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| Indian Ocean By Association For India's Development |
Rupal Shah
09/12/2008
October 5, 2008
6:00 pm
MIT, Cambridge, MA
Fall is almost here-the season to enjoy the smell of the damp ground, to enjoy the vivid colors of leaves, and to enjoy cool, frosty mornings! This season if you are in Boston, you can also enjoy an Indo-rock fusion concert with jazz-spiced rhythms! On Sunday, October 5th 2008, the MIT and Boston Chapters of Association for India’s Development (AID) will be hosting Indian Ocean, an Indian jazz-rock fusion band from India.
Indian Ocean was founded in 1990 and over the last fifteen years, this quartet has attracted a huge following for its superb performance of original music that ranges from rocking political anthems to meditative spiritual ballads. The band’s lyrics celebrate journeys to transform the self as well as collective struggles to change the world. These songs of liberation and redemption combine memorable melodies with rhythms that bring audiences to their feet as they inspire the mind and soul.
The band is made up of 4 talented artists—Susmit Sen (guitar), Asheem Chakravarty (tabla, percussions, and vocals), Rahul Ram (bass guitar and vocals), and Amit Kilam (drums, percussions, and vocal). Sen has invented a new style of playing the guitar, an uncannily Indian sound where purity of scale reigns. His virtuoso talent never overshadows the big picture, but serves the songs immaculately, strengthening them and giving them a distinct character. Chakravarty’s rhythm structures are unique and contribute a large part to Indian Ocean’s signature sound. Ram’s bass playing moves smoothly – from melodic enmeshing with vocal and guitar lines to the more standard foundations. His vocals have a power that emphasizes the folk roots of the band. Kilam’s drumming is a balance between the conventional and non-conventional. Largely self-taught, he believes in layering rhythm which depict his abilities as an instinctive musician.
Indian Ocean has successfully released five albums: Indian Ocean (1993), Desert Rain (1997), Kandisa (2000) and Jhini (2003), and the sound track for the feature film, Black Friday (2005). Desert Rain, recorded live at a concert performed for the SAHMAT (Safdar Hashmi Memorial Trust) annual festival in Delhi, consolidated the band’s reputation as an original and intelligent addition to the Indian music scene. Other notable performances include the Khajuraho Millennium concert (1999) performed for the President of India, the inaugural concert at the Melbourne Arts Festival (2002), and the India-Pakistan Amity Concert (2002) at the Kresge Auditorium in MIT.
Indian Ocean has regularly performed for audiences in major US cities such as Dallas, Austin, Washington D.C., New York, and Seattle. Their popularity reigns all over the US and India and is evident by their sold-out and crowd-pleasing concerts. This year, they are coming to Boston and their concert will be hosted at MIT's Kresge auditorium on Sunday, October 5th from 6pm to 9pm. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at http://www.aidevent.org/LV .
This concert is hosted by AID (www.aidindia.org). Association for India’s Development is a non-profit, volunteer organization that works to promote just, sustainable, and equitable development in India. Association for India’s Development has 40 chapters in the US including the MIT and Boston Chapters. The organization provides a unique bridge for the non-resident Indian community to understand issues at the grassroots level through community-based groups in India that focus on issues of social justice, literacy, public health, livelihood, and agriculture.
This concert is hosted to raise funds to SOLELY support developmental projects in India, along with promoting contemporary Indian music.
We invite you to support this event and hope you will join us in our fundraising efforts. For further information, please visit http://www.aidevent.org/LV or call 781-777-2137.
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