Guitar and Tabla Duet

 

 

Guitar and Tabla Duet Hi-Res Photo
(10.2" x 6.8" 300 dpi jpeg) by Julie Marten.
Shown: Arshad Syed and Matthew Montfort

The Ancient Future Guitar and Percussion Duet has performed in a variety of settings, from the huge audience (police estimate of 35,000 people) at the Summer of Love 30th Anniversary Celebration in San Francisco, to a standing room only three hour bar gig in Southern Oregon, to the Festival Internacional de la Guitarra on the golden coast of Spain near Barcelona.

"It was heart-warming to see teenage girls in swirling dresses swaying and twirling to the Indian themes (almost like morning ragas) of Ancient Future, one of the morning performing groups." – Philip Elwood, San Francisco Examiner (review of Summer of Love performance, that according to the San Francisco Chronicle, was famed concert promoter Chet Helm's "crowning achievement")

Venues: Outdoor Festivals, Concert Series, Concert Halls, Clubs, Universities, Events
Traditions: World Music,World Fusion, World Folk, Indian Fusion, Flamenco Fusion, Celtic, Indian Classical, Uzbek Classical, Arabic
Moods: Ecstatic, Energetic, Euphoric, Ethereal, Exciting, Exotic, Festive, Mystical, Passionate, Powerful, Thrilling, Uplifting, Yearning
Hashtags: #Festival, #WorldMusic, #WorldFusion, #CelticRaga, #IndianFusion, #DeepListening

Programs

Indian Guitar and Tabla

This improvisatory duet featuring world guitar pioneer Matthew Montfort accompanied by a renowned Indian tabla virtuoso presents an innovative and accessible take on Hindustani classical music and contemporary fusion, with expressive and energetic renderings of raga and tala. Montfort emotional performances on the scalloped fretboard guitar have earned him a spot on DigitalDreamDoor's list of the world's 100 Greatest Acoustic Guitarists.

The program also features music from the groundbreaking world music recordings of Ancient Future along with serenades from Matthew Montfort's solo guitar releases: Seven Serenades for Scalloped Fretboard Guitar and Sympathetic Serenade.

Featured Video

Ancient Future Guitar and Tabla Duet with Matthew Montfort and Vishal Nagar

To celebrate Ancient Future's 35th Anniversary, Yearning for the Wind from The Archive of Future Ancient Recordings was released.

Featured Tracks

>YTmusic (Indian Guitar and Tabla repertoire). Studio recordings of the repertoire that is played by this ensemble variation in concert.

Yearning for the Wind (Matthew Montfort) 9:37. >YTmusic. >soundcloud. >ethnocloud. Matthew Montfort (scalloped fretboard guitars) and Vishal Nagar (tabla).

Guitar and Uzbek Percussion

This program features world guitar pioneer Matthew Montfort accompanied by international phenomenon Abbos Kosimov, a master of dorya and an ambassador of Uzbek culture.

Guitar and Arabic Percussion

In this program, world guitar pioneer Matthew Montfort is accompanied by an Arabic percussion master such as Antoine Lammam or Salaheddin Takesh.

Celtic Raga

Celtic (kel'tik), adj. of the Celts, their Indo-European languages, culture, etc.
raga (räg'a), n. [Hind.] a melodic recipe for a mood including ascending and descending note patterns and a hierarchy of note importance

Strains of ancient Celtic music, flamenco, and Indian raga emanate from this high energy improvisatory duet, one of the variations of the virtuoso world fusion music ensemble, Ancient Future. There are many parallels between ancient Celtic and Vedic traditions. For example, both Irish music and North Indian raga are modal and make use of drones and extensive ornamentation. North Indian raga prescribes a set of rules to create an improvised melody, which here are applied to melodies springing from the Celtic traditions to create a rich music that is truly in the moment.

The program also features music from the groundbreaking world music recordings of Ancient Future along with serenades from Matthew Montfort's solo guitar releases.

Featured Tracks

>YTmusic (Celtic Raga repertoire). Studio recordings of the repertoire that is played by this ensemble variation in concert.

I Mett Her in the Medowe, a and b (traditional, arr. Montfort. 5:31) iTunes. >YTmusic Scottish lute melody from 1615. From Planet Passion by Ancient Future. (Ancient-Future.Com AF-2001). CD/Gift Card, $17.98: Add 1 to Cart. Buy 1 Now.

Michelle’s Star (Montfort. 5:50) iTunes. >YTmusic. Matthew Montfort (scalloped fretboard guitars). From Seven Serenades for Scalloped Fretboard Guitar by Matthew Montfort. (Ancient-Future.Com AF-2008.) Digipak CD- $17.98: Add 1 to Cart. Buy 1 Now.

Biographies

Matthew Montfort (scalloped fretboard guitar). An award-winning guitarist (Louis Armstrong Jazz Award, Colorado Outstanding Young Guitarist Award), Matthew Montfort is a pioneer of the scalloped fretboard guitar (an instrument combining qualities of the South Indian vina and the steel string guitar). Montfort spent months in intensive study with vina master K.S. Subramanian in order to fully apply the South Indian gamaka (note-bending) techniques to the guitar. He is also known for his work on electric guitar, flamenco guitar, sitar, charango, mandolin, gamelan, and as leader of Ancient Future. He has studied with the master musicians of many world music traditions, including sarod master Ali Akbar Khan and gamelan director K.R.T. Wasitodipuro. He has recorded with legendary world music figures ranging from Bolivian panpipe master Gonzalo Vargas to tabla maestros Swapan Chaudhuri and Zakir Hussain.

