Introducing Exploring Ragas & Rhythms! Join our Online Class for western musicians of all styles. This course for is now live... Want to learn Indian music but never had access to an explanation that was simple and immediately effective?

Learn right now, the THREE KEYS to an authentic understanding of Indian music in a casual but in-depth foundational lesson. In just a few quick videos, we explain the integral concepts of raga (melodic form) and tala (rhythmic cycle) for western instruments of any type or style.  

Check out free content now & consider joining our Pro Level Course to dive into the Ragas & Rhythms of India to broaden the scope of your own music!

Christmas Morning Raga (sitar/sarod alap meditation)

Peace on Earth! 
Enjoy this Christmas Morning Raga
a Christ Child Meditation

Feel free to download and share freely... be glangin' this season and always!

 

Sitar/sarod jugalbandi by
Paul Livingstone, Partho Sarothy
and tanpura by Alma Cielo.

This is a brief traditional alaap in the morning raga Alhaiya Bilawal.

 

Soul Force (active nonviolence) is not for the faint of heart; as Gandhi, King, Chavez and others not only said but lived, it is a way of courage, strength and love.

We're two weeks away from our Soul Force debut with Arohi Ensemble & special guests. We're looking for VOLUNTEERS and supporters in these last days of preparation for this in depth show combining MUSIC, HISTORY, SPIRITUALITY, ART,
SPOKEN WORD & HIPHOP!

Just under $1500 more we need to raise for the Soul FORCE campaign over 
the next two weeks.
 

Join us... and Support the Soul Force Project Campaign

 (see short video on link)

Full 7min project video! 

Soul Force Debut Occidental College Wednesday, Nov 18th, 8pm General Tickets only $10
$35 Front (with signed cd)
FREE for all STUDENTS!!!
Join FACEBOOK Event Here!

Added another excerpt 'Peloraga - effulgence' from upcoming Arohi release in this playliast, check out Pete's glangin cello solo followed by some  sitar solo on this composition based on the Indonesian Pelog scale.  Enjoy and come thru Oxy, Nov 18th!

Janasamodini-new Arohi cd of raga jazz chamber music

Janasamodini... the first fiinshed mix from our upcoming new Arohi cd of raga jazz chamber music (5 years in the process), to be released this fall 2014.  Janasamodini is a beautiful 6 note raga originating from the Karnatic (South Indian) classical tradition.  Our guru Pt. Ravi Shankar I believe popularized this raga in the North Indian form. 

This 25 minute, multi-movment suite includes extensive traditional aspects including the meditative and slow pulsing movements of alaap and jor and several gate (original compositions) in the raga with ensemble & solo taans, tehais and jhala with improvisations and contemporary touches of counterpoint, dialogues and harmony.

Listen to this excerpt here: (click on picture)

This lineup of Arohi Ensemble features:

Partho Sarodi ~ sarod
Paul Livingstone ~ sitar
Pedro Eustache ~ bansuri
Abhijit Banerjee ~ tabla
Peter Jacobson ~ cello
Dave Lewis ~ drums
Somnath Roy ~ ghatum

RagaSON ~ KPFK interview with Betto Arcos

Last Tuesdays I went of the air with Betto Arcos, Global Village program for a 30 min interview listening to our RagaSON Ensemble live cd from Xalapa, Veracruz and discussing the history of the project.
KPFK, 90.7 Los Angeles

Ramon Guitierrez & Paul Livingstone of RagaSON.

Christmas Raga 'Oh Come All You Faithful' ~ sitar solo

This year's Christmas Raga... (#3).  Have a beautiful and blessed Christmas my friends! Feel free to download and share the mp3 ~ and have a most glangin' Christmas!!!

Rageshee jugalbandi

An excerpt from a beautiful intimate concert at Jan's place for Raviji's birthday this past April. This gat in teental is a sitar violin jugalbandi in Raga Rageshree with myself and Kolkata violinist Indradeep Ghosh accompanied by Pandit HomNath Upadhaya.

Ravi Shankar Birthday Tribute

TODAY, April 7th, is the birthday of our legendary guru the late
Pandit Ravi Shankar (1920-2012).

As Gandhi was for us in the high ground of the moral universe and Tagore was in the realms of exquisite poetic imagery and song, Ravi Shankar was for the sublime and effervescent abstraction of music!  Panditji's art was a reflection of the world around him, deep and rich, full of wonder, quiet, still and timeless as if communicating from an ancient era long forgotten.  Simultaneously, the sound is still so fresh and alive, pulsing, dancing and bubbling over with joyous playful abandon.

An approach sophisticated and complex, yet profoundly simple in its impact on the psyche.  With uncompromising adherence to the highest standards of classical raga purity, yet he was highly innovative, always creative and different every time.  Expanding the limits of technique and skillfulness at the same time full of emotional soulfulness.  A complete music which through it all he exuded love... Love for life.  Love for others and Love for God. 


Jai guru, we miss you!  Listen to our KPFK radio tribute from December here opening with a sound collage of Raviji's music and voice relating the spiritual context of raga music.

Raviji's beautiful Ahir Bhairav

As we mourn the loss of our dear guru and ambassador of music and peace to the world, all we have left is sweet memories and this sublime music.  Enjoy this classic recording morning raga recording of Ahir Bhairav from 1956, as fresh now as it was then!  

 

From 'Three Ragas' LP issue.. buy the album here! 

Manj Khamaj Jugalbandi

This is such a beautiful and interactive manj khamaj, from Khansaab's signature Series #4, if you like this track buy the album!

