Kuljit Bhamra MBE Hon DMus (born 1959) is a British composer, record producer and musician whose main instrument is the

tabla A ''tabla'' is a pair of hand drums from the Indian subcontinent. Since the 18th century, it has been the principal percussion instrument in Hindustani classical music, where it may be played solo, as an accompaniment with other instruments a ...

. He is best known as one of the record producers who pioneered the British

Bhangra Bhangra may refer to: * Bhangra (music), a genre of Punjabi music * Bhangra (dance), a folk dance of Punjab region * ''Bhangra'' (film), a 1959 Indian Punjabi-language film See also * Bhangara, Nepal Bhangara, Nepal is a village development c ...

sound and for his many collaborations with musicians from different genres and continents. His MBE was awarded in the Queen's Birthday Honour's List 2009 with the citation ''For services to Bhangra and British Asian Music.'' In July 2010 he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the

University of Exeter The University of Exeter is a research university in the West Country of England, with its main campus in Exeter, Devon. Its predecessor institutions, St Luke's College, Exeter School of Science, Exeter School of Art, and the Camborne School of ...

Early life and influences

Born in

Nairobi Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...

, Kenya, in 1959, his grandfather was an Indian artisan sent to Kenya by the

British Raj The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule ...

. Bhamra contracted

polio Poliomyelitis ( ), commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 75% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe ...

when he was one year old, which affected his left leg. This disability eventually led him to play the tabla whilst seated (similar to a drummer playing a drum kit) rather than seated on the floor – the usual practice for tabla players. Bhamra's father had gone to England to study civil engineering and in 1961 Kuljit and his mother joined him there. In 1968 they settled in

Southall Southall () is a large suburban town in West London, England, part of the London Borough of Ealing and is one of its seven major towns. It is situated west of Charing Cross and had a population of 69,857 as of 2011. It is generally divided ...

which has been Bhamra's home town ever since. Bhamra taught himself to play the tabla at the age of six and accompanied his mother, Mohinder Kaur Bhamra, who was a popular singer at weddings and public functions. Later, with Bhamra's two brothers playing accordion and mandolin, Mohinder Kaur recorded a number of albums that became successful – being sold through a network of corner shops in the Asian community. On the insistence of his father, Bhamra trained as a civil engineer at

Middlesex University Middlesex University London (legally Middlesex University and abbreviated to MDX) is a public research university based in Hendon, northwest London, England. The university also has campuses in Dubai and Mauritius. The name of the university is ...

and then worked for Richmond Council for a while.Classical Music – 2 February 2008 p20

Career

In 1983 he produced and arranged an album for Premi – a Southall-based singer who introduced Bhamra to another new band Heera. The band's debut album, produced by Bhamra, was played back to back with Premi's, 24 hours a day, on the Asian pirate radio station Sina Radio (now

Sunrise Radio Sunrise Radio is a 24-hour Asian commercial radio station, focusing on entertainment, music and news from the Indian subcontinent. It broadcasts to the Greater London area on 963/972 AM, nationally on DAB through the Sound Digital multiplex, ...

). Using

multitrack recording Multitrack recording (MTR), also known as multitracking, is a method of sound recording developed in 1955 that allows for the separate recording of multiple sound sources or of sound sources recorded at different times to create a cohesive who ...

techniques whilst combining Indian percussion with western instruments and live orchestral violins, Bhamra went on to produce numerous albums for both British and Indian artists. Some of his productions became internationally successful and included songs such as 'Rail Gaddi' (by Chirag Pehchan); 'Pyar Ka Hai Bairi' (by Sangeeta); 'Giddha Pao Haan Deo' (by Mohinder Kaur Bhamra); 'Peer Tere Jaan Di' (by Gurdas Maan); 'Aj Tenoon Nachna Pao' (by

Mahendra Kapoor Mahendra Kapoor (9 January 1934 – 27 September 2008) was an Indian playback singer. In a long career spanning decades, his repertoire included popular songs such as ''Chalo ekbaar phir se Ajnabi ban jayen hum dono'' ( Gumrah) and ''Neele Gagan ...

