Utilizing Indian rhythms as the foundation for a new creative musical experience, this group finds that ground where fiery solos, sonic explorations and exciting group interactions occur with the creation of a modern music that is respectful of tradition, yet constantly searching to re-invent itself. With Sam Bardfeld, violin; Ravish Momin, percussion; Brandon Terzic, oud.

Local presentation of Trio Tarana is co-sponsored by the Arts Department at RPI and made possible by volunteer labor and small financial contributions from hundreds of patrons of The Sanctuary For Independent Media, along with support from the NY State Music Fund and the NY State Council on the Arts.

About Trio Tarana:

Tarana, formed in 2003, is led by Indian percussionist/composer Ravish Momin, who currently resides in New York City. They primarily utilize Indian and East-Asian rhythms (including Japanese, Afghani, & Indonesian) as the foundation for a new creative musical experience; they also employ compositions that seamlessly blend written material with spontaneous group interaction. They released a critically acclaimed debut entitled “Climbing the Banyan Tree” in 2004, on the Portugal-based CleanFeed Record Label. Of their debut CD, AllAboutJazz.com said: “It is fair to say that Tarana is without precedent in the world of improvised music. A true synthesis of North African, South and East Asian motifs with classical organization and the immediacy of free improvisation has probably not existed prior to “Climbing the Banyan Tree.”

The ensemble was recently awarded a US National Endowment for the Arts grant to perform at the Mediawave Festival in Hungary (2006). They have also performed at New York City’s Rubin Museum of Asian Art on multiple occasions, the Jazzin’ Tondela (Portugal, 2005), the prestigious Smithsonian Institution’s Freer Gallery (Washington, DC, 2005), and the New Music Circle (St. Louis, MO, 2005), the Taipei Arts Festival (Taiwan, 2004), the 9th Annual Asian American Jazz Festival (Chicago, IL, 2004) among other performances. They have toured Italy, Portugal, Poland, Slovakia, Canada, and the US. They have also been featured in the Village Voice (New York), Jazz.pt (Portugal) and in JazzImprov (France), among various other domestic and international publications.

About the Musicians:

Sam Bardfeld (violin) currently tours and records as a featured member of Bruce Springsteen’s “Seeger Sessions Band.” He is also a member of the Jazz Passengers and has worked with jazz and avant-garde legends John Zorn, Anthony Braxton, Ray Anderson and James Spaulding; pop icons John Cale, Debbie Harry and Nancy Sinatra and Latin stars Johnny Pacheco and Dave Valentin among others. He has released two CDs of his own critically acclaimed music, “Taxidermy” (CIMP, 1999) and “Periodic Trespasses” (FreshSound/NewTalent, 2006). Sam is also the author of “Latin Violin: How to Play Salsa, Charanga and Latin Jazz Violin” (Gerard & Sarzin, 2002), considered to be the definitive work in its field.

Brandon Terzic (oud) is a founding member of avant-world music group “Howling Makams.” He has performed and/or recorded with world-renowned luminaries such as Hernan Romero, Minu Cinelu (percussionist with Miles Davis), David Fiuczinski, Al Mcdowell, and Shane Shanihan (from Yo Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble) to name a few. He has recorded with Ursel Schlicht’s Ex Tempore, Ashley Davis, and is currently working on two up and coming albums. He has also done television sound tracks for PBS.

Ravish Momin (percussion) has studied drumset with Andrew Cyrille and Bob Moses. He has also studied North Indian percussion with Misha Masud, and Jim Dispirito (a disciple of Ustad Zakir Hussain). He has worked with a wide-range of musicians, including vocalist Marie Afonso (ex-Zap Mama), percussionist Susie Ibarra, bassists Wilber Morris and William Parker, violinists Jason Kao Hwang and Billy Bang, guitarists Brad Shepik and Ty Braxton, saxophonists Kalaparush Maurice Mc Intyre (AACM), Peter Epstein and Sabir Mateen, trumpeters Roy Campbell and Raphe Malik, pianist Ursel Schlicht’s ExTempore Project, Balafon-master Balla Kouyate, and experimental hip-hoppers IsWhat?! (featuring MC Napolean). He has received grants from US Artists International (program funded by the National Endowment of the Arts), Arts International and Meet the Composer. He has also performed at the Sons D’Hiver Festival (Paris, France, Guelph Jazz Festival (Canada), Era Jazzu (Poland), the Kerava Jazz Festival (Finland), the Chicago Jazz Festival, The Vision Festival (New York), Documenta XI (Germany), and The Kala Ghoda Festival (India).

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