New Straits Times Showbiz: Melodic pleasure

A review of Khayal in the NST: Showbiz: Melodic pleasure

KHAYAL - Classical Sitar Solo

Khayal is a pure classical sitar concert, which I have been meaning to do for a long while now, but have only found the determination. But now, here it is, entitled Khayal.

Sunday 4 Sept 2011, 6pm, Shantanand Auditorium, The Temple of Fine Arts, 116 Jalan Berhala, Brickfields, 50470, Kuala Lumpur. 603 - 2274 3709, tfakl@pc.jaring.my

Invites available on a 'Give -as- you-wish' basis.

Hope to see you there!

AkashA at SXSW, Texas, USA

AkashA performed at COPA as part of the featured concerts for the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas, USA. The reviews received were overwhelming. One critic wrote: ( www.textish.com/blog)

To quote Keanu Reeves, “Whoa.”

Take some jazz scatting, add a sitar, a drum circle, a steel guitar, and a few other nontraditional instruments, and you probably wouldn’t be able to make anything like this. These guys can. This is some really great stuff.

So “world music” is usually either of the hard-core variety (meaning actual traditional pieces made by really old guys or people pretending to be really old guys) or the really boring elevator/hold music variety. This falls so far outside either of those categories that it becomes something new. Yeah, it sort of sounds like Middle Eastern dance music for a minute, but then you find yourself wondering where the blues guitar and jazz scatting came from. These guys from Malaysia took the word fusion and, in the realm of music, redefined it. I say that they redefined it, but they honestly just owned the original definition. Most of the crap that passed as fusion before is now totally irrelevant. The bar has been reset.

Final judgment: Definitely check these guys out. Fusion-y world music is not one of my favorite genres, but I love this. It’s probably going to be your only chance to see them in any sort of intimate setting here in the United States.

Launch of The Young Ambassadors of KL - DBKL Auditorium, Kuala Lumpur, 01 June 2010

Shangar, Gayathri and Periaeswaran (Student of Prakash Kandasamy on the Tabla) took part in a concert for the launch of the Young Ambassadors of Kuala Lumpur. Representing The Temple of Fine Arts, these students rendered a drut gat in Rag Bhupali, with a short 'soal jawab' and jhala, and impressed the audience of 600, comprising mainly of school children, parents and government workers, and presided over by the Lord Mayor of Kuala Lumpur.

AkashA at the National Obs and Gynae Convention Dinner, Shangrila Hotel, KL

AkashA performed at the National Obs and Gynae Convention Dinner, at the Shangri- La Hotel, Kuala Lumpur on 5th June 2010. Also at the performance were TFA dancers, who performed 2 Bollywood numbers.

AkashA's performance was greeted with loud rounds of applause, and we managed to sell out all the CD's and merchandise that we brought.

AkashA performs for the PM

AkashA performed for the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dato' Seri Najib Razak, during the Anugerah Inovasi ( Innovation Awards Ceremony) at the Royale Chulan Hotel, on 19 of May 2010.

The Prime Minister later greeted us on the way out and commented that he enjoyed the music very much. He was also presented with an AkashA CD and DVD, which he immediately pocketed.

Happy listening, Prime Minister!! May you be enlightened with great music from now on!!

My Masters

Ustad Bande Ali Khan, The founder of the Gharana.





Ustad Abdul Karim Khan - Usmanji's father, a lecturer at Dharwad University.








Ustad Rehmat Khan, Usmanji's Grandfather, one of the nine 'jewels' of the Mysore Maharaja's Palace.

With the Malaysian mission in Washington, USA

I joined a large group of Culture artists representing Malaysia, jointly organised by Tourism Ministry of Malaysia, the Malaysian Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Communication, Malaysia, to present a showcase entitled 'Faces of 1Malaysia' at the Grosvenor Auditorium, National Geographic Centre, Washington DC, USA in April 2010.

We also performed at a special dinner hosted by the Prime Minster of Malaysia, to leaders and dignitaries in Washington, at the Mandarin Oriental Ballroom in Washington.

