An Evening of Indian Music with Gregg Johnson and Ross Kent

36332 42nd Street East,Palmdale CA 93552

29 December, 2021

Description

An evening of Indian Music and tasty snacks with master Tabla player Gregg Johnson and master Sarod player Ross Kent ABOUT GREGG JOHNSON:"Gregg is an innovator in modern hand drumming and percussion styles that synthesize the austere musical traditions of India within contemporary classical contexts of ‘junk’ and ‘found object’ percussion. He is a founding member of Repercussion Unit, an internationally acclaimed percussion ensemble that Downbeat magazine described as the “genesis of a new music.” No other American student of the Tabla drums from India has achieved the distinction of having studied at the feet of great masters for a continuous arc spanning 32 years. After receiving BFA and Masters degrees from CalArts, he continued his studies and performed extensively with the great Tabla maestro Pandit Taranath Rao (late) until Pandit Taranath’s passing in 1991. From 1991-2005, Gregg engaged in an intensive study of Tabla in the Guru-Shishya system with Pandit Taranath’s nephew, Pandit Ravindranath Bellare (late). Gregg is an exponent of the Farukabhad Gharana that emphasizes recitation of rhythmic Sanskrit poetry and ancient Hindu prayers set to the intricate rhythmic cycles known as Talain settings for Kathak Dance. Gregg is an award-winning composer for theatre and film, having received a Dramalogue Critic’s Circle award for his score for Steven Berkoff’s adaptation of Kafka’s “Metamorphosis” at the Mark Taper Forum. He composed and performed for multiple seasons of the LA Music Center’s Improvisational Theatre Project and for THEATREWORKS’ “Pericles, Prince of Tyre” and A “Midsummer Night’s Dream.” *Pulse Drumming LLCABOUT ROSS KENT:"Ross Kent, has provided original music composition for innumerable performances over the past 25 years. He is a Sarod-master and teacher who trained under Ali Akbar Khan at the Ali Akbar College of Music for more than 16 years. He recently celebrated his 50th year of playing the sarod. He is a veteran composer and sought-after musician in the North Indian Classical Style. He has performed throughout the U.S. and at the National Center for the Performing Arts in Mumbai, India. He has performed on tour with the Kadamb Dance Company in Madras and Mumbai. He was invited to give a solo concert recital in Calcutta, India in December of 2003 representing the tradition of Classical Indian Music in the West."*Sol Alchemy