INDIAN MUSIC COMES TO UCLA!
On April 30th, SPICMACAY will proudly present us with the gift of Indian music
by NINA BASU, staff writer
World culture aficionados would gladly pay a hefty price to enjoy an evening
of live music performed by some of the world’s best musicians. Luckily
for the culture-conscious UCLA student, on April 30th, we will get the
chance to witness such a performance as the student group SPICMACAY presents
an Indian classical music concert featuring the famed Ustad Ali Ahmad
Hussain Khan on Shehnai and the renowned Shri Subhen Chatterjee on tabla.
The concert has
been organized by SPICMACAY, the Society for the Promotion of Indian Classical
Music and Culture Amongst 
Youth
at UCLA. President Nataranjan Ramachandran discussed the club’s
objectives, explaining that the club is “trying to preserve art
and culture,” not just in India but around the world. In the past,
chapters of SPICMACAY have endorsed performances from Japan and Turkey
to name a few. The purpose is to bring attention to the many ancient and
contemporary art forms among students. As Ramachandran describes, “If
you look around the world, there are cultures that are very old, and over
3000 and 4000 years, they have evolved; there’s a lot of contemplation
behind that.” Since the United States is an infant civilization
compared to other civilizations like India and China, these ancient art
forms must be preserved and appreciated. Thus, the organization was created
in 1977 as a vessel through which students, specifically, could learn
about different cultures.
Friday, April 30th will serve exactly that purpose, as SPICMACAY brings Classical Indian Music to Bradley International Hall at UCLA. The concert will begin at 8pm and is free of charge. Students are encouraged to come and experience the beauty and elegance of these elements of Classical Indian Music, namely the Shehnai and the tabla.
The Shehnai is
one of the oldest wind instruments and falls under the category of Sushir
Vadya or the Aerophonic Musical Instruments, while its roots come from
the Persian instrument the nai. Today, the Shehnai
is a popular instrument in festive and auspicious occasions and is still
considered one of the most impressive classical music instruments.
While the Shehnai is highly revered by people worldwide, it is deemed
as one of the most difficult instruments to play, requiring meticulous
fingering and breath control. Today, Ustad Ali Ahmad Hussain Khan is considered
the foremost Shehnai player in eastern India, performing on All-India
radio and lending his talent with many worldwide performances. He has
participated in numerous musical conferences all around the globe and
has performed with famous eastern and western musicians as well. For example,
he performed an “east meets west” duet with Peter Michael
Hamel at an Indo-German music festival. It will surely be a unique experience
for UCLA students to hear the auspicious Shehnai played by the foremost
musician on the instrument.
The tabla has also spanned the ages and made itself known on a mass scale. Contemporary music today often has table undertones. The tabla is a set of two drums, one smaller and skinnier and another fatter and rounder, from which bass beats are created. The tabla often serves as an accompaniment and pace-setter in Indian classical music. However, when given the opportunity to be played solo, the tabla will knock your socks off. Played with the fingers of the right musician, listeners will be enraptured with the different tones and beats of the tabla drums.
Shri Subhen Chatterjee
is indeed a musician worthy of the renown he has garnered. His work has
been noted by many prominent Indian newspapers, praising him as a “mind-blowing”
and “evocative” artist. He is the foremost disciple of table
great, Pandit Swapan Choudhury, in t
he
Lucknow Gharana (Style) of Music. He has performed alongside some of India’s
greatest musicians such as V.G. Jog, Smt. Girija Devi, and Pandit Bhimsen
Joshi, as well as renowned World Music performers like Paul Horn on the
flute and Peter Gabriel on guitar. His Indo-Jazz fusion band, KARMA, is
thought to be the most popular Indian group of today. Over the last few
years, Chatterjee has made stops in Europe, the Middle East, Canada, and
now the U.S., wowing international audiences and press. It will be a rare
privilege to hear his percussive styling, paired with the impressive woodwinds
of Ustad Ali Ahmad Hussain Khan.
SPICMACAY brings a rare musical gem to UCLA as they present Ustad Ali Ahmad Hussain Khan on Shehnai and Shri Subhen Chatterjee on tabla at Bradley International Hall on Friday, April 30th at 8pm. It would be a pity to miss this unique opportunity to hear all the vibrancy and beauty of Indian Classical Music.
For more information,
please go to SPICMACAY UCLA’s website at http://www.studentgroups.ucla.edu/spicmacay/
*A special thanks to Nataranjan Ramachandran for lending his time, effort,
and expertise to our reporter for an exclusive interview!