Mausiqui Ensemble
Experience the magic as exceptional artists from across the globe blend their musical prowess to create a concert brimming with unity, love, and peace. The group includes
Jay Gandhi - Flute
Hidayat Khan - Sitar
Ehren Hanson - Tabla
Camila Celin - Sarod
Abhik Mukherjee - Sitar
Zaira
Zafar
Jay Gandhi
A multifaceted artist, Jay is a senior disciple of the legendary Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia. In addition to having accompanied his Guru for multiple concert tours, he has established himself as a prominent solo performer of Hindustani classical flute. His parallel explorations in American Jazz have afforded him the honor of performing with such greats as Ravi Coltrane, Reggie Workman, Jeff “Tain” Watts, as well as of sharing the stage with the legendary Pharoah Sanders. Based out of NYC, Jay maintains a busy schedule of touring, teaching and as a founding member of the Brooklyn Raga Massive, a prominent musicians collective.
Hidayat Khan
“A daring dedicated performer. His fans fondly say he plays the sitar through strings that sing” an apt description by Vibe for the sitarist/ vocalist Hidayat Husain Khan. Rolling Stones praises him and his music as “Jazzing up the sitar. Khan adds new shades to the music with his mastery.” He has been described, as “born to play” by Montreal Times. “Charismatic, charming and fun, Hidayat Khan plays with the audience” by Off Beat. His music has been praised by Le Mond De as “Divinity” and “His music was transporting, piercing the soul till the last drops of emotions were flowing through the body.” By Khaleej Times. He is one of the rare sitarist who adds a soulful voice to his performance which Music-Online captured it well in “Dazzling bursts of amazing taans followed by mesmerizing vocals” He has been fortunate to have performed at The Black Ball Charity in NYC with Alicia Keys and has collaborated with such illustrious musical names as Ndugu Chancler, Ronnie Woods, Usher, Zakir Hussain, Pete Townshend, Will.I.Am, Jay Z and Darryl Jones. Few upcoming performances and albums include a musical theater with Danish Hussain, which will premiere in April 2019 in New York City. Live performances accompanied by book reading in a number of Literature festivals for the “Music and Story” book release with author Namita Devidayal on the life of Ustad Vilayat Khan in late fall 2018. He has ongoing “Art of Sitar” lec/dem on creativity and music. Performance at the famous RIFF festival in October 2018. His new Single “ Anjane Raste” with Carls Low and Amit Inderdo is to be released with a music video in September 2018. His group album “Melodic Intersect” has been included in Grammy Ballot for the best World Music Album since 2016 where his music has been praised by The Chase as “Khan’s solo builds the intensity, with quick lines and flurries, leading the ensemble into a climax that is both musically satisfying and leads to the ending statement..” The ensemble’s recent sold out concert at the IndoJazz festival at The Jazz at Lincoln center was “the most eclectic act, the group eschewed slow and steady melodic development for a mercurial pastiche of changing moods and modes” by The NYC Jazz World. The ensemble has garnered a lot of praises, described as a “Giant step forward in the richly growing discography of this cohesive and empathetic ensemble.” By The Jazz world and by SeattlePi as “The result is a world music that soothes and challenges simultaneously.” His solo album “Ziver” was voted “One of the best world music albums of the year” by MTV music charts and “Beautiful and unconventional to the core” – Midday. His talent is not restricted to albums and live performances; he has lent his versatility in several film score compositions, the most famous being “Kamasutra.” He harbors a rare, creative brilliance that effortlessly takes him across all genres and nuances of music and can seamlessly transition from the very classical playing the intricate meands (slides) of the Etawa/VilayatkhaniGharana to the very colloquial. This is best reflected in The NYC Jazz World’s quote “performing in a style, which, while patently steeped in Hindustani (North Indian) influences, defied facile categorization” and in Jazz Weekly describes his music as “If you want to know true “world music” Khan might do it for you.” It is not a surprise to know that he is a direct descendant and proponent of one of the most treasured lineages of eastern classical music. Son of the legendary Ustad Vilayat Khan, globally acclaimed as the greatest of all sitarists. The London Times aptly describes Hidayat as "the tradition carries on impeccably."
Ehren Hanson
Ehren Hanson is professional NYC based tabla player. He began learning tabla at age 15 and in 2000, he became a disciple of legendary tabla maestro Pandit Anindo Chatterjee, with whom he has been a dedicated disciple ever since. His early training was from Misha Masud, and he has had the fortune of also receiving taleem from Ray Spiegel of Panjab gharana. Ehren performs classical Indian music as a soloist and accompanist in NY and around the world. He has the fortune of accompanying maestros including the late Pandit Ramesh Mishra, late Pandit Subrata Ryan Chowdhury, Steve Gorn, and others. He has also collaborated on experimental and creative projects with West African giant Noura Mint Seymali, Cuban legend Bobby Carcasess, Roman Diaz, the American Symphony Orchestra, and many others. He is the co-host of the Brooklyn Court - a music series featuring touring and local artists in an intimate setting, reminiscent of the royal courts of Indian history. Ehren is also the founder of Viewcy.com, and an amateur chef.
Camila Celin
Camila Celin began playing guitar at age nine. For several years, she has been doing intensive studies in the Indian sarod, in Kolkata with sarod player Sougata Roy Choudhury and in New York with sitar maestro Pandit Krishna Bhatt. In 2009 she was nominated for a Grammy for best world music album in collaboration with slide guitar maestro Debashish Bhattacharya. She has been an active performer in her native Colombia, the U.S. and India. Camila has composed music for several films, for theater as well as for commercials and lives between New York City and Kolkata, India.
Abhik Mukherjee
Abhik Mukherjee is an Indian classical sitar artist of the Etawah gharana known for his passion, charisma, and spontaneity as a performer and improviser. He received his musical training from Pandit Arvind Parikh and Pandit Kashinath Mukherjee, themselves the disciples of the legendary Ustad Vilayat Khan. Abhik began his sitar training at the age of six in Kolkata, India under the guidance of his father. His first performance was at the age of nine at the Governor’s House in Kolkata. Abhik has performed and given workshops in India, the United States, Singapore, Taiwan, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Denmark, Netherlands, Suriname, Colombia, Cuba, and Argentina. He has performed as a featured soloist with the New York Philharmonic and shared the stage with Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder at the inaugural concert for the Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial in Washington, D.C. Abhik has directed music for independent documentaries and composed and performed music for mainstream Hollywood films such as On Golden Year, Low Down, and A Call to Spy. Abhik is a founding member of Brooklyn Raga Massive a popular artist collective in NYC. He is also the academic director of Chhandayan, a leading Indian music school on the East Coast.