Music Ensemble of Benares

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The Music Ensemble of Benares. Conceived in 1975 and founded in 1982 by the German musician Gnther Paust (b.1954), The Music Ensemble of Benares is, as the title would imply, a mélange of artists from the north Indian city of Benares (commonly known as Varanasi). Though the ensemble has grown and developed to encompass an eclectic array of musical styles and genres, it has as its core a founding in the roots of Indian classical music.

1 The origins
2 List of current members
3 CD Discography
4 DVD Releases
5 External links

[edit] The origins

The Sitar-player Ravi Shankar was arguably a seminal influence in introducing Indian Classical Music to the west. Like so many others, through Shankar's appearance at the 1969 Woodstock Festival, the German musician Gnther Paust first came in touch with the melodic Indian sounds, by which he was mesmerised, and which he sought to understand further.

In 1975 Paust left Germany and travelled overland to India by car. His purpose was initially to take sitar lessons, however, upon his subsequent arrival he soon realised that the sitar was an immensely complex instrument whose playing was immensely difficult; indeed, he conceived perhaps too difficult for most Europeans. Nevertheless, inspired and enchanted by the music he had encountered, Paust decided to pursue a different avenue into expressing his love of Indian classical music. Henceforth, upon his return to Europe he immediately began both organising concerts and producing records to further popularise, and introduce others to the sounds of Indian music.

Along with the musicians from the holy city of the River Ganges, Benares, in 1982, Paust founded the collective Music Ensemble of Benares with which he started his first European tour. From that point forth, this ensemble has performed regularly in Europe as a more or less open unit encompassing many different musicians and various instruments.

Since that time Paust has striven to bring new ideas and explore new facets of musical development. Besides presenting the traditional raga music and the Kathak Dance, he has also organised more experimental musical projects. Most notably, between 1989 and 1994 he organised the seminal "Jazz meets India" sessions with renowned Jazz musicians from the USA: legendary flautist Paul Horn, and other artists such as John Handy, David Friensen et al. all participated in this highly acclaimed project

The latest project which has been receiving worldwide attention since 1994, is a crossover project, fusing Northern Indian 'Kathak Dance' and Flamenco. Both of these unique forms of dance possess similar elements, and it is the aim of this project to further extend and explore the common roots of the two cultures.

[edit] List of current members

•Dayal, Jyotika (b.1967, Benares, India) As an upcoming artist she has completed her "Post Diploma" in the field of Hindustani Classical vocal music under the able guidance of Pandit Amarnath and Smt. Shanti Sharma at the "Shri Ram Bharatiya Kala Kendra" in New Delhi. She was a recipient of the senior scholarship from Ministry of Human resource and development, government of India from 1995-1998. Dayal has successfully performed at the Yuva Mahotsav festival, organised by Sahitya Kala Parishad, New Delhi. She has given several performances on various cultural occasions at Shri Ram Bharatiya Kala Kendra, also for "All India Radio". At the age of eighteen, she began her training in Kathak dance under Smt. Reba Vidyarthi, a well known dancer of the Lucknow Gharana. Under the guidance of Smt. Vaswati Mishra, also a well known dancer and choreographer, Dayal has since been awarded her second Post Diploma at the Kathak Kendra in New Delhi. Her first experiences abroad in Europe and Mauritius in the years 1995/1996 as a member of a large dance company of twelve artists. Since 1998 she has been a member of the Music Ensemble of Benares, where she has played an important part not only as a singer and kathak dancer, but also as a composer and choreographer.

•Moreno, Ursula, Rosalia (b.1973, M�laga, Spain). Originating from a family of important Spanish artists. Her uncle, Antonio Molina, was one of the best Flamenco singers in Andalucia. Her cousin, Angela Molino, is also a cult-figure in the Spanish movies. Her brother, Benjamin Moreno, is presently a soloist at the Spanish Radio and TV orchestra. Moreno made her studies for dance and performing arts at the "Real Conservatorio de Musica y Danza de M�lage". After a solid education she learned from renowned Flamenco masters, like: Tona Radely (M�laga), Loli Flores & Matilde Coral (Sevilla), Maria Magdalena, Antonio Canales, Carmen Cort�s "La China" and Adrian Galia (Madrid). During the years Moreno has developed a style of her own. She is both elegant and powerful, demanding and tender and at the same time modern and traditional . She uses the parts of her body in the dance to perfection enthralling the audiences. Morena has toured with the company of Conchita del Mar and Luis Ponce for many years until she founded her own dance studio in Switzerland. She was leading this studio for five years successfully. Since 2001 she has returned to her home-town M�laga and these days is the solo-dancer of the "Compania Flamenca Alhama" and the project "Antonio Andrade & Fiesta Flamancea". She also teaching Flamenco dance in Europe, USA and Japan