The Indian Guitar and Tabla and Celtic Raga programs are available with a variety of tabla accompanists, including some extremely renowned performers:

Aditya Kalyanpur. Beginning his studies at the age of five under the vigilance of tabla maestro late Ustad Allarakha and tabla maestro Ustad Zakir Hussain, Aditya is considered as one of the most promising torchbearers of the Punjab Gharana style. Aditya was first seen with his guru Ustad Zakir Hussain for the famous "Wah Taj!" television commercial at the age of 11. To quote the acknowledging words of tabla maestro Ustad Zakir Hussain for his young, talented disciple; "Even a young player like, say, Aditya Kalyanpur has the ability to approach the instrument with much more expertise than someone of his age would do 30 years ago." Aditya has had the honor of accompanying great maestros of Indian classical music such as Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Ustad Sultan Khan, Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhat, as well as Carnatic music legends Vidwan TN Krishnan, N. Ramani, U. Srinivas and Lalgudi Krishnan. He has performed solo for many bands, including the Rolling Stones.

Vishal Nagar. Considered one of the most gifted tabla players of his generation, Vishal was born into a family of musicians and had his initial training for a very brief period with the late Ustad Latif Ahmed Khan of the Delhi Gharana. After his Ustad's untimely demise, Vishal continued his training under the guidance of Ustad Shamim Ahmed Khan of the same Gharana (school). Along with the dense and rare tabla repertoire taleem which was he received from his Ustad, he also has had intense rhythmic (layakari) training from his mother, the renowned and highly respected Kathak dancer and vocalist, Urmila Nagar. Vishal has been praised in the Indian press for his unique combination of melodic tabla sound production with masterful command of rhythm. Vishal has had the privilege of performing with many renowned artists: Ustad Shujaat Khan, Guru Urmila Nagar, Vidhwan Trichur Ramachandran, Pandit Ramesh Misra and Kala Ramnath, to name a few. Vishal has shared the stage with some great world music masters such as African drum legend Babatunde Olatunji, Michel Shrieve, Evyind Kang, Carmona Flamenco, and Michael Wimberley. Vishal has also expanded his cultural boundaries and collaborated with musicians from around the world. Some of his memorable works have been with the Ghanaian Guitarist Koo Nimo with whom he also appeared in WOMAD USA (a leading world dance and music festival started by Peter Gabriel).

Debopriyo Sarkar (tabla). Debopriyo Sarkar is a sensational tabla player from Kolkata. He is a senior disciple of tabla maestro Pandit Anindo Chatterjee. Born in Jalpuiguri, North Bengal in 1971, Debopriyo has displayed an enchanting love of music since his early infant days.

Ferhan Najeeb Qureshi (tabla). Ferhan is a senior disciple of the legendary tabla master Ustad Tari Khan. Prior to his ongoing training with Ustad Tari Khan, Ferhan took his initial lessons in Hindustani (North Indian classical) music theory and practice with Surinder Singh Mann. Ferhan studies the Punjab gharana (school) of classical tabla which both of his teachers represent. In addition to performing tabla lehara (tabla solo), Ferhan Qureshi has also accompanied numerous distinguished classical artists (vocalists, instrumentalists and dancers) both in the United States and in Pakistan.

Arshad Syed (tabla, santoor). An original member of the Diga Rhythm Band, which included tabla master Zakir Hussain and Grateful Dead percussionist Mickey Hart, Arshad Syed also performs with the Zakir Hussain Rhythm Experience, and as an accompanist with top classical Indian music artists such as Ustad Sultan Khan and Pandit Habib Khan.

Emam (tabla, percussion). Originally from Iran, Emam is a percussionist and composer specializing in Middle Eastern and Indian music. Emam was awarded a scholarship for Indian classical music study/research by the American Institute of Indian Studies. His teachers have included the world renowned masters of the tabla Ustad Alla Rakha and Ustad Zakir Hussain.

Abbos Kosimov (doyra, percussion). International phenomenon Abbos Kosimov is a master of dorya and an ambassador of Uzbek culture. He has performed with artists such as Stevie Wonder, Zakir Hussain, Swapan Chaudhuri, Kronos Quartet, Homayun Sakhi Trio, and Omar Sosa.

Antoine Lammam (Arabic percussion). Born into a musical family in Beirut, Lebanon, Antoine's musical career started at the age of 8 when he was given his first drum, an Egyptian tabla. At the age of 14, Antoine moved to United Arab Emirates with his family, running away from the war in Lebanon. He studied under Khaliji conga master Jumah Ibrahim and Syrian bongo and tambourine player Marwaan Sheriff. Antoine became the main tambourine player at Dubai's major radio station, where he enjoyed playing for famous artists, doing different contest shows, and recording for various top singers.

Contact Info

Tel: 415-459-1892. info@ancient-future.com

Booking: Additional booking information, or use the contact information above.
Catalog: Listen to the CDs and use the secure online shopping cart system to purchase music.
Concerts: Current list of shows online.
Guest Book: Subscribe to the Ancient Future e-mail newsletter. Contests for prizes such as concert tickets each issue.