Colors of the Mind: Raga Music for Sarode and Tabla
The ragas and talas (melodic and rhythmic forms) from India are a profound system developed to reflect the natural cycles of the day and season. As artists we draw from our lifetime of guidance and practice in these forms to create new pieces of music just for this occasion and place and for the people who have come to experience it.
A performance of Hindustani music for sarode with tabla accompaniment is a sonic journey taken together by the artists and the audience. The music is improvised, composed on the spot, but arises from the deep well of knowledge, study and musical craft that reaches back, through the tradition, and connects it to the current moment. Each performance is unique to its time and place, the engagement of the performer and the audience at that moment, and cannot be repeated. The art form draws upon melodic archetypes, the ragas, passed in oral tradition from teacher to student, guru to disciple, changing in aspects of outward form/presentation as the cultural context changes but retaining the essence of emotional content that colors the mind of the listener. A performance begins with a meditative section for solo sarode, an exploration in pure melodic imagery. This is followed by a series of dynamic melodic and rhythmic interactions of sarode and tabla in different rhythm cycles and ragas.
David Trasoff is recognized as one of leading western performers of North Indian classical music. He began his study of the sarode with the world-renowned maestro Ustad Ali Akbar Khan in 1973, continuing for the next 36 years. David was also a senior student and colleague of tabla maestro Ustad Zakir Hussain with whom he performed and recorded. Acclaimed for his performance in both the United States and India, David has appeared in concert in arts centers, universities, conservatories and festivals in the United States, Europe, and Asia and has made numerous performing tours in India. His recordings include a When Words Disappear, a CD of North Indian classical music recorded with Ustad Zakir Hussain and Svara:New World, original compositions for his quartet of sarode, guitar, bass and percussion.
Vikas Yendluri began his tabla training at the age of 5 with Sri Arshad Syed, and continued his training with Ustad Zakir Hussain, with whom he had the privilege of performing. Vikas has accompanied masters of Indian classical music such as Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Ustad Shahid Parvez, and Pandit Rajeev Taranath. In 2025 he was invited to perform at events commemorating Zakir Hussain in San Francisco, New York and Mumbai. Vikas is based in Seattle.
Cost: $15-20
Purchase advance tickets HERE
Contact for questions: David Trasoff