From Tradition to Innovation: Brooklyn Raga Massive in Concert

Event Details

“…Riveting … Soulful … Preserving the past while blurring genres in an inventive spirit.” — New York Times

“Leaders of the Raga Renaissance.” — The New Yorker

“Expanding the notion of what raga—the immersive, epic form of Indian music—can mean.” — Wall Street Journal

Brooklyn Raga Massive (BRM) is a collective of forward thinking musicians rooted in Indian classical music. BRM produces over 70 concerts a year, including performances at Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, Pioneer Works, BRIC, Museum of Modern Art, Joe’s Pub, Blue Note, Gratitude Migration Festival, Mass Bliss Festival and a weekly concert series and jam session, where they have cultivated a strong community of musicians and raga music lovers. Their unique musical expression includes classical Indian raga and cross-cultural collaborations with jazz, Arabic music, West African music, rock and more. They have performed tributes to legends such as Ravi Shankar, John Coltrane and George Harrison, as well as a critically acclaimed version of Terry Riley’s minimalist masterpiece “In C”, to be released internationally in the fall of 2017 on Northern Spy Records. Two years ago, Brooklyn Raga Massive became a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to expanding diversity through raga-inspired music.

“From Tradition to Innovation” is a BRM concert showcase of all their influences, featuring sitar, tabla, violin and bansuri (Indian flute) along with bass, guitar, drum set and other instruments. The concert begins with a classical raga trio representing BRM’s roots. As musicians move on and off the stage, each successive piece takes on a new character, with original compositions from the group as well as classics from their repertoire, including works from Ravi Shankar, John Coltrane, and Terry Riley. As the concert progresses, BRM tracks the journey Indian classical music has taken as it has expanded around the world in the diaspora and influenced generations of musicians, culminating in their own unique style, which is undeniably Indian and completely Brooklyn. The concert will culminate with a performance of Terry Riley’s minimalist masterpiece In C. This fall, BRM celebrates the CD release of their rendition of this iconic piece as the first ensemble to feature Indian instrumentation and raga influences.


General seating (unreserved). Box office and will-call open one hour before showtime. Doors open approximately 30 minutes before showtime. There will be one intermission, approximately 15 minutes.

Directions and parking info: https://honolulumuseum.org/373-doris_duke_theatre

Presented by the East-West Center Arts Program in connection with the East-West Center Gallery exhibition 'Irresistible Resist: The Art of Indian Dyes and Design' on view October 29, 2017—February 11, 2018.

http://arts.EastWestCenter.org/

*****

Thanks to our community partner: Honolulu Musuem of Art

The EWC Arts Program is supported by The Hawai'i Pacific Rim Society, Aqua-Aston Hospitality, Friends of Hawai'i Charities, Inc., Barbara B. Smith, Richard H. Cox, Jean E. Rolles, EWC Arts 'Ohana members, Jackie Chan Foundation USA, The Arthur Goodfriend Intercultural Fund, and other generous donors.