The Just Alap Raga Ensemble is a
Hindustani classical music
Hindustani classical music is the Indian classical music, classical music of the Indian subcontinent's northern regions. It may also be called North Indian classical music or ''Uttar Bhartiya shastriya sangeet''. The term ''shastriya sangeet'' ...
ensemble, based in New York City, formed in 2002 by
La Monte Young
La Monte Thornton Young (born October 14, 1935) is an American composer, musician, and performance artist recognized as one of the first American minimalist composers and a central figure in Fluxus and post-war avant-garde music. He is best k ...
,
Marian Zazeela
Marian Zazeela (April 15, 1940 – March 28, 2024) was an American light artist, designer, calligrapher, painter, and musician based in New York City. She was a member of the 1960s experimental music collective Theatre of Eternal Music, and was ...
, and
Jung Hee Choi. The ensemble performs music in the tradition of the
Kirana Gharana
The Kirana Gharana is a Hindustani music apprenticeship tradition (''gharana'') made popular by Bande Ali Khan in the 19th Century and his cousins Abdul Karim Khan and Abdul Wahid Khan. Evolved from the instrumental and vocal Gauharbani dhru ...
, a style inherited through Young and Zazeela's long discipleship under master Indian vocalist,
Pandit Pran Nath
Pandit Pran Nath (Devanagari: पंडित प्राणनाथ) (3 November 1918 – 13 June 1996) was an Indian classical singer and master of the Kirana gharana singing style. Promoting traditional raga principles, Nath exerted ...
. The music features extended ''
alap
The Alap (; ) is the opening section of a typical North Indian classical performance. It is a form of melodic improvisation that introduces and develops a raga. In dhrupad singing the alap is unmetered, improvised (within the raga) and unaccomp ...
'' sections and sustained vocal drones in
just intonation
In music, just intonation or pure intonation is a musical tuning, tuning system in which the space between notes' frequency, frequencies (called interval (music), intervals) is a natural number, whole number ratio, ratio. Intervals spaced in thi ...
over ''
tamburas''.
[Young, L., & Zazeela, M. (2015). "The Just Alap Raga Ensemble, Pandit Pran Nath 97th Birthday Memorial Tribute, Three Evening Concerts of Raga Darbari". MELA Foundation, New York.]
Style
The Just Alap Raga Ensemble merges the traditions of Western and Hindustani classical music, with Young applying his own compositional approach to traditional raga performance, form, and technique. With the ensemble, Young has introduced several new elements to Indian classical music. The pre-composition part of the ''alap'', includes drones in two- and three-part harmony as well as counterpoint, while Young's harmony lines for these compositions comprise the introduction of two-part harmony into Indian classical ''
khayal
Khyal or Khayal (ख़याल / خیال) is a major form of Hindustani classical music in the Indian subcontinent. Its name comes from a Persian language, Persian/Arabic language, Arabic word meaning "imagination". Khyal is associated with rom ...
'' composition.
Members
The founding members of The Just Alap Raga Ensemble were La Monte Young, Marian Zazeela, and Jung Hee Choi, voices. Brad Catler,
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 ...
, became a member in August 2002. Rose Okada,
sarangi
The sārangī is a bowed, short-necked three-stringed instrument played in traditional music from South Asia – Punjabi folk music, Rajasthani folk music, Sindhi folk music, Haryanvi folk music, Braj folk music, and Boro folk music (the ...
, became a member in June 2002.
Charles Curtis
Charles Curtis (January 25, 1860 – February 8, 1936) was the 31st vice president of the United States from 1929 to 1933 under President Herbert Hoover. He was the Senate Majority Leader from 1924 to 1929. An enrolled member of the Kaw Natio ...
, cello, became a member in August 2003. Da’ud Constant, voice, became a member in February 2004. Naren Budhkar, tabla, joined the ensemble in June 2004.
Jon Catler, fretless sustainer guitar, became a member in September 2006.
