Tradition comes alive in musical scores

Staff Reporter – 

Called, ‘Parampara,’ or Tradition, the Programme, presented by ‘Naad,’ a local organisation, will be held at the Mt Albert War Memorial Hall (773 Great North Road) Mount Albert from 6 pm on Saturday, August 29.

Manjit Singh, Tabla Maestro and Principal and Director of Rhythm School of Indian Music, said that ‘Parampara’ will follow the traditional style of presentation but would also include numbers and notes that have an increasing audience appeal.

“The evening will feature performers in their ‘sets. For instance vocalist Anand Thakore will be somewhat different compared to other vocalists,” he said.

He said that the evening’s performances would be in segments, each highlighting the quality and melody produced by human voices and instruments.

The following is the list of performers: (a) Anand Thakore on the Mandolin with Manjit Singh on Tabla (b) Balachandra Bhat Classical Vocalist accompanied by Harsh Dewan on Harmonium and Manjit Singh on Tabla (c) Manjit Singh on Tabla Jugalbandi accompanied by Daljeet Kaur on Harmonium and Gurpreet Singh on Tabla.

Daljeet Kaur: Vocals with Raag Time Trio

Anand Thakore

Anand is an instrumental artist playing Indian classical music on acoustic mandolin. Trained by Emu Desai, a legendary mandolin player in Gujarat in the Guru-Shishya tradition, Anand has been playing the mandolin for more than 20 years.

A participant in Nad-Braham concert series, he has also performed many Indian classical concerts around Auckland. His Mandolin playing style is a combination of acoustic guitar and traditional Santoor. Professionally, Anand is an engineer employed as a senior professional in the construction industry.

Balachandra Bhat

Balachandra Bhat is one of few Hindustani classical vocalists in Auckland.

An ardent devotee of Hindustani music, he follows the melody-rich Kirana Gharana and Khayaal Gaayaki style made popular by the date Pundit Bhimsen Joshi.

Bhat is also well known for singing classical Bhajans and Abhangs in Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati and Kannada. He has performed in many music concerts in New Zealand and India.

Daljeet Kaur

With a Masters in Vocal music with a distinction in practical, and a vocal expertise that ranges from Indian Classical to Gurmat Sangeet (Sikh traditional music), Daljit Kaur has also obtained a Graduate diploma in Gurmat Sangeet from Punjabi University of Patiala. She has won many competitions and awards in Classical Singing, Kirtan and Vaar singing.

Respected by her peers for sublime tonal quality and vocal skills, Daljeet is also great teacher at the Sikh Heritage School from 2009. She has trained many students and published many music albums including ‘Kahe re ba khojan jayee’ with her trained students from Auckland.

Manjit Singh

Manjit Singh hails from India and is recognised as Manjit is professionally trained as an Indian Classical percussionist. He is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Western Classical Music and Jazz at the University of Auckland.

He is the recipient of two degrees in (Bachelor of Arts) and a Sangeet Vishard Degree in Tabla. He also received traditional training from the renowned Punjab Gharana Tabla School.

A disciple of Guru Ustad Kulwinder Singh and legendary Ustad Alla Rakha. As well as numerous concerts and shows in India, Manjit has performed in many parts of the world, including Britain, Malaysia, America, India and New Zealand.

He has accompanied many with top jazz musicians and is regular performer in Indian classical music concerts.

He also has a number of albums including the Tabla solo album Taal Sadhna (T-series, Delhi 2005) to his credit.

World Cup Credit

He has also composed music for ICC World Cup 2015 opening ceremony held in Christchurch, along with several musicians and music producer Karl Doy.

He is an established music teacher, Director & Principal of Rhythm School of Indian Music.

Claiming that he is the first itinerant music teacher of Indian Music in New Zealand, Manjit teaches at various locations around Auckland.

The Band

‘Raag Time Trio’: “Raag-Time” is an Auckland based Indo-Western Fusion Band formed by Jazz Pianist Ben Fernandez and Manjit.

The band has a unique sound and improvisational style that is inspired by elements of Indian Music, Western Classical Music and Jazz. They perform a mix of jazz standards, Indian Classical tunes, original compositions based on Indian Ragas, songs by leading jazz and fusion musicians and also pop classics by the Beatles, Sting and Stevie Wonder. The band accounts for Ben Fernandez (Piano) and Manjit Singh (Tabla and Jo Shum Bass)