Niti Ranjan Biswas is an exciting tabla player and percussionist who has managed to incorporate an appealing blend of tradition and creativity into his music. Based in Amsterdam he is now one of the most sought after tabla players in Europe and has played with some of the great names of Indian classical music including Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia (flute), Kala Ramnath (violin), Pt. Dhruba Ghosh (sarangi), Pt. Budhaditya Mukherjee (sitar), and Purbayan Chatterjee (sitar).
Niti is a prominent member of two of Europe’s most innovative music projects. Drums United is a unique percussion group based in the Netherlands which brings together rhythms and percussionists from four continents. Later this year Niti will be joining them for his second major European tour with the project.
Since 2004 Niti has been working with Jungle Warriors a collaborative music project that brings together some of the best musicians from around the world. He will be performing with a band that includes outstanding and respected musicians from China India Netherlands and Senegal in the World of Strings tour.
Born in Dhaka, Bangladesh Niti started his musical journey at the tender age of just five and by his early teens was a favorite accompanist of Dhaka’s premier musicians. In 1993 he received a scholarship from the Government of India to study with one of the great exponents of the Ajrara tabla gharana Professor Sudhir Kumar Saxena in Baroda, Gujarat. While there he was also fortunate to study with the eminent tabla teacher Shri P.K. Shridhar. Niti has been fortunate to receive guidance from celebrated artists Pt. Anindo Chatterjee, Yogesh Samsi and Dhruba Ghosh. All of these musicians have had a profound influence on Niti’s musical development.
He successfully completed his Bachelor of Performing Arts (tabla) in 1996 and Masters of Performing Arts in 1998 with First Class Distinction. In 2003 he attained his Masters Degree in Jazz Percussion from the Conservatorium of Amsterdam. He is one of the few tabla artists suitably qualified to absorb Jazz influences into his tabla playing in a meaningful and innovative way.
website: www.nitiranjan.com
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