); 'Patel Rap' (by Bali), 'Nachdi Di Gooth Khulgaye' (by Premi) and Jag Wala Mela (by Heera). In 1986 Bhamra established ''Keda Records'', an independent record label committed to producing high quality cassettes and LPs. Bhamra was profiled in the 1992 movie ''Confusion'' a Black Arts Video Project funded by the

Arts Council of Great Britain The Arts Council of Great Britain was a non-departmental public body dedicated to the promotion of the fine arts in Great Britain. It was divided in 1994 to form the Arts Council of England (now Arts Council England), the Scottish Arts Council (l ...

. Bhamra finally gave up his career as a civil engineer in 1994 to concentrate on music. He purchased ''The Yard'' recording studio (situated next to Westar Studios in Southall) and renamed it ''Red Fort Studios''. Later in 1999 he became the owner of the whole complex after not renewing the lease for Westar Studios. Bhamra started a long history of collaboration with jazz saxophonist

Andy Sheppard Andy Sheppard (born 20 January 1957) is a British jazz saxophonist and composer. He has been awarded several prizes at the British Jazz Awards, and has worked with some notable figures in contemporary jazz, including Gil Evans, Carla Bley, ...

in 2000 when they worked on the album ''Dancing Man & Woman'' and went on to produce many joint compositions, performances and recordings including his debut album for ECM Records in 2010 ''Movements in Colour''. During this time, Bhamra further developed his playing styles and extended his tabla kit to include other percussion instruments such as snare drum, cymbals and various hand-held percussion. In 2001 Bhamra composed and directed the music for a production of the

Ramayana The ''Ramayana'' (; ), also known as ''Valmiki Ramayana'', as traditionally attributed to Valmiki, is a smriti text (also described as a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic) from ancient India, one of the two important epics ...

which debuted at the

Birmingham Repertory Theatre Birmingham Repertory Theatre, commonly called Birmingham Rep or just The Rep, is a producing theatre based on Centenary Square in Birmingham, England. Founded by Barry Jackson, it is the longest-established of Britain's building-based theatre ...

and went on to the

Royal National Theatre The National Theatre (NT), officially the Royal National Theatre and sometimes referred to in international contexts as the National Theatre of Great Britain, is a performing arts venue and associated theatre company located in London, England, ...

London. From 2002 to 2004 he performed as on-stage percussionist in

Andrew Lloyd Webber Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948) is an English composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End theatre, West End and on Broadway theatre, Broad ...

's musical ''

Bombay Dreams ''Bombay Dreams'' is a Bollywood-themed musical, with music by A. R. Rahman, lyrics by Don Black and the book by Meera Syal and Thomas Meehan, originally produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber. The London production opened in 2002 and ran for two ...

'' at The

Apollo Theatre The Apollo Theatre is a listed building, Grade II listed West End theatre in Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster, in central London.

, London. He also was 'dialect coach' for the production. Occasionally, audience members came to the front of the auditorium and danced to his drumming at the end of the show. Bhamra provided the Indian music for the musical ''

The Far Pavilions ''The Far Pavilions'' is an epic novel of British-Indian history by M. M. Kaye, published in 1978, which tells the story of a British officer during the British Raj. There are many parallels between this novel and Rudyard Kipling's '' Kim'' t ...

'' based on the novel of the same name by M.M. Kaye. It ran from 14 April 2005 till 17 September 2005 at the

Shaftesbury Theatre The Shaftesbury Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Shaftesbury Avenue, in the London Borough of Camden. It opened in 1911 as the New Prince's Theatre, with a capacity of 2,500. The current capacity is 1,416. The title "Shaftesbury Theat ...

in London. He continued his involvement in British Asian theatre productions and wrote the music for shows including ''Layla Majnun'' (Midlands Art Centre, July 2003); ''Deranged Marriage'' (Theatre Royal Stratford, Riverside Studios and Theatre Royal Windsor, 2005 to 2008), and ''Lion of Punjab'' (Watermans Art Centre, 2009). In 2009 Bhamra was featured artist at Salisbury International Arts Festival and curated six events during the 16 days of the festival, including a musical event at dusk at

Stonehenge Stonehenge is a prehistoric Megalith, megalithic structure on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, west of Amesbury. It consists of an outer ring of vertical sarsen standing stones, each around high, wide, and weighing around 25 tons, to ...