The entire tour was organised to coincide with Prime Minister Dato Seri Najib Razak's visit to the US for the Nuclear Security Summit and his one on one meeting with US President Barack Obama.

Upcoming Events = Nov- Dec 2009

AkashA at Laundry, The Curve - 21st November 2009

AkashA at Kala Utsav, The Esplanade, Singapore (www.kalaautsavam.com/ www.esplanade.com) 26th November 2009

TFA presents Jump Start, Wawasan open University Auditorium, 28th November 2009

Recent Concerts

(Promise to update details and Pics Later!!)
Navarathri at TFA KL - Sep 2009
Navarathri at TFA Penang - Sep 2009
Master Lecture at Yamaha School of Music, KL, 1st Oct 2009
Swan Festival of Lights - Perth 7 - 11 Oct 2009
RTM Outreach Concert, UPM, 19th Oct 2009
AkashA at Alexis, Jln Ampang - 23 7 24th Oct 2009
AkashA at Malaysian Medical Association Installation Dinner, Perak Royal Golf Club, Ipoh, 31st Oct 2009

Swan Festival Photos

The AkashAn's pose in front of the Bell Tower Square..











Enjoying Vignaraja, Prakash and Sivabalan's workshop concert on the field....

Swan Festival of Lights, Perth, Australia

8th and 9th October 2009 - AkashA performs at the Swan Festival of Lights, Perth, Australia. - What an amazing 2 days of concert!!! Our first overseas concert, and we were a little worried the crowd would not appreciate our brand of music the way Malaysian audiences do. But our worries were unfounded. They loved us. It was also great being with our family mambers of TFA Perth. The whole festival turned out to be a whopping success - it was the talk of the town for days!! The icing on the cake was the finale each night ( total of 4 nights) - ending with a vibrant Bollywood dance comprising of 4 different, popular Bollywood themes, ending with AR Rahman's Jay Ho!!!, and then, a 10 minute Fireworks spectacle from the Esplanade field, opposite the Bell Tower, and then an Arthi Dance which illuminated the whole of the Bell Tower, with dancers standing on all levels within the Bell Tower holding lamps!!! What a marvellous idea!! Kudos to Sukhi Shetty Krishnan and her team, who put together this entire concept!!

What the Critics say.....July/August 2009

'...D band worthy of being labelled as world music n deserved to be there was Akasha (Malaysia). Brickfields Blues was super. And of course the Irish Joget. Awesome mix of traditional and modern styles! (Listen here). But some idiot put them on as d first act, when their rockin, creative tunes should have been d closing act. Seems like Malaysian bands never get to be the closing act. The music flow at the festival was pretty bad. An upbeat band followed by dinner / elevator music (Red Chamber, China)....' - thirstyblogger.my

'... - by farahezlin.blogspot.com'

Java Raaga

Last 18th of July, myself, Amy and Mazia went for a show at Kotaraya, JB. It was organised by the JB Arts Festival (got to know its the 6th festival already). The splendid show that we attended was a performance by a fusion music group known as AkashA. The genre based mainly on the Indian traditional stream weave with Eastern and Western music, classic versus modern tune. The group formed by 7 talented musicians of different ethnicity, religion, race and even nationality, somehow with one vision...to explore the music and bind it into one soul.

Well, for further info, they have their webpage (which I noticed managed by Ruhil Amani) . Here goes... http://www.akashamalaysia.com/

The guys getting ready to perform (short of 2 orang due to an urgent family matters). Still, it was a great show.

I ended up buying the CD...which my fave track would be none other than Java Raaga. Its a music arranged base on javanese tune, adopted to the Indian musical intrument and a bit of Western guitar plucked by Jamie Wilson. In a simple language - Fabulous! (still humming it til today)....'


' - Fabulous Pics, from Walter John.net.....

... i (personally) think that Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) is undoubtly the best tourism product for Sarawak, the Malaysian Borneo – period! … Hey! Sabah is a Malaysian Borneo too !!!....Im sure most of us should have known what is RWMF and (maybe) had read my previous post about RWMF … so, i wouldnt be repeating what i’ve said this time on what the h*ll is RWMF – go Google yourself for it.