Performance History
*August 22, 2002 for the Ustad Hafizullah Khan Sahib Invitational Memorial Tribute;
*November 3, 2002 for the Pandit Pran Nath 84th Birthday Memorial Tribute;
*June 12, 2003 for the Pandit Pran Nath Memorial;
*August 9, 2003 on the first anniversary of Khalifaji Hafizullah Khan Sahib's passing;
*November 1, 2003 for the Pandit Pran Nath 85th Birthday Memorial Tribute;
*March 27, 2004, the first concert dedicated to the memory of
Ustad Abdul Wahid Khan Sahib;
*July 24, 2004, a Memorial Tribute to Pandit Pran Nath and Ustad Hafizullah Khan Sahib;
*November 6, 2004 for the Pandit Pran Nath 86th Birthday Memorial Tribute;
*February 5, 2005, in memory of Ustad Abdul Wahid Khan Sahib;
*October 29 and November 5, 2005 for the Pandit Pran Nath 87th Birthday Memorial Tribute;
*June 17 and 24, 2006 for the 10th Anniversary Memorial Tribute to Pandit Pran Nath;
*January 6 and 13, 2007 in memory of Ustad Abdul Wahid Khan Sahib;
*June 29 and July 6, 2007 for the 11th Anniversary Memorial Tribute to Pandit Pran Nath;
*February 8 and 15, 2008 in tribute to Ustad Abdul Wahid Khan Sahib and Ustad Hafizullah Khan Sahib;
*June 20 and 27, 2008 for the 12th Anniversary Memorial Tribute to Pandit Pran Nath;
*February 1, 2009 at the
Yoko Ono
Yoko Ono (, usually spelled in katakana as ; born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking.
Ono grew up in Tokyo and moved to New York ...
Courage Awards;
*March 14 and 21, 2009 in tribute to Pandit Pran Nath at the
Guggenheim Museum
The Guggenheim Museums are a group of museums in different parts of the world established (or proposed to be established) by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation.
Museums in this group include:
* The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, Ne ...
Dream House in The Third Mind exhibition;
*October 28, 2009 for the
Merce Cunningham
Mercier Philip "Merce" Cunningham (April 16, 1919 – July 26, 2009) was an American dancer and choreographer who was at the forefront of American modern dance for more than 50 years. He frequently collaborated with artists of other discipl ...
Memorial;
*November 13 and 20, 2009 for the Pandit Pran Nath 91st Birthday Memorial Tribute;
*June 12 and 19, 2010 for the 14th Anniversary Memorial Tribute to Pandit Pran Nath;
*November 6 and 13, 2010 for the Pandit Pran Nath 92nd Birthday Memorial Tribute;
*June 11, 18 and 25, 2011 for the 15th Anniversary Memorial Tribute to Pandit Pran Nath;
*October 29, November 6 and 13, 2011 for the Pandit Pran Nath 93rd Birthday Memorial Tribute; *March 19, 24, 31, Villa Elisabeth,
MaerzMusik
MaerzMusik is a festival of the Berliner Festspiele and has been held annually since March 2002 at the Haus der Berliner Festspiele and other venues. It is the successor festival to the Musik-Biennale Berlin and is considered one of the most impo ...
, Berliner Festspiele, April 7, ZKM Karlsruhe, and April 14, Kunst im Regenbogenstadl, Polling, Germany, for the Pandit Pran Nath Memorial Tribute Tour 2012;
*June 16, 23, and 30, 2012 for the 16th Anniversary Memorial Tribute;
*November 3, 10 and 17, 2012 for the Pandit Pran Nath 94th Birthday Memorial Tribute;
*June 1, 8 and 15, 2013 for the 17th Anniversary Memorial Tribute;
*October 26, November 2 and 9, 2013 for the Pandit Pran Nath 95th Birthday Memorial Tribute;
*June 7, 14 and 21, 2014 for the 18th Anniversary Memorial Tribute;
*November 1, 8 and 15, 2014 for the Pandit Pran Nath 96th Birthday Memorial Tribute;
*June 13, 19 and 27, 2015 for the 19th Anniversary Memorial Tribute at Dia 15 VI 13 545 West 22 Street Dream House, NYC;
"Dia 15 VI 13 545 West 22 Street Dream House"
a 2015 press release from Dia Art Foundation's website
*November 6, 14, and 20, 2015 for the Pandit Pran Nath 97th Birthday Memorial Tribute;
References
{{reflist
External links
MELA Foundation Website
br
Jung Hee Choi's Website
Musical groups established in 2002
Contemporary classical music ensembles
Pupils of Pran Nath (musician)
Year of birth missing (living people)
Hindustani music organisations