, bringing together dancers, musicians and a shamanistic singer. Bhamra was the last Artistic Director of the

Society for the Promotion of New Music The Society for the Promotion of New Music (SPNM), originally named The Committee for the Promotion of New Music, was founded in January 1943 in London by the émigré composer Francis Chagrin, to promote the creation and performance of new music i ...

before its merger and renaming to

Sound and Music Sound and Music is the UK's national charitable agency for new music, established on 1 October 2008 from the merger of four existing bodies working in the contemporary music field: the Society for the Promotion of New Music (SPNM), the British Mu ...

– the first British Asian to hold this post in its 60-year history. Projects included ''Bhangra Latina'', the creation of a tabla notation system called ''Tablature!'', ''Folk From Here'' with

Kathryn Tickell Kathryn Tickell, Order of the British Empire, OBE, Deputy Lieutenant, DL (born 8 June 1967) is an English musician, noted for playing the Northumbrian smallpipes and fiddle. Music career Early life Kathryn Tickell was born in Walsall, to parent ...

, ''Raga Mela'' with

BBC Concert Orchestra The BBC Concert Orchestra is a British concert orchestra based in London, one of the British Broadcasting Corporation's five radio orchestras. With around fifty players, it is the only one of the five BBC orchestras which is not a full-scale sym ...

Royal Festival Hall The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,700-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London, England. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge, in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is a G ...

and an ongoing educational projects to demystify Indian music and teaching – making learning and playing of Indian music more accessible. In April 2009 Bhamra, along with film director and playwright Shakila Maan and photographer Ammy Phull launched the ''Southall Story'' – a project based around a website that celebrates the achievements of the people of this area of West London. The Southall Story exhibition was opened by film director and

resident

Gurinder Chadha Gurinder Kaur Chadha, (born 10 January 1960) is a Kenyan-born British film director of Indian origin. Most of her films explore the lives of Indians living in England. The common theme in her work showcases the trials of Indian women residing ...

OBE at the

Southbank Centre Southbank Centre is an arts centre in London, England. It is adjacent to the separately owned National Theatre and BFI Southbank. It comprises the three main performance spaces – the Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, and Purcell R ...

as part of the Alchemy Festival (7 April 2010 to 11 May 2010). On 17 June 2009 the

British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. Based in London, it is one of the largest libraries in the world, with an estimated collection of between 170 and 200 million items from multiple countries. As a legal deposit li ...

hosted a discussion evening entitled ''Southall: Music and Life''. Bhamra led the musical finale of the Liberty Festival in

Trafalgar Square Trafalgar Square ( ) is a public square in the City of Westminster in Central London. It was established in the early-19th century around the area formerly known as Charing Cross. Its name commemorates the Battle of Trafalgar, the Royal Navy, ...

on 5 September 2009. This event was created to showcase the breadth of artistic work and performance being created by deaf and disabled people and was supported by the

Mayor of London The mayor of London is the chief executive of the Greater London Authority. The role was created in 2000 after the Greater London devolution referendum in 1998, and was the first directly elected mayor in the United Kingdom. The current ...

Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (born 19 June 1964) is a British politician and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He wa ...

and the

Arts Council England Arts Council England is an arm's length non-departmental public body of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Department for Culture, Media and Sport. It is also a registered charity. It was formed in 1994 when the Arts Council o ...