Last year’s RWMF tagged as the “Muddy RWMF” … while this year’s RWMF tagged as a “Mask-querade RWMF” … blame it on the H1N1 virus. While the pandemic H1N1 slows down the turnout for this year RWMF, the so-called “Mask-querade” festival also has a little to do in a tribute to the sudden pass of the King Of Pop, Michael Jackson, who passed away a couple of weeks before the festival. AkashA, claimed as the best performing band from Malaysian had also played “Beat It” during the festival and makes everybody sing at the top of their lungs (especially me …)

On the final day (Sunday) … I’m so excited to see and listen to AkashA again …

AkashA – Malaysia

Twitter Comment: #RWMF AkashA are including a Michael Jackson Beat It surprise in their last song. Awesome!5:15 AM Jul 12th

By Amirul Ruslan

'....Concert started off with Akasha as the opening act. Why they put such a fast paced band right at the beginning beats me. Oh well, maybe they knew no one would want to come so early for Red chamber so that's the only way to get the crowd. It worked. Akasha was awesome! They even managed to inject MJ's Beat It to their tune. Malaysia Boleh!

Akasha sneaked in a little MJ Beat It to their tune which got the crowd roaring....'

By jlunjew.blogspot.com

From Virtual Malaysia.com....

Rainforest World Music Festival 2009 Draws Over 21,000 Fans

Kuching, Sarawak, 13 July 2009 - Despite the multitude of challenges faced by the 12th Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF), the beloved and popular music festival still managed to draw in the crowds. It was just 3,000 shy of the original target of 24,000 people. "We were met with one challenge after another. At one point, we even contemplated cancelling the concert but we decided to go ahead and really pull out all the stops to make sure everything is in place on time," said Benedict Jimbau, Chairman of Rainforest World Music Festival 2009. Part of the challenge include ensuring that all possible measures are taken to eliminate or reduce the threat of the A(H1N1) influenza. Every festival goer were subjected to thermal scans, had their hands sprayed with a disinfectant solution and were given face masks to put on in crowded spaces. Still, that did not dampen the mood of the audience who were there to enjoy good music and frolic in the unique festival grounds. The third and final night of RWMF saw 5 bands performing on stage before having the 17 bands that performed throughout the 3-day festival coming together for an awesome finale. Akasha Still a Hit Returning for the second time, Kuala Lumpur-based band Akasha is still very much a hit in the RMWF crowd. The audience lapped up their classic Brickfields Blues, chortled with delight at the oriental Ipoh Hor Fun and went into a joyous frenzy when they tossed in a bit of Michael Jackson's Beat It. It was truly an exhilirating experience hearing traditional Indian musical instruments such as the sitar, tabla and mridhangam being used to produce songs from other cultures including the Malay zapin. Formed just one year ago in the 11th RWMF, this instrumental band was delighted to perform once again in their birth place. "It really is the best place on earth to perform," Jamie Wilson, the band leader enthused.

China Meets India

Once again the 4 Chinese ladies of the Red Chamber band showed their prowess in their traditional Chinese stringed instruments and producing wonderful sounds from the Imperial Chinese court and even Bulgaria. Their fingers moved so fast and furiously over the intricate compositions. Their faces were fiery and suffused with passion.

On Friday during their first performance, they played bluegrass music with Jeff and the Vida. This time around, they invited 2 percussionists from Akasha to fuse the sounds of the tabla and ganjira. The result was a strange piece that still bore distinct sounds of the two cultures. Still, it was an experiment that one doesn't often get to see....'

- from amieyalen.cyrildason.com -

.....'The first performer was, Asika… Not that bad, and I enjoyed the music too… but all those while they were performing, I kept on thinking about AkashA… and wish they were the one whom perform the whole night…. I just admired AkashA so much…'

'.... Listen for instance to Malaysia’s Akasha. The Sitar makes it clear that there is an Indian base here, the guitars - Spain? Nashville? The drums, well they could be from Sabah, Africa, South America….anywhere where rhythm is practiced, well musically anyway. Keyboard.Beethoven and Liszt used that, but so did Jerry Lee Lewis.

