Rakesh Chaurasia was born 10 January 10, 1971, in Prayagraj (formerly Allahabad), Uttar Pradesh, India. He is a world-renowned bansuri (Indian classical flute) master and the nephew of the legendary flutist, Hariprasad Chaurasia.
Born into a family of musicians, Rakesh was a child prodigy and started playing the flute at a very young age under the guidance of his uncle. He went on to receive extensive training in Indian classical music and developed his skills to become one of the most accomplished bansuri players of our time.
Rakesh’s musical journey began when he was just five years old, and he quickly showed a natural talent for the instrument. With his uncle’s guidance and support, Rakesh learned to play the bansuri with elegance and virtuosity. He was soon performing in public and received high acclaim from audiences and music critics alike. His distinct style of playing, which incorporates elements of classical Indian music with contemporary influences, has earned him recognition and respect from music lovers around the world.
In addition to his musical abilities, Rakesh is also known for his innovation and experimentation with the bansuri. He has developed new techniques for playing the instrument and has explored new musical genres and styles, which has allowed him to expand the boundaries of traditional Indian classical music. This has earned him a reputation as a true musical innovator and has inspired many young musicians to take up the bansuri and pursue a career in Indian classical music.
Rakesh’s contributions to the world of music have been recognized with numerous awards and honors, including the prestigious Indian Music Academy Award (2007), Aditya Birla Kalakiran Purasakar (2008), Guru Shishya Award (2011), IWAP-Pandir Jasraj Sangeet Ratna Award (2013), Pannala Ghosh Puraskar (2013) and Indian of the Year 2017 in recognition of his outstanding contribution to Indian classical music.
He has also been invited to perform at many prestigious music festivals and concerts around the world, where he has received accolades and recognition from audiences and music lovers.
In addition to his work as an Indian classical music artist, he also leads Rakesh and Friends (RAF). This is a talented group of musicians, including Rakesh Chaurasia on flute, Gino Banks on drums, Satyajit Talwalkar on tabla, Sheldon D’Silva on bass, Sanjoy Das (aka Bapi) on guitar, and Sangeet Haldipur on keyboards, vocals, and composition.
RAF combines Indian classical music with world music, thanks to Rakesh’s innovative fusion of diverse musical gharana styles with world music styles. Under the leadership of Rakesh, the skilled ensemble is taking the artistic expression of Indian classical music to new heights.
Selected discography:
Tranquility, with Abhijit Pohankar (Sona Rupa Records 2001)
Vira, with Talvin Singh (Sona Rupa Records, 2002)
Call of Krishna (Sona Rupa Records, 2003)
Call of Krishna 2 (2005)
Dor (2006)
Call of Shiva (Sona Rupa, 2006)
Call of the Divine (Sona Rupa, 2013)
Swar Bandana (Legendary Legacy Promotions, 2008)
Raf (Sona Rupa, 2013)
Silent Flute (2019)
Finesse on Flute (2019)
ZaRa, with Zakir Hussain (Moment Records, 2022)
Saath Saath, with Purbayan Chatterjee (2022)
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.