. In 2010 Bhamra wrote a number of specially commissioned pieces of Indian music for Trinity Guildhall (

Trinity College London Trinity College London (TCL) is an examination board based in London, United Kingdom which offers graded and diploma qualifications across a range of disciplines in the performing arts and English language learning and teaching. Trinity Colleg ...

), for their grading examinations in electronic keyboard. This was the first time that Indian pieces have appeared in the syllabus. Pieces included ''Ghazal'' and ''Bollywood Love Song'' The

awarded Bhamra a Doctorate in Music in July 2010.

Musical output

Selected discography

As performer

* A S Kang – ''Jawani'' (1976) * Hans Raj Hans – ''Jogian De Kannan Wich'' (1982) * TV Personalities – ''Seminal Twang /Closer To God'' (1992) * Luke Haynes (Auteurs) – ''Baader Meinhof'' (1995) * Anne Dudley – ''A Different Light'' (2001) * Andy Sheppard – ''Dancing Man and Woman'' (2002) * Sarah Brightman – ''Harem – Love's Never Easy'' (2003) * Ringo Starr – ''Ringo Rama'' (2003) * Mike Lindup (Level 42) – ''Conversations with Silence'' (2004) * Faye Rochelle – "Reflections" * Enrique Iglesias – ''Driving'' (2005) * Britten Sinfonia & Joanna MacGregor – ''Bach Meets Moondog'' (2006) * Andy Sheppard – ''Glossolalia'' (2007) * ''Xavier Crochet'' (2007) * ''Andy Sheppard & Kuljit Bhamra – Live at St George's Bristol'' (2007) * ''John Heavens'' – (2007) * Andy Sheppard – '' Movements in Colour'' (2009) * Shakira – ''Gypsy'' live for television (2010) * Sugababes – ''About a Girl'' Radio 1 Live Lounge (2010) * Cevanne Horrocks-Hopayian – "Big Ears" (2012) * Sunday Driver (band) - "Flo" (2014)

As producer and composer

* Azaad Group – ''Nachdi Jawani'' (1986) * Mohinder Kaur Bhamra featuring K Deep – ''Punjabi Geet'' (1978) * Mohinder Kaur Bhamra featuring C Bawa- ''Kuri Southall Di'' (1981) * Bhujhangy Group – ''BHujhANGy(RA)'' (1989) * Sangeeta – ''A Breath of Fresh Bhangra Air'' (1991) * Bittu – ''Dhol Attack'' (1992) * Reshma & Mangal – ''Gentle Touch'' (1993) * Maqbool Sabri – ''Awargi'' (1995) * Pandit Jasraj – ''Pandit Jasraj'' * Anup Jalota – ''Classical Mood'' (1995) * Singh Bandhu – ''Gavo Sachi Bani'' * Anu Malik – ''Eyes'' * Sultan Khan & Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan – ''Pukaar'' (2001) * Alex Wilson – ''Inglaterra'' (2007) * Kuljit Bhamra – ''Subterfuge Invitro'' (2007) * Kuljit Bhamra – ''Bhangra Latina'' (2008) * Various artists – ''The Birth of Southall Bhangra'' (2010)

Platinum Disc Awards

* Premi – ''Chhamak Jehi Mutiyaar'' (1984) * Heera – ''Jag Wala Mela'' (1984) * Premi – ''Nachdi Di Gooth Khulgaye'' (1986) * Sangeeta – ''Flower in the Wind'' * Chirag Pechan – ''Rail Gaddi'' (1989) * Kuljit Bhamra & Shan Chana – ''Himalaya Dawn'' (2006)

Gold Disc Awards

* Mahendra Kapoor – ''Bhabi Gal Na Kari'' (1987) * Gurdas Maan – ''Peer Tere Jaan Di'' (1988) * Bali – ''Patel Rap'' (1989) * Mohinder Kaur Bhamra – ''Giddha Pao Haan Deo'' (1991) * Sangeeta – ''Flower in The Wind'' (1992)