The result from Akasha was outstanding, beautiful to listen to and near impossible not to dance to. Their seamless incorporation of MJ’s “Beat It” into one otherwise oriental number was evidence, if more were needed, that there are very few boundaries here, and this nod to recent events was fully appreciated by the audience too......' - www.lifeandstyle.com.my, by Freya

The Johor Arts Festival, July 2009

We stayed at the Pan Pacific Hotel, JB, and the venue was a stage built outdoor, at Kota Raya, right next to the hotel. Our lunch was supplied by the kind Annalakshmi JB, who even delivered the food to our hotel as we were so pressed with time.

The show turned out great ( minus me forgetting my white AkashA top, as the photos tell) but the audience turn out left much to be desired. It was a show minus Badar and Eric, as both were unable to come at the last mo.

Still, the audience reposnded really well to us, and we played to thier enthusiasm with all our hearts!

Quote from a blog - seansarea.blogspot.com

This was said about AkashA about the KB Arts Festival show, 18th July 2009, in a blog...

.....Been involved with the JSPA JB Arts Festival again. Organised by JSPA (my parents), so far there's been a number of interesting performances.

Top of the list has to be today's AkashA. AkashA are a 7-piece fusion group with guitars, percussions, piano and the sitar. Their music combines styles of Malay, Chinese, Indian and Western music. Basically a rojak, mish-mash, which comes out sounding unique, original and very very good. And, with songs like Ipoh Hor Fun, it is a truly Malaysian sound.....

PRESS RELEASE - RWMF 2009!!!

May 27, 2009

AKASHA RETURNING TO RWMF TO SHOWCASE THEIR HOT INDIAN FUSION MUSIC

---

After their performance was cut short last year due to a slight change in the concert programme, AkashA is given another opportunity to woo the Rainforest World Music Festival with their hot Indian fusion music. Woo the crowd they did last year because the response given to them was overwhelming.

This Kuala Lumpur-based band is also returning to the RWMF with a bigger outfit by adding three more members to create better sound ensemble. Speaking on behalf of the band, Sivabalan Shanmuga Sundram who played the mriddangam, ganjeera and kunnakol said AkashA is excited about their second appearance at the festival which will be held from July 10 to 12 at the Sarawak Cultural Village in Kuching.

Apart from Sivabalan, the original members of AkashA that came last year were Kumar Karthigesu who played the sitar, Jamie Wilson (acoustic steel guitar) and Vikneswaran Ramakrishnan (tabla and kunnakol). For this year’s show, Sivabalan had roped in Badar Fawzey Taleb who play world percussions, Eric Li (digital piano) and Greg Henderson (acoustic bass guitar).

Although all the band members are experience musicians who had performed in various acts in Malaysia, the band itself was only formed last year solely for RWMF 2008. Nevertheless, their debut show received overwhelming response from festival goers.

The encouraging respond had also convinced AkashA to launch its album entitled “into… AkashA” early this year and the album consisted of wide genre of music played on traditional instruments with a twist of fusion.

The inclusion of three additional members to the band will enable AkashA to showcase a greater performance at the festival and they will also play songs and music from their newly launched album. AkashA music is a mixture of fiery percussion with blazing piano and raging sitar solos and guitar. Tha band described their music as a redefine of Indian music laced with Malaysian and world influence.

EXCITED TO BE BACK…AkashA promised to showcase an exciting show.	File photo of AkashA at last year’s RWMF

Admitting that they are excited about returning back to the festival, Akasha is also looking forward to perform alongside other renowned bands Dazkarieh from Portugal, Inti-illimani (Chile), Jeff & Vida Band (USA), Jouhiorkesteri (Finland), Moana & The Tribe (New Zealand), Muzsikas (Hungary), Noreummachi (Korea), Oudaden (Morocco), Poum Tchak (France), Red Chamber (Canada/China), Sekaa Jaya Jenggala (Indonesia), The St Nicholas Orchestra (Poland) and Zawose Family Africa (Tanzania). They will also be joined by other Malaysian bands like Asika, Kinabalu Merdu Sound and Lan-e Tuyang.

