse 'Visions of Infinite Light'. This is the 3rd movement of an original cross-cultural chamber ensemble work with a variety of global influences. The work itself is composed purely on a simple pentatonic scale known as Pelog in Indonesia.

The Liän Ensemble presents a new approach to music inspired by mystical world music and Persian Sufi music and literature. The Liän Ensemble is a group of virtuoso performers and composers who perform on traditional instruments with compositions rooted in the classical reportoire (Radif) and rich mystical poetry of Persia. With the unique asset of two composing woman instrumentalists the ensemble are pioneers on many levels demonstrating through their music and message that culture, sex and faith have no barriers.

The Liän Ensemble's core members feature Houman Pourmehdi playing tonbak & daf (traditional percussion) and ney (Persian reed pipe), Mahshid Mirzadeh playing santur (Persian dulcimer), Pirayeh Pourafar playing tar, setar, & robab (Persian plucked strings) and vocalist Siamak Shajarian. Additional members of Liän Ensemble join in a larger ensemble playing creative world music blending contemporary Persian music with Indian, jazz and other diverse world traditions and features David Johnson on marimba, Paul Livingstone on sitar & fretless guitar, Pedro Eustache on flute and reeds and Miroslav Tadic on guitar.

Paul played with the Liän Ensemble as part of the 'Holiday Celebration' at the Music Center's Dorthy Chandler Pavilion in Downtown Los Angeles was broadcast live on PBS television.

Mala Ganguly's 'Raga Mala Ensemble' in performance at Grand Performances, downtown Los Angeles.

Tumbafé
(pronounced toom-bah-fay)

Tumbafé is a diverse quartet of musicians from West Africa, South India and the US. Because of their close work together as performers and teachers at the Sangeet School of World Music & Dance, and also as participants in shared events of the World Festival of Sacred Music, these musicians discovered an opportunity for a creative new ensemble bridging African and Indian music. Using traditional African and Indian stringed instruments and drums, the music of Tumbafé demonstrates the universality of music in the face of these seemingly disparate cultures.

This groundbreaking ensemble may well be the only one of its kind in the world, blending the rich melodic sounds of kora - the main traditional melodic instrument of West Africa, and the subtle beauty of the sitar - the most popular classical stringed instrument of North India. The mridangam - the rigorous and complex barrel drum of South India and talking drum from West Africa provide the rhythmic base for the group.

The results in performance have been inspiring, for the musicians as well as anyone who has heard this excitingly new, yet warmly familiar music. Gourds, which comprise the essential resonating bodies of both the kora and the sitar, are called tumba in India and fe in Guinea. Tumba is also a word for "drum" in much of the African Diaspora, and fe also means "faith" in Spanish. Together they create "Tumbafé".

Tumbafé is Prince Diabate, kora player, vocalist and master griot musician from Guinea, West Africa, Poovalur V. Sriji, master mridangam player from South India, and from the US, Paul Z. Livingstone playing sitar and MJ Greenberg on West African percussion.