Notable collaborations

Cascade – A jazz collective formed of Aidan O'Rourke (fiddle),

(saxophones), Sheema Mukherjee (sitar),

Simon Thoumire Simon Thoumire is a Scottish musician and an English concertina virtuoso. Thoumire has played all over the world. A winner of the BBC Radio 2 Young Tradition Award in 1989,London Jazz Festival The London Jazz Festival is a music festival held every November. It takes place in London venues such as the Barbican and the Royal Festival Hall and in smaller jazz clubs, such as Ronnie Scott's and the Vortex Jazz Club. It is produced by Se ...

on Sunday 19 November 2006 in the

Purcell Room The Purcell Room is a concert and performance venue which forms part of the Southbank Centre, one of central London's leading cultural complexes. It is named after the 17th century English composer Henry Purcell and has 370 seats. The Purcell Ro ...

and then toured around the UK. The project was commissioned with funds from the PRS Foundation, Esmée Fairbairn Charitable Trust and

Scottish Arts Council The Scottish Arts Council (), was a Scottish public body responsible for the funding, development and promotion of the arts in Scotland. The Council primarily distributed funding from the Scottish Government as well as National Lottery funds ...

. Bhangra Latina – mixing bhangra music with Latin American rhythms this project with

Alex Wilson (musician) Alex Wilson (born 21 November 1971) is a British pianist, composer, producer, arranger, and educator. Biography Alex Wilson was born in the UK and was brought up in Sierra Leone, UK, Austria and Switzerland. In 1993, after gaining a degree in ...

and Cevanne Horrocks-Hopayian (composer) also brought Latin dancers and

Sikh Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Si ...

dancers together on stage at the

Queen Elizabeth Hall The Queen Elizabeth Hall (QEH) is a music venue on the South Bank in London, England, that hosts European classical music, classical, jazz, and avant-garde music, talks and dance performances. It was opened in 1967, with a concert conducted by ...

on 21 September 2008. Raga Mela – With the

, Bhamra created a multi-cultural programme blending sounds of India with the spirit of the West. A set of workshops that culminated in a live event at the

(6 May 2009) and featured renowned Bollywood playback singer Kavita Krishnamurty and a 350 piece choir of school children. The performance was also broadcast on BBC Radio 3 (19 May 2009) With composer and pianist David Braun-White, Bhamra formed the Ku-Da-Mix Orchestra which debuted at the

Scala (club) Scala is a former movie theater, cinema turned nightclub and live music venue in Pentonville Road, London, England, near London King's Cross railway station, King's Cross railway station. History The Scala was originally built as a cinema to ...

in December 2006. This global orchestra, featuring instruments and musicians from all over the world, took part in the South Bank's Overture programme in June 2007 celebrating the re-opening of the

. In November 2009 the orchestra celebrated

The Stables The Stables (also known as the Stables Theatre) is a music venue situated in Wavendon, a small village in south-east Milton Keynes. The Stables hosts over 400 concerts and around 250 education events a year including the National Youth Music ...

40th anniversary with a concert opened by young musicians who had taken part in workshops held the month before. Mantra – a collaboration with the Orlando Consort, Jonathan Mayer (sitar) and Shahid Khan (vocals) which toured the UK. An album ''Mantra'' was produced along with a set of learning resources for the

National Centre for Early Music The National Centre for Early Music (NCEM) is an organisation which encourages, promotes and disseminates early music. Located in York, England, it is based in the converted and extended, Grade I listed medieval church of St Margaret's Church, ...

. From Hollywood to Bollywood with conductor Robert Ziegler and the BBC Concert Orchestra for Radio 2's ''Friday Night is Music Night''. The show was broadcast twice in 2010.

TV and film soundtracks

As producer and composer

* ''A Nice Arrangement'' (1991) * '' Bhaji on the Beach'' (1993) * ''

Bend It Like Beckham ''Bend It Like Beckham'' is a 2002 Sports film, sports comedy-drama film directed by Gurinder Chadha from a screenplay by Chadha, Paul Mayeda Berges, and Guljit Bindra. The film stars Parminder Nagra, Keira Knightley, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Anu ...