Ticket to the Rainforest World Music Festival 2009 is now available at the Visitors Information Centre (VIC) in Kuching, Sarawak and online at www.ticketcharge.com.my. The tickets are priced at RM90 for one-day pass and RM250 for three-day pass each for adult while tickets for children between three and 12 years old is priced at RM45 for one-day pass and RM100 for three-day pass each.

The sales of the three-day passes will last until June 26 and after that date, only daily passes will be on sale. During the actual festival date, the ticket sale at the gate will be sold at RM100 for one -day pass (adult) and a child one-day pass is RM55 each.

STB is offering is an exclusive design t-shirt to those who purchase two three-day passes now. The offer is for only 500 t-shirts and only available to those buying the ticket online.

Malaysia’s sole cable television broadcaster ASTRO is the festival’s exclusive media partner while other partners include Shell, Heineken and Malaysia Airlines.

The festival which had been acknowledged as Malaysia’s tourism icon is also supported by the Ministry of Tourism, Malaysia and Ministry of Urban Development and Tourism, Sarawak. It is also endorsed by Tourism Malaysia.

STB has also includes the Rainforest World Craft Bazaar to add more colours to the festival. The bazaar held for the second year, will be staged at the same venue and to run simultaneously with RWMF.

Different Strokes - The Star

Friday June 26, 2009

Different strokes

By SHARMILLA GANESAN

Born and bred in Malaysia, the world music outfit AkashA straddles diverse genres and styles.

BIG names they may be, but the members of music group AkashA would much rather be known for their music. The group comprises some fine musicians from a plethora of genres: Jamie Wilson (guitar), S. Sivabalan (mridangam), Greg Henderson (bass), Kumar Karthigesu (sitar), Vick Ramakrishnan (tabla), Badar Ben Taleb (percussion), and Eric Li (piano).

“It’s really more about the music and less about the musicians,” shares Henderson during a recent interview. “When we play together, we stop being individuals, and AkashA happens. There’s a twinkle in our eyes, and we look at each other and say, ‘Wow, can you feel that?’

“I don’t really get what happens when we perform, but I love it!” chimes in Sivabalan, who was awarded the Cross-Cultural Champion of the Arts Award at the recent BOH Cameronian Arts Awards, an annual ceremony which recognises artists and their works that have contributed to the development of Malaysian arts.

Music of the world: AkashA consists of (from left) Greg Henderson, Eric Li, S. Sivabalan, Badar Ben Taleb, Jamie Wilson, Vick Ramakrishnan and Kumar Karthigesu.

While the term “world music” can sometimes seem a rather overused and convenient tag, AkashA’s music is “world” music in every sense; besides traditional Malay, Chinese and Indian music, their pieces also straddle diverse styles like funk, blues, rock, jazz, Irish jigs and rhumba.

Songs like Bombay Bossanova, Irish Joget For Sitar and Java Raaga marry a variety of sounds to produce pieces that are both exotic yet familiar.

“People get to experience different genres of music on different instruments,” enthuses Sivabalan. “I myself had never played bossanova on a mridangam before.

“Jamie (Wilson) is the force behind the band; he inherently gets fusion music and understands that it’s not just putting things side by side, but about juxtaposing different styles.”

The group members also like to think of their music as a quintessentially Malaysian sound that reflects on the country as it is today.

“The fact that we’re a multicultural group is a reflection of Malaysia and the diversity we have here,” says Henderson. “The music itself, too, is starting to take a Malaysian form, and boiling down to what Malaysia is all about.”

Take their song Ipoh Hor Fun, for example. Wilson penned the piece, insipired by traditional Chinese music, while the group was on its way to a gig in Ipoh. They decided to perform it and came up with the song’s title on a whim.