Raga Bhatiyar

Here is Bhatiyar, from our newly released cd, an evocative morning raga with a masterful lighter treatment in deepchandi (14 beats) tala from Hom Nathji. 

This is the final track on our Sadhana cd, devotional morning ragas.  

The main raga of the cd is the bittersweet Nat Bhairav in full development, alaap and jor (sitar solo) and vilambit and drut teental.

Enjoy first thing in the morning... for meditative waking moments or chillasana with a cup of yerba mate, coffee or chai!

Buy the Sadhana cd or download tracks here.

Shyam Kalyan from live cd

This is an excerpt of the evening raga Shyam Kalyan, gat in rupak tal (7 beats), from our last house concert with Hom Nathji here in Highland Park at the Raga Jazz Freegan House.

This live cd is now available, featuring Raga Shyam Kalyan and a Kirwani Raga Mala. We are releasing it to raise funds for a run of 2000 discs of our Sadhana cd of morning ragas to be released in March in anticipation of the North American Tour. If you're interested in the cd please contact us through here!

Hom Nathji and I will be performing a pair of fundraising concerts to be held on February 18th in Thousand Oaks and 19th in Highland Park,
More info about performances here!

Christmas Raga

I hope you all rang a most glangarific Christmas and/or whatever other Holy-days you partake in. I wanted to share this Christmas Raga I recorded this morning… enjoy!

May we raise up love and solidarity for all our brothers & sisters around our city, the country and the world even more in 2012, maybe this will be the year where we see real change come to fruition. - Paul Z

Christmas is the feast of the divine explosion, the love of God revealed in the poverty of Christ. ~ John Main

Winter World Tour & India

I have just returned from a tour around the world performing Indian classical music in Nepal, India, Czech & Germany. The entire trip was a beautiful experience culminating a year of touring starting last spring which included three trips up and down the west coast and Mexico.

I would say the highlight of the journey was Varanasi, where I played 4 concerts in one week including a beautiful temple concert just above the ganga and a program at Benares Hindu University (the largest residential University in Asia) for the music students and renown faculty of the performing arts department.

After 5 trips to India, I am so thankful to God to be able to spend time in Varanasi, performing, having fellowship with the great diversity of music lovers and spiritual seekers from all over the world and yes... of course walking, boating and bathing in the ganga! Here's a shot from a boat of temples on the ghats of the ganges in the sacred city of Varanasi last month.

This is a shot from the River Ashram there playing with a great young tabla player, Hari Om.



This shot is on a house boat the morning I left went after a sunrise sitar concert on the Ganga! See the complete Newsletter here on my website with more pics and concert video as well.

Swapanda & Paul from spring birthday concert for Raviji

This is a live recording of Pt. Swapan Chaudhuri & Paul Livingstone performing this past April. This is a live recording of Raga Malaya Marutam, a raga of Carnatic (South Indian origin), that Panditji (Ravi Shankar) popularized in his style.

We closed the birthday concert in April on guruji's 90th with the great honor of playing my first entire concert with Swapanda.

Tilak Shyam ~ alaap

Alaap introduction for our latest release 'Tilak Shyam' a raga created by Ravi Shankar in 1948, performed by 4 disciples of Raviji.



Paul Livingstone ~ sitar
Pedro Eustache ~ bansuri
Partho Sarothy ~ sarod
Barry Phillps ~ cello

Tilak Shyam ~ drut gat

The Arohi Ensemble on this track features 6 virtuoso musicians, including leading artists from India, the US & Venezuela.



Paul Livingstone ~ sitar
Pedro Eustache ~ bansuri
Partho Sarothy ~ sarod
Barry Phillips ~ cello
Abhijit Banerjee ~ tabla
Somnath Roy ~ ghatum

Arohi page online

Check out the Ravi Tribute page!

Blessing

For Shplang Ensemble students!!!

Listen of the recording of Blessing to learn & practice along everyone. You can see the lyrics here in the South Indian language of Tamil! This is Geetha Bennett singing, who's playing a veena concert for Sangeet on Sat 16th!

Remember Sunday class is at 1:30 this week!
We'll see the Friday class at 6:30 please be on time everyone frmo here on out & don't forget to tell family and friends the concert is on Sunday, June 27th, 3pm!
- paulZ

Sarve Shyam

recorded by Pt.Ravi Shankar

Yale Lecture introduction

Intro to music lecture at Yale University this past October, talking a bit about my background and concepts of Indian Raga Music. This next post is musical!

Alaap in Shudh Sarang - Yale Music Lecture

This is part of a lecture performance given in Professor Sarah Weiss world music class this fall at Yale. Music is interspersed with commentary on the development of raga in the 3 movements of alaap, jor, jhala.

A Way of Truth

The loss of self consciousness enables us to come to full consciousness. The simple tool is we must stop thinking about ourselves. when we say the mantra with an undivded heart then we are on our way. - John Main

Lahn Al Mughtarebin (Immigrant Song)

Wael Kakish & friends this Friday 9/25 night at Throop Church, 300 S Los Robles in Pasadena (corner of Del Mar) in Sangeet Series Concert.

This improvisation on oud (Arabic fretless lute) & derbekki (Arabic goblet drum) is featured on the Salaam Suite cd, this track features Wael & Faisal Zedan on percussion.

Not U Not I (for SHPLANG Ensemble)

Here's a raga rock tune we going to jam shplangers! Check it out...