NYC Radio Live

With super-ambitious arrangements and grooves from all corners of the globe, Numasbala brings a joyous, fun, freedom-loving spirit to the dancefloor. Fabio Montenegro - Bass / Voice (Colombia), Felipe Piedrahita - Guitar / voice (Colombia) and Javier Samayoa - Hammond B3 / Keys / voice (Guatemala) joined me at WKCR.

The world of music has just lost the Gentle Giant, Yusef Lateef.  WKCR will celebrate his life by playing his music for 33 hours from the stroke of midnight as January 1, 2014.  His bravery and expansive musical vision is unmatched.  I was lucky enough to interview Dr. Lateef in March of 2013, his longtime collaborator Adam Rudolph joined the conversation.    

  Clarinetist  Shankar Tucker performs with an all-star band of Rajna Swaminathan (mridangam), Michael Gam (bass), Max ZT (hammered dulcimer) and Jomy George (tabla),  and for the 2013 Ragas Live Festival. Shankar composed several of the pieces here for this Ragas Live broadcast and Michael Gam contributed a composition as well.  This was the first time this incredible ensemble performed together....

Though this show has always been exclusively music, this topic is so timely I thought it worthwhile to spread the word.   Currently the fate of the Indian Point nuclear power plant hinges on whether the government grants them a 20 year license renewal and the state is holding public hearings.  In this jaw-dropping interview, Susan Hito-Shapiro of the Radiation and Public Health Project tells us of...

"Genius is a word too often tossed around in musical circles, but it has been applied rightfully to Stanley Jordan, the guitar virtuoso." -Leonard Feather   It was a thrill to have one of the world's most inventive guitarists visit us at WKCR.   Stanley Jordan, hosting the musician show, performs here live, solo, and with the good friend of NYC Radio Live, Abdoulaye Alhassane Tourre (Check podcast...

  A musician her whole life, Camila Celin began playing guitar at age 9.   For the last 5 years she has been intensely studying the Indian Sarod.  In Kolkata she learns from sarod player Sougata Roy Choudhury, and in New York she learns from sitar maestro Pandit Krishna Bhatt.   In 2009 she was nominated for a Grammy for best world music album in a collaboration with slide guitar maestro Debashish...

  Krishna Bhatt and Anindo Chatterjee, two of the premier musicians on their instruments, performed Raga Darbari Kanada from 9-10pm on the 24 hour 2013 Ragas Live Festival.  The video of the live broadcast was filmed and edited by Bernhard Fasenfest, and audio was mixed by Ahmet Ali Arslan. To study with either of these giants of music check out Krishna Bhatt's school  and Anindo Chatterjee's scho...

Samarth Nagakar, Anirban Roy Chowdhury and Indradeep Ghosh performed from 4-5pm on the 2013 Ragas Live Festival. Samarth Nagarkar is described by critics as one of today’s foremost torchbearers of Indian classical vocal traditions. He is known for his eclectic, captivating performances rendered within a traditionally rich approach towards raga exposition and gayaki. After graduating as a Grade-A s...

Michael Braudy and Roger Lipson with Roshni Thomson plus Ravi Rao on sitar with Roshni Thomson 3-4pm on the Ragas Live Festival #17 Michael Braudy is a violinist who specializes in Western classical and Celtic music and the music of India.  A versatile improviser, he collaborates with poets, storytellers, dancers, theatre and mime, and performs in the US and abroad.  He has also explored the effec...

  Suphala performed a tabla solo accompianied by Andrew Shantz on Harmonium from 2-3pm on the 24 hour  Ragas Live Festival on WKCR. Suphala is one of the most versatile young tabla artists making music today. Raised in the U.S. by Indian parents, Suphala began learning western classical music on the piano at age four, performing at age five, and as a teenager transferred her passion to one of the...

  Shiv Subramaniam, Carnatic Vocal;  A.R. Balaskandan, mridangam;  Radhika Mani, violin performed Carnatic music from 10-11am on WKCR's Ragas Live Festival. Shiv Subramaniam is a Carnatic vocalist who has performed regularly in Chennai's December music festival since 2007. He has been a disciple of P.S. Narayanaswamy since 2001 and received early training from Vani Sateesh and his grandmother Laks...

2 days shy of turning 9 years old, Vivek Pandya performed this incredible tabla solo accompianied by Kalpit Pandya on harmonium  from 1-2pm on the Ragas Live Festival at WKCR 89.9 FM-NY.   Vivek Pandya is disciple of Pt Anindo Chatterjee and the 1st place winner of the Swaradhara competition held on 23rd Feb 2013.  An interview revealed that he was excited for the end of school. Interview by Sophi...

Eric Fraser on Bansuri and Naren Budhkar on tabla performed noon-1pm on the 2013 Ragas Live Festival. Eric Fraser is a disciple of Pandit Gopal Roy of Kolkata, India, a leading exponent of the Padmabhushan Pannalal Ghosh and Pandit Gour Goswami lineage. Eric's “gayaki ang”or vocal approach to the bansuri flute is unique and rare, deep and sincere. Merging a healing breath with craft and musicality...