“When we performed it, people went mad! They loved it!” says Sivabalan. “It’s a representation of Chinese music in a Malaysian context, and it really worked!”

AkashA first burst into the local music scene during last year’s Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) in Sarawak, with its winning blend of Eastern and Western music styles, and completely won over the audience. Due to the amazing response it garnered, AkashA has been invited to perform at this year’s festival as well. What many people don’t know is that the group was only hastily put together right before the festival itself!

“The organisers (of RWMF) initially called me because they wanted Prana (a fusion ensemble that Sivabalan had been a part of) to perform, but it was already defunct at that point,” recalls Sivabalan.

“So I contacted four other friends (including Wilson, Kumar and Vick) to put together a group, and lo and behold, we received a fantastic response!”

The musicians realised they had something big on their hands and decided to take it further. Henderson, Badar and Li came on board, and they became what Sivabalan calls “a beautiful set”. Within months, they were raring to record an album.

The album, Into... AkashA, was released in March this year, and has steadily gained recognition for its ability to present both deep and lighthearted pieces with a unique sound. While most of the group’s original material is written by Wilson, each member of AkashA is given ample space to display and explore their individual areas.

This is even more apparent in a live performance, and so it is no wonder that the group is eagerly anticipating their gig at the RWMF 2009.

Both Sivabalan and Henderson agree that AkashA is best experienced live, both for the audience and for themselves as performers.

“That experience is something completely different,” explains Sivabalan. “People prefer watching us live because of the spontaneity we bring to the stage.”

“The live performance is infinitely more powerful, exciting and energetic!” adds Henderson, who will be performing at the RWMF for the first time. “There’s a certain chemistry that can only happen when we’re playing live.”

● Catch AkashA live on July 3 at Laundry Bar, The Curve, as a preview to the Rainforest World Music Festival 2009.

Cuzzy Media's Edited Video @ KLPAC

Watch this short Video, recorded by Cuzzy Media at KLPAC!!

Listen to AkashA's Tracks!!!!

You can listen to 3 of AkashA's tracks, Bourbon Lassi, Esperanto and Damascus, on MySpace.

Click HERE to go THERE!!


http://www.myspace.com/akashaworldwide

AkashA's Videos on YouTube!!

KLPAC, March 2009 - Zapin for Mariam -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1M0U1mMZ3c&feature=related


TFA Penang, April 2009 - Ipoh Hor Fun -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3twTceEVMo


TFA Penang, April 2009 - Bamboleo -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOOOobOwMJA


TFA Penang, April 2009 - Java Raaga -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duM7kdKSBrU&feature=related

Bourbon Lassi on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRZdyrWTHIE

Esperanto on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K776r6TMh_8

Ipoh Hor Fun: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ydYKSVyKVQ

AkashA @ Rainforest World Music Festival 2008: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXIapuXViZU

AkashA - KLPAC Show Photos March 2009 1

AkashA - KLPAC Show Photos March 2009

What The Critics Say of AkashA...

Excerpts of the various newpaper reviews of AkashA's performances


‘..Highlighting the opening night performances and lifting the crowd's spirits after more than an hour of torrential tropical rain was the collaborative group known as AkashA. Combining members from two contemporary Indian world-jazz-fusion music-centric groups (Prana and Inner Space), AkashA was created from through the friendships developed through years of musical study and performance at the Temple of Fine Arts in Kuala Lumpur. Akasha featured Sivabalan S. Shanmuga Sundram (mridangam), Kumar Karthigesu (sitar), Jyotsna Praksah (piano), Vickneswaran Ramakrishnan (tabla) and Jamie Wilson (guitar). The group's performance included blues, jazz and rock music with an inspired version of Jimi Hendrix's classic Voodoo Child’ - Asiance Magazine Review
‘Each song in Into…AkashA is different and has a personality of its own, innocent and forthcoming, and hence easily accessible music’ - The Edge Financial Daily.
‘…From the first thaka dhim, my night was made.’ - New Straits Times, Malaysia