'' (2003) * ''Winter of Love'' – (2001) * ''Burger King'' – TV Commercial (2003) * ''Halifax Building Society'' – TV Commercial (2004) * ''Who Do You Think You Are?'' – BBC Television (2005) * ''The Night Listener'' (2006) * ''Boogie Beebies'' – Children's Songs for CBBC Television (2008)

As performer

* ''A Little Princess'' (1995) * ''Wings of A Dove'' (1997) * ''Madhur Jaffrey's BBC Christmas Special'' * ''The Four Feathers'' (2002) * ''Love & Hate'' (2002) * ''The Guru'' (2003) * ''Halifax Building Society'' – TV commercial (2003) * ''

'' (2004) * ''Bond'' (strings) – pop video (2005) * ''After The Wedding'' (2006) * ''Space Pirates'' – CBBC (2009)

Theatre and musicals

As composer

* ''A Song for a Sanctuary'' – Kali Theatre Company (1991) * ''Cloud Watching'' – Half Moon Young People's Theatre (1998) * ''The Ramayana'' – Birmingham Repertory Theatre (2000) * ''The Ramayana'' – The National Theatre (2001) * ''Mapping The Edge'' – The Crucuble Theatre Sheffield (2001) * ''Layla Majnun'' – Midlands Art Centre Birmingham (2003) * ''The Deranged Marriage'' – National Tour (2004–2006) * ''The Far Pavilions'' – The Shaftsbury Theatre (2005) * ''The Twelfth Night'' – Aubrey Theatre (2005) * ''Lion of Punjab'' – Punjabi Theatre Academy (2006) * ''The Snow Queen'' – Pantomime Theatre Royal Stratford East (2006) * ''King Cotton'' – Manchester Lowry & Liverpool Empire (2007)

As performer

* ''The Ramayana'' – Birmingham Repertory Theatre (2000)& The National Theatre (2001) * ''Bombay Dreams'' – Apollo Victoria Theatre (2002 to 2004) * ''The Far Pavilions'' – The Shaftsbury Theatre (2005) * ''Lion of Punjab'' – Punjabi Theatre Academy (2006) * ''King Cotton'' – Manchester Lowry & Liverpool Empire (2007)

Awards

* 1986 ''Best Musical Director'' – Asian Pop Awards * 1987 ''Best Musical Director'' – Asian Pop Awards * 1989 ''Top Musical director'' – The Mrs Kaur Trophy * 1992 Nomination for ''Men of Achievement'' award * 1993 ''Most Consistent & Prolific Producer'' – The Music Industry Accolade UK * 2001 ''Outstanding Contribution to the Music Industry'' – Matra Annual Award * 2002 Ramgharia Sabha Appreciation Award * 2007 ''Outstanding Contribution to Bhangra'' – Sikh Media Award * 2009 ''Best Pioneer Music Producer'' – The UK Bhangra Music Awards * 2009 ''MBE'' – For Services to Bhangra and British Asian Music * 2010 ''Honorary Doctorate of Music DMus'' – Exeter University

References

External links

BBC Saturday Live – Kuljit Bhamra profile

* ttps://www.bbc.co.uk/ouch/interviews/13_questions_kuljit_bhamra.shtml BBC Ouch! – 13 Questions:Kuljit Bhamra
Disability Now – Kuljit's Cultural Mix
*
Material in the Kuljit Bhamra Collection in the salidaa archive – part of VADS the online resource for visual arts

website of the Ku-Da-Mix Orchestra

website of Keda Records – Bhamra's record company

website of CHUTNEY in the Street by Kuljit Bhamra

website of Kuljit Bhamra
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bhamra, Kuljit 1959 births Living people Tabla players Indian male classical musicians Members of the Order of the British Empire British composers Bhangra (music) musicians British world music musicians World music percussionists Alumni of Middlesex University English film score composers English male film score composers British people of Indian descent