Rajeswari Satish, vocals; Radhika Mani, violin; A.R. Balaskandan, mridangam; Arthi Suresh vocals for the 11am-noon performance on the 2013 Ragas Live Festival.  Rajeswari opened with  Raga Hamsadhwani and Puri Kalyan then most deeply explored Raga Vasantha As a performer of South Indian Classical (Carnatic) vocal music, Rajeswari strives to balance both tradition and trend. As a teacher, she striv...

  The stellar vocalist Mitali Banerjee Bhawmik  performed with Indradeep Ghosh on violin and  Samir Chatterjee tabla from 10-11am on the 24 hour Ragas Live Festival. Engineered by Ahmet Ali Arslan Mitali Banerjee Bhawmik, an artiste of Hindustani Classical vocal music, was born in Nogaon, Assan, where she started her initial lessons in music at a very early age from Sri Ajit Dutta.  Later she had...

Roger Lipson performed raga Malkauns on Shenai and Saraswati on Sitar, with Stephen Celluci on Tabla and Andrew Shantz on harmonium from 8am-9am on the Ragas Live Festival 2013 Roger Lipson is currently playing bass (he’s also on sitar, vocals) with The Truants, a New York City band specializing in early garage and British Invasion rock, blues, and soul, and he also makes regular guest appearances...

Indrajit Roy-Chowdhury, Sitar; and Ehren Hanson, Tabla  performed the raga Nat Bhairav at the Ragas Live Festival 2013 at 7am for the Ragas Live Festival. Indrajit Roy-Chowdhury is a disciple of the sitar maestro Pandit Subroto Roy-Chowdhury.  Groomed in the Veen-kar style of the Senia Gharana, which maintains the Dhrupadi origins of Indian Classical music, Indrajit strives to innovate while keepi...

 Mithun Radhakrishna (mandolin) and A.R. Balaskandan (mridangam) treated the WKCR Ragas Live Audience to Carnatic ragas from 6am-7am They performed 1) Raga Bhairavi - Viriboni, 2) Raga Kanakangi - Sri Gananatham 3) Raga Mohanam Kapali and finally, 4) Raga Sindhu Bhairavi - Srujana Mithun has been playing the Mandolin since the age of 10.Inspired and initiated to the instrument by the pioneer of Ca...

Anjana Roy and Michael Lukshis performed Raga Ahir Bhairav from 5 to 6 am on the Ragas Live Festival.  As well as being a great musician Anjana is the author of Acharya Ustad Allauddin Khan: Musician for the Soul Anjana Roy comes from Delhi, India, where she had her early initiation in music under Shri Rebati Ranjan Debnath, her father and guru, who was a disciple of Ustad Allauddin Khan of Miher....

Gargi Shinde, Aditi Beghwat, Jin Won and Michael Lukshis. From 4am to 5 am on the Ragas Live Festival,  sitarist Gargi Shinde and dancer Aditi Beghwat experimented with combining the sitar with the foot percussion associated with khattak dance.  Then Jin Won took an amazing tabla solo with Michael Lukshis.  

  Dinesh Mirchandani performed rag Malkauns and Basant on the fourth performance of the 24 hour Ragas Live Festival. Dinesh Mirchandani comes from a family of gifted singers. He started singing at the age of 6, performing stage and private music shows. Born and brought up in Mumbai, Dinesh has won several national music awards in India. His first TV performance in Bombay was at the age of 15, when...

Samir Chaterjee, Dan Weiss, tabla duo accompanied by Arun Ramamurthy             Samir Chaterjee and Dan Weiss performed a tabla duo while Arun Ramamurthy kept time on the violin.  You can hear both improvisations and compositions within this rhythmic tour-de-force. This was the third performance in the 24 hour ragas live festival.  Samir Chatterjee  was not only a performer on this year's festiva...

Kanika Pandey, (Vocals) Arun Ramamurthy (Violin) Samir Chaterjee (tabla) The second set of the Ragas Live Festival 2013 featured vocalist Kanika Pandey. Kanika belongs to the new generation of musicians who believe in developing and evolving a personalized musical idiom while still maintaining the authenticity of the Hindustani classical music.  Kanika has a rich and mellifluous voice and a very e...

  The 2013 Ragas Live Festival, was 24 hours of raga performed live in the studio by over 50 world class artists.  It was  broadcast throughout New York City WKCR 89.9 FM-NY and worldwide at www.wkcr.org.   The first set was a beautiful jam session by members of the Brooklyn Raga Massive, represented by Max ZT (hammered dulcimer), Eric Faser (bansuri), Camila Celin (guitar) , Sameer Gupta (tabla)...

This episode came from a WKCR broadcast a year after the passing of  the master drummer Frisner Augustin whoose Troupe Makandal has brought Vodou ceremonial drumming to the world. It features a recent live performance from La Troupe Makandal recorded at the Afro-Roots Series at the Space at 9 Bleecker. Guests Morgan Zwerlein from Troupe Makandal and producer of the Afro-Roots series and good frien...