David
Trasoff: sarode
Robert Jacobson: guitar
John Graves: double bass
Randy Gloss: tabla & percussion
Svara
is the new musical project of David Trasoff, one of the most renowned
Western performers of North Indian classical music. The project combines
the musical talents of a quartet of performers whose backgrounds and experience
span Indian music, Eastern European music, jazz, blues and Western classical
music. The result is an innovative and often surprising foray into unexplored
musical spaces.
The ensemble features David Trasoff performing on sarode, the stringed instrument made world famous by David’s teacher, the legendary maestro Ali Akbar Khan, but rarely heard outside the context of Indian classical music. David has established his reputation as a performer of Indian classical music with well-received performances throughout the United States, India, and Europe; he has also performed as part of Wadada Leo Smith's group N'da Kulture, and composed and performed music for film, theater and dance. David called on two of his former students at Cal Arts and the University of California, Santa Barbara, Robert Jacobson on guitar and John Graves on bass. Robert has established a solid reputation for new music performance with his group Coldwater, and John performs around LA on everything from Arabic orchestral music to gospel. The group is rounded out by Percussionist Randy Gloss. Randy studies tabla with Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri and is a founding member of Hands On’semble. All members of the group are contributing compositions to this poly-musical group.
For
further information please contact:
David Trasoff
323-255-7783
david@davidtrasoff.com
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Jazz Pick of the Week February 21-27, 2003
Released from the posh confines of its former Bel Air home, Rocco Somazzi’s namesake club has increasingly served a unique and desperately needed function in L.A. – a later-night hang where musicians, some young, some established, some internationally revered, can search unapologetically for difficult answers outside jazz’s mainstream. It’s without a doubt the most adventurous space in town – no one else consistently does the kind of nervy booking to which Somazzi is devoted – and the number of groundbreaking musicians found in the audience on any given night is testament to the club’s vitality as a nexus for new ideas. If you haven’t made your pilgrimage yet, this week’s three-night lineup gives you nothing but good excuses to do so – it’s particularly exemplary of the wide range of Somazzi’s vision, and there isn’t a bum choice in the bunch. On Fri., Feb. 21, Svara, a quartet recently formed by sarod master David Trasoff, will deftly mix Indian, Eastern European and Western classical music with jazz and blues. (The group includes the excellent guitarist Robert Jacobson, whose "Fat Tuesdays" jazz and creative music night at Club Fais Do-Do also deserves your support.) At Rocco’s now permanent and best space yet, in Hollywood’s Lillian Theater, 1076 Lillian Way – where the vibe is brick-warm and the sight lines are superb.
– Brandt Reiter
