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I look forward to the release of the Tamil film 'Vazhakku Enn 18/9' in Nov 2011. This is my first full-fledged music score for a Tamil feature film. Directed by one of trendsetters in Tamil cinema - Balaji Sakthivel and produced by Lingusamy and UTV Motion pictures, the film is quite something. It was also heartening for me to record the songs for the film soundtrack with a live band of Swarnabhoomi Academy of Music (SAM) faculty Argentinian vocalist Sofia Tosello, Venezuelan guitar/cuatro player Juancho Herrera, American pianist Victor Gould, Argentinian bassist Andres Rotmistrovsky, Hungarian drummer Ferenc Nemeth and myself in addition to the vocals of Karthik and flutes of Kamalakar. I am also happy that I could use the services of several talented SAM students doing voice and rhythm parts in the background score. Here's a trailer of the film if you want to check it out
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Myself and all of us at Swarnabhoomi Academy of Music are thrilled to know that Cuban drum master DAFNIS PRIETO, our Drum Faculty for the Fall 2011 Program, has been awarded the prestigious MacArthur Fellowship Award. An award given in recognition for his 'exceptional creativity, originality, and potential to make important contributions in the future' says the MacArthur press release. Dafnis will be teaching at SAM for the second part of our current Fall term along with American guitarist Jane Getter, Spanish vocalist Lara Bello, American pianist Carmen Staaf, Swiss/American bassist Derek Nievergelt, Ghatam Karthick and myself
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Swarnabhoomi Academy of Music, will have its next diploma program from Aug 8 to Dec 17, 2011! Admissions are now open. Interested musicians please apply soon as we expect a large number of international applications for this program. SAM will also conduct a 5 day summer camp for musicians with a faculty of Benny Greb (drums), Ed Degenaro and myself (guitar), Steve Zerlin (bass), James Carson (piano), Natalie John (voice) and Dr. Karthick (Carnatic rhythms and percussion) from June 6th to 10th and a 5 day exclusive drum camp with Benny Greb from June 13th to 17th. Apply online for the diploma program here and for the 2 music camps here and here
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Swarnabhoomi Academy of Music welcomes one of the world's most sought after drummers/drum educators, the German powerhouse Benny Greb as full time faculty for the last month of the 6 month Diploma program that started on Jan 31, 2011.
This is Benny's longest teaching assignment in any college in the world in the recent times owing to the high volume of his concert dates, recordings and drum clinics. Its heartening to see SAM getting such support from the elite musicians of the world.
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Swarnabhoomi Academy of Music began its Second Six month Diploma program in Music Performance on Jan 31, 2011 with 25 students from all over India, Mexico and the US and an all star faculty of Mexican Vocalist Magos Herrera, Brazilian guitarist Rubesn De La Corte, Greek bassist Panagiotis Andreou, American pinist Jason Lindner, Brazilian drummer Alex Kautz, Indian ghatam master Dr. S. Karthick and Prasanna.
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Tirtha, the new CD released on ACT records, Germany featuring Vijay Iyer, Prasanna and Nitin Mitta has been getting rave reviews from the New York Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, NPR and newspapers and magazines the world over. The CD is currently #1 on the CMJ jazz charts for Radio Airplay in the US and hovers around the top 20 best sellers in Amazon.com's Jazz and World Music sections. Tirtha is about to do a tour from March 30 starting with a few concerts in New York and then a full tour of Europe from April 4 to 17 covering Germany, Austria, France, Netherlands, Switzerland, Slovenia and the Czech Republic. I am thrilled at how much the critics and fans have embraced this new record. Do check out the tour dates and details in the Tours section.
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'Open' magazine ranks Prasanna among the '50 most creative Indians' along with other distinguished personalities like Viswanathan Anand, Arundhati Roy, A.R. Rahman, Sachin Tendulkar, Charles Correa and others in its special Indian Independence day issue of Aug 15, 2010. Check out the list here
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Raga Bop Trio, the exciting debut CD from my new collaborative trio with drummer Steve Smith and Saxophonist Goerge Brooks released worldwide on July 20th by Abstract Logix Records. The CD has already got rave reviews in Downbeat Magazine (4 stars), Jazzwise magazine in UK, Guitar Edge magazine (4 1/2 stars), Mix magazine, Ink 19 magazine, Sounds of Timeless Jazz and others. You can now BUY THE CD right here at my web site
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Swarnabhoomi Academy of Music, India's first professional college of music for Jazz/ Rock and World Music, with Prasanna as its President started its first 6 month diploma program on July 26, 2010 at Marg Swarnabhoomi near Chennai, India with a faculty that includes Prasanna, Dr. Randall Giles, the Dean of the College, drummers David Anderson, Jovol 'Bam Bam' Bell, Atma Anur and Harvey Wirht, guitarists Rubens De La Corte, Ed Degenaro and Andro Biswane, Pianists Manu Koch and Vardan Ovsepian, Bassists Steve Jenkins and Steve Zerlin, vocalists Sarah Jerrom and Natalie John and ghatam player Dr. S. Karthick.