‘..we were treated to a real pot-pourri of traditional music styles set against one another in unlikely combinations…
..the percussion trio moved seamlessly from Latin to Malay to Indian classical…
…Henderson’s rock solid, and occasionally unison bass-playing, and Li’s jazz- tinged and sporadically explosive piano work… it was easy to understand why the buzz about this group is so great’ - The STAR, Malaysia

‘The Malaysian super band Akasha played soulful blues using Indian sitars and tabla percussions. They awed the crowds as their vocalist fused scat singing and rap with indigenous hymns.’ – Manila Times, Philippines
‘ ...the nights were packed with gems composed by Wilson that allowed his compadres to shine with amazing chemistry and a seemingly psychic connection among the players’
- New Straits Times, Malaysia

‘But all that soon changed when the rain ceased dramatically and Akasha came on stage. Two of the percussionists started “playing” in acapella mode, mimicking the sounds of the traditional Indian drums perfectly. Like moths to a flame, the crowd drew nearer to the stage and cheered the band further. These four lads and one lady from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia then proceeded to make the kind of music that makes your heart pound sweetly and your feet moving on their own accord. Their music is a very pleasant blend of traditional and contemporary that resonated well with the audience who cheered them on enthusiastically. Their original tune ‘Brickfields Blues’ was truly groovy, it was the first time I heard blues being played on a sitar. It was followed by a funny, cutesy and danceable “Ants in My Turban”. Indeed Akasha left the Rainforest World Music Festival audience clamouring for more.’ - Virtual Malaysia Online

‘the Malaysian band Akasha was the first band I saw and they were one of the best local bands I've seen - the interplay between sitar player Kumar Karthigesu and Jamie Wilson's blues guitar was excellent.’ - Bangkok Post, Thailand

‘One of the things I was most pleased with at the RWMF2008 was the performances and professionalism of Malaysian groups AkashA and Kan’id. Both outfits carried themselves well in the public eye and gave entertaining performances and workshops. In fact, AkashA impressed the organisers so much, the band will probably be invited again next year, as programme/stage manager Randy Raine-Reusch announced at a press conference on the final day of the festival. AkashA’s music is a blend of classical Indian and Western music. Audiences were thrilled with band member Kumar Karthigesu’s sitar-playing skills, especially when he played rock-sounding riffs. Having been trained in Indian classical music since childhood, this band was able to use their skills innovatively, without losing the essence of what they had long studied, and all the while managed to keep the audience happy.’
– The Star, Malaysia
‘Anyway, there was this locally based group performed well on the first night. They were one of those that really got my attention and made me hungered for more. Akasha was what they called themselves. Once their music started, the crowd roared. You knew that they could be good and indeed, their performance was unique and got to be a world-class standard.’
- Blogger 1
‘this Kuala Lumpur-based band will be showcasing original composition of spicy, piquant flavour and danceable rhythms…..This is their special treat for the festival goers.’ - Brunei Post, Brunei

‘I was there and AkashA band was phenomenal..probably best for the festival!! Im glad to know that they are from malaysia. makes us proud.’ - Blogger 2

Sivananda Home Charity Fund Raiser Dinner

Sivananda Home Charity Dinner
organised by Divine Life Society
Sunday 26th April 2009
Berjaya Times Square Hotel, Kuala Lumpur.

featuring Jyotsna Nityanandan, Kumar Karthigesu and guest artist Nawaz Mirajkar.

- Inner Space Performing Arts performed for The Divine Life Society's charity project. Since Prakash Kandasamy was away in Australia at this point, we borrowed Nawaz Mirajkar from TFA Singapore to join the band.

Our 30 mins segment presented old pieces including Hamsadhwani North and South, Viraha, Guruji's Kirwani, and Sukhi. We ran out of time, and could not play Varsha, as we intended to.
Good show, noisy but appreciative crowd.

Nawaz and I had a good time hanging out the next day as well, catching up.

