Debashish Bhattacharya

A born Guitar Wizard, today’s legend of slide guitar is a global inspiration in the contemporary musical scenario of India and world. From the age of four a child's fancy with a Hawaiian guitar evolves into creating patented guitars and unique playing style that has been mesmerizing audiences and artists world over four decades. Global recognition of the patented guitars Chaturangui, Gandharvi and Anandi, which not only excel in sound variety and quality, have also become popular instruments and created a niche in Guitar World.

With the lineage of Gurus like Pandit Brij Bhushan Kabra and Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty and Late Ustad Ali Akbar Khan the inspiration has gone beyond performance. He has been featured in bill-board top 10, SongLines Magazine top 10, Central Asia and Asia paci c world music top 10, Amazon top 100 albums, National Geography and world's who's who enlisted artiste. 2016 Songlines Music Award, 2002 and 2009 Grammy Nominee, 2007 BBC Planet Award, 2005 Asiatic society Gold medal, 1984 President of India Gold Medal, worth mentioning. 50 years of Guitar playing side by side has created a line of young guitarists more than 3000 of them are his direct and indirect disciples of four generations, many of them today bearing his torch.

His imagination of Guitar soundscape has created four Guitars globally accepted as a creation of Debashish, Debashish Bhattacharya's music has given a niche of Hindustani Fusion. Produced numerous world music collaborations rst time in history of Indian music. Made cross cultural bridges as a reference for the futuristic projects in Indian and world music. His unique take in contemporary compositions as a composer has attracted global legends like American Dobro Guitarists 12 times Grammy winner Jerry Douglas, African Kora Legend Ballake Sissoko, Jazz Guitar Legend John Mc- Laughlin, Moroccan Oud legend Driss el Maloumi, American Bluesman Bob Brozman, British Singer Martin Simpson, Australian Rocker John Butler American Rocker Henry Kaizer, Indian legends Ustad Zakir Hussain, Pt Ravi Shankar and Many others. Debashish provides supports to 6 guitar Luthier families of Bengal by providing them his patented designs to produce his instruments and sell them globally. A kind human being he is still seeking blessing from almighty to learn and grow every day. e

Samir Chatterjee

Samir Chatterjee is a virtuoso Tabla player from India. He travels widely across the world throughout the year performing in numerous festivals as a soloist or with other outstanding musicians from both Indian and non-Indian musical traditions. Samir performed at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo, Norway in 2007. He also performed a few times at the United Nations General Assembly. His compositions are widely acclaimed as well as his writings. Samir is a firm believer in the transforming effect of music on the society and all aspects of his work reflects this conviction.

Samir began his studies early with Pandit Bankim Ghosh, Pt. Balaram Mukherjee, Pt. Rathin Dhar and Mohammad Salim. His later formation as a musician occurred under the guidance of Pt. Amalesh Chatterjee (since 1966) and Pt. Shyamal Bose (since 1984). All of Samir's teachers have been from the Farrukhabad Gharana (school) of Tabla-playing, which he now represents.

Samir is rated ‘A’ as an artiste of Indian national radio and television. He can be heard on numerous recordings featuring as soloist, accompanying many of India's greatest musicians and in collaboration with western musicians of outstanding caliber. In concert Samir has accompanied many of India's greatest musicians including Pt. Ravi Shankar, Ud. Vilayat Khan, Pt. Bhimsen Joshi, Pt. Jasraj, Pt. Nikhil Banerjee, Pt. V.G. Jog, Pt. Shivkumar Sharma, Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia, M. S. Gopalakrishnan, Ud. Amjad Ali Khan, Ud. Salamat Ali Khan, Smt. Lakshmi Shankar, Pt. Manilal Nag, Ud. Ali Ahmed Hussain, Ud. Aashis Khan, Dr. L. Subramanium, U Srinivas, Ud. Naseeruddin Sami, Smt. Veena Sahashrabuddhe, Ud. Shujat Khan, Ud. Saheed Parvez, Pt. Ajoy Chakraborty, Ud. Nishat Khan, Ud. Rashid Khan, Pt. Tejendra N. Mazumdar, Pt. Debashish Bhattacharya, Smt. Arti Anklekar, Smt. Kaushiki Chakraborty, to name only a few.

Samir Chatterjee lives in the New York-New Jersey area, and has been a catalyst in the fusion of Indian and Non-Indian music, in his own creations and others as well. He performs with Pauline Oliveros, William Parker, Branford Marsalis, Ravi Coltrane, Joshua Bell, Yoko Ono Lennon, David Liebman, Oliver Lake, Dave Douglas, Ned Rothenberg, Mark Dresser, Mark Feldman, Jerome Harris, Eric Friedlander, Steve Gorn, Glen Velez, Boby Sanabria, Jin Hi Kim, Min Xiao-Fen, Dance Theater of Harlem, Boston Philharmonic, Minnesota Orchestra, Ethos Percussion group, Da Capo Chamber Orchestra, Boston Musica Viva and other jazz, classical and avant guard musicians and ensembles. He also collaborates with Sufi-Rock singer Salman Ahmad of Junoon from Pakistan. He is the composer and director of Indo-Flame – a blend of Indian and Flamenco dance and music, Chhand-Anand - a world percussion ensemble, RabiThakur – a ballet on the life of Tagore, Meghadootam – a feature program of music and dance on an ancient Indian poem, and Dawn to Dusk and Beyond – on the effect of music on humans and nature. He performs with Sanjay Mishra on his CD "Blue Incantation" featuring Jerry Garcia as guest artist.

Samir Chatterjee has been teaching for the last 35 years and many of his students are established performers. He is the Founder-Director of CHHANDAYAN, an organization dedicated to promoting and preserving Indian music and culture. He has authored a comprehensive 654-page book entitled A Study of Tabla, a guide book to Indian music titled Music of India and Those Forty Days, a journal of an austere practice regimen. He is on the faculty at Manhattan School of Music, University of Pittsburgh and New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music. He also taught at the Yale University, Columbia University, New York University and Princeton University, among many other major institutions in the USA, Europe and India. He also contributes to several newspapers and periodicals. He won gold medal for his proficiency in a musical examination and has two Master degrees, in English and History.

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