Deepak Ram is a highly gifted musician with a firm foundation in the traditions of North Indian classical music, as well as an inspired versatility ? straddling and ultimately doing away with the boundary that once divided East from West ? that makes each of his projects uniquely his own.
At a young age, Deepak Ram’s reputation grew rapidly. Among his many laurels is the award for Best Instrumental Album, South African Music Awards 2000. Ram has collaborated with renowned musicians in a variety of genres from jazz pianist Darius Brubeck to Tunisian ud player Dhafer Yousseff. He has performed throughout the world, including South Africa?s Millennium Concert on Robben Island before such illustrious audience members as presidents Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki. In addition to masterful composition, arranging and performance, Ram is also an accomplished teacher, most recently holding a post with the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Ram plays the bansuri, a bamboo flute whose origins date several thousands years back into India?s rich past, being the chosen instrument of Lord Krishna, its sweet, melancholy, yet joyful sound a manifestation of the divine.
Ram is accompanied on this recording by Swapan Chaudhuri on the tabla. Chaudhuri has shone in performances throughout the world, from Sand Francisco to Kuala Lumpur, both as accompanist as well as solo artist. Chaudhuri share Ram’s rich classical background as well as his poetic grace and inspired elegance.
Ram is featured on the soundtrack to the Sci-Fi movie, The Matrix Reloaded. Listen for Deepak?s soaring bansuri parts on Navras, a 9-minute work composed by British-based Juno Reactor in collaboration with Matrix score composer Don Davis.
Discography:
Song Of Nature – Orange Horizons – A Musical Rendition Of Nature (Magnasound, 1993)
Song Of Nature – Rhythm Of The Rain – A Musical Rendition Of Nature (Magnasound, 1993)
Gathering Forces II, with Darius Brubeck (B&W Music, 1994)
Ragas: Bhupali And Kirwani, with Shibshankar Ray (Bhakti Records, 1995)
Flute For Thought (M.E.L.T. 2000, 1998)
Searching For Satyam (M.E.L.T. 2000, 2000)
Beauty In Diversity (Golden Horn, 2002)
Prasad (Blessing), with Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri (Golden Horn, 2002)
Samvad (Conversation), with Ustad Tari Khan (Worldwide Records, 2007)
Steps (Golden Horn, 2008)
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.