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Smile Pinki , directed by film maker Megan Mylan with
music composed by Prasanna has won the 2009 Oscar
for 'best documentary short subject'. The film
is about a young girl in India, Pinki, who is treated
for a cleft lip. Its a wonderful film that showcases the
cause of children born with cleft lip and how much their
lives could change if they undergo surgery. |
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| Prasanna
and the 'Electric Ganesha Land' ensemble did a successful
US tour in Sept 2008 performing 13 concerts all over the
US at several major festivals and venues such as Chicago
World Music Festival Chicago
World Music Festival, Madison
World Music Festival,
Global Union festival in Milwaukee, Symphony
Space in New York, Painted
Bride Art Center in Philadelphia and others. Prasanna
was also featured in some of the top national public radio
stations such as NPR in New York, Chicago Public Radio,
NPR Wisconsin, WKCR, Columbia University, New York etc,
both in live performances and interview segments. Here
are links to some of these radio shows that you can listen
to -
Meet
the Jimi Hendrix of India on Wisconsin Public Radio,
Sept 10, 2008 with Lori Skelton - live performance and
interview
Sri
Jimi, Carnatic Rock on NPR New York with John Schaefer,
Spet 25, 2008 - live performance and interview |
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| Prasanna
is now part of the Vijay Iyer Quintet along with Vijay
Iyer on Piano, Ambrose Akinmusire on trumpet, Stephan
Crump on acoustic bass and Marcus Gilmore on drums. The
band recorded their first CD in November 2008 for release
in 2009. Check out these videos of this exciting band
at the Chicago Jazz Festival Video
1
Video
2
See review
in Chicago Tribune on the Quintet's performance |
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| 'Tirtha'
recorded their first album in Aug 2008 in New York. The
album is scheduled for a late Spring/Summer 2009 release.
'Tirtha' is a trio featuring acclaimed Pianist Vijay Iyer,
Prasanna and tabla player Nitin Mitta. 'Tirtha' has performed
in Chicago, Boston, New York, Toronto etc to some rave
reviews. Check out the My Space page of Tirtha which also
features a video clip from the New York concert and audio
clips from the Chicago concert. Budd
Kopman's review of 'Tirtha' concert at the Jazz
Standard, NYC
Dave
Douglas' review of 'Tirtha' concert at the Jazz
Standard, NYC
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| Prasanna
scored and recorded the music for the dance theater production
A Story and a Songchoreographed by Aparna Sindhoor. The
musicians on the production include Prasanna on guitar
and bass, David Binney on saxophone, Prapancham Ravindran
on mridangam and assorted percussion, S. Karthick on ghatam
and morsing, B.s. Purushotham on kanjira, Veda on ghata
singari, urumi and other assorted percussion and Raja
on dharbuka, talking drum and other assorted percussion.
The workd was premiered at Boston University in July 2007
and has since been performed at Lincoln Center in New
York, Clarke Theatre in Montreal, The New Jersey Performing
Arts Center, Rangayana arts in Mysore etc. Here is a
review of the premiere in the Boston Globe |
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| ''Essaye
Moi' is directed by Pierre Francois Martin and stars Pierre
Francois, Pierre Richard, Julie Depardieu and others.
The music for the film is scored by Belgian guitarist
and composer Pierre Van Dormael. Pierre is a featured
guitarist on the Aka Moon Guitars project. |
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| Good news
for those of you who are digital junkies! You can now
LEGALLY download any or all tracks from 'Be the Change'
from the following e-music
stores |
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| Prasanna
is featured on the May issue of the renowned 'Jazziz'
magazine, as one of the innovative 'roots' based guitarists
along with Nguyen Le, Fareed Haque and Rez Abbasi. |
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'Be the
Change' continues to get rave reviews from the international
press. Here are links to three recent reviews - in Germany,
Italy and France.
German,
Italian
and French
Click
here for a free translator in English |
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