Brickfields Blues Akasha - in Time Out KL

Brickfields Blues Akasha

April 2009

By Brian Kwan

Brickfields Blues Akasha

Sruti, swara, raga, and tala are the basic foundations of Indian classical music. You'll typical find instruments such as the mridangam, tambura, tabla and ganjira, used in that form of music. But when you fuse typical blues lines into Indian classical music, that's where typicality stops and the magic of music begins. Some call it world music. Others, fusion. Regardless which genre box the world wants to put this music into, it's basically an exploration of the boundaries in music and discovering new expressions.

The idea of blending different musical traditions with modern music just as jazz, rock or pop is not new. Early practitioners of the genre were said to be Shakti, a group that merged Indian music with elements of jazz. Then you have Ancient Future, a musical group that meshed various old music traditions with jazz, rock and reggae. Fast forward to the present and you now have Akasha joining the ever-growing list of world music bands.

Akasha was a group initially formed to perform at the 2008 Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) in Kuching. It's a combination of two local bands that have been dabbling with Indian classical music. One was Prana, a seven piece group with similar musical styling as Akasha and the other, Inner Space, from the Temple of Fine Arts. 'It was kind of thrown together actually because the band they originally wanted was some form of the Prana band but then we weren't playing together anymore,’ says Jamie Wilson, the composer, arranger and guitarist of Akasha. 'So then we tried to put something together by using half of one band and half of another band. And it turned out to be really good.' So good in fact that this supposed one-off gig turned the group into a long term project. 'The response is really good so you just have to keep going,' quips Wilson.

The band's name itself is a Sanskrit word, which means ethereal space or bountiful space as Sivabalan S Shanmuga Sundram, the mridangam, ganjira and kunnakol practitioner of the band explains. 'Antares, the person that got us the gig for Rainforest World Music Festival was the person that christened the name for us,' Siva reveals. 'We decided it sounds good and it reflected what we wanted to do. It fits the band because we're using these instrumentation to explore blues, Latin, rumba, jazz and other music as much as possible.'

While purists might crucify the musicians for fusing traditional Indian music forms with Westernised music, Akasha is certain most of their audience will be able to take it. 'A Malaysian Indian is already a little fusion as compared to the traditional India Indian,' says Kumar Karthigesu, the sitar player. 'You might be wearing an Indian top but wearing jeans and you'll see loads of Indians eating in a Chinese shop. So it has become a common thing in our environment.'

'A big difference with the way this band is doing it which might probably get these guys into trouble with the purists is Kumar is playing BB King lines on the sitar or the percussionists fit their parts into something which has a little more Latin feel,' expresses Wilson. 'I think there was a famous quote that said "Show me a purist and I'll show you a deaf person". Because it means they've decided already what's music. What's right. What's wrong without giving them a chance to enjoy or not enjoy it.'

And that is what makes Akasha stand out from the numerous world fusion bands. The band explores the possibility of using traditional instruments to play modern music and also have Western instruments playing traditional music. The band's unique sound features blues but also fiddles with Latin, irish jig and the Malaysian joget. With each having more then 20 years of experience in music, these boys know what they are talking about.

Now with less than a year in formation, Akasha has produced their debut album dubbed 'Into... Akasha'. The ten-track album came hot on the heels of RWMF as they garnered a large fan base, requesting their material. 'The stuff is really, really pop and that's all concentrating on the entertainment factor,' clarifies Greg Henderson, the famous sound engineer, producer and bassist of the group. 'This whole purist thing and how people assess music from a musical point of view is all well and good but I think generally the general public doesn't even think of music in those terms. They just want to be entertained.'

'In terms of musical content, melody or rhythm structure, we are in no shortage and it's rich,' Kumar speaks. 'We've got the musicality and it's strong. Now it's tweaking it to make it popular. So there's no conflict there. We're not sacrificing or watering anything down to make it commercial or popular.'

How could that be when the boys have been invited for this year's 12th RWMF? They are also slated to perform at Harvard University and at the Tubac Plaza World Music Day Festival in Arizona. With the current line up of Siva, Kumar, Jamie, Greg and not forgetting Vic Ramakrishnan on tabla and kunnakol, Badar Fawzi on percussions and Eric Li on piano, things are looking good for 2009.