•Khan, Allarakha (b.1980, Jaipur, India). Khan belongs to a family of illustrious Sarangi players like: Ustad Noorkhan and Ustad Madari Khan of Sikar, who were very important sarangi players in Rajasthan. As a child he began taking Sarangi lessons, first from his father, Ustad Yamin Khan, and later from his grandfather, Ustad Imamuddin Khan. At the early age of sixteen he was able to give public concerts and has accompanied renowned masters, such as: Shuba Mudhgal, Atul Desai, et al. Khan is also a favourite studio musician at "All India Radio Station". Though his main subject is always classical Indian music, he is also interested in fusion projects. He has composed music for theatre and he also worked together with a DJ. As he says: "I would like to experience all of that which is possible to play on the Sarangi".

•Andrade, Antonio (b.1963, Puebla de Cazalla, Seville, Spain). He comes from a family who have a close connection to Flamenco. He was particularly influenced by his relative Jos� Menese, one of the greatest living Flamenco singers. Andrade started playing the guitar at a very young age under the tuteledge of renowned masters: Romero de Badajoz, Miquel Perez sr., Miquel Perez jr. and Antonio Amador. During his long career Andrade has worked with numerous artists such as: Javir Bar�n, Israel Galv�n, Antonio "El Pipa", Javier Cruz, Pilar Astola, Sara Baras, Carmen Ledesma, Meme Mengibar, Concha Vargas, Manolo Marin, Andr� Heller, et al. He has demonstrated his artistic talents in numerous concerts and tours at home and abroad. He is the founder and art director of the "Compania Flamenca Alhama & Maria Serrano". Beside of the Compania Flamenca Alhama he has started a second project called "Fiesta Flamenca". Since 1995 Andrade has been working with the Music Ensemble of Benares and their Kathak Flamenco project, in which he has an important part not only as a guitar player but also as a composer

•Joy, Joby (b.1978, Wayanad, India). It is rare for someone, born in Southern India to play the north Indian percussion instrument of tabla. South Indian Music, also know as `Karnatic Music�, employs the drum longer, barrel drum know as "Mridangam". Unlike the tabla, this instrument is played from left and right side. Despite being from the south, Joy, however liked the sound of the tabla, and at a very young age began to learn this instrument and also the complicated rhythmic "Talas" of the North Indian, Hindustani Music. These days Joy is teaching at the Kadamb University in Ahmedabad and accompanying the Kathak dance. He first came to Europe in 2005 and he has an open ear for western music . He does not only play with Kathak dance, but also has a good understanding for the fusion project Kathak Flamenco

•Parrondo, Jos� (b.1959, Carmona, Sevilla, Spain). He was able to master all the contemporary ways of Flamenco singing, like the frolicsome songs of the province C�diz with all the spontaneous humour, the lyric poetry of the Malagenas as well as the spiritual songs of the Cante Jondo pr Siguiriyas. During his international career,� Parrondo has got many awards. He is the only one, who has got the three first awards of the famous "Concurso de Cante de Antonio Mairena" and also the "Antorcha del Cante". He is also the winner of the "Concurso Memorial Camar�n de la Isla" in C�diz and he has got five first awards of the "International Festival de la Uni�n" (Murcia). Among his numerous TV and CD productions the album "Agua Limpia" with Pedro Bacan and "Locuras del Caraz�n" with Manuel Herrera is especially noteworthy.

•Paust, Gnther (b.1954, Mannheim, Germany). He came in contact with Indian classical music at the early age of fourteen and has since developed both a profound knowledge of the subject, and conducted some very interesting projects. He undertook his first journey overland to India in 1975. This was followed by a longer study tour in 1978/79 where he took sitar lessons at the Sanskrit University in Benares. In 1981 he organised the first concerts in Europe and founded the Music Ensemble of Benarees in 1982, where he accompanied the ensemble on the tanpura in more than 700 concerts. In the course of all these years Paust has been able to introduce more than eighty (80) different artists to the European audience, mostly from Benares. He produced quite a few LPs in the 80's and meanwhile he has also added five CDs to his credit. In 1997 he completed a diploma course in music therapy according to the 'Nada Brahma' music therapy with Vemu Mukunda of Bangalore. Paust is also co-author of the 1997 book. "Indische Musik in Deutschland" - (Indian music in Germany) . More recently Paust has been working as a moderator for the South West Radio Station in Baden Baden Germany (SWR). He has made some very interesting "world music" broadcasting like: "The hypnotic sound of the Shahnai", "Memories of the tabla virtioso late Pt.Prakash Maharaj", "A meeting with my star teacher Pt.Shivanath Mishra" "Rabab music from Afghanistan and the north Indian Sarod of Pt.Vikash Maharaj". Forethcoming broadcastings about the Sarangi, Bansuri and the Kathak Dance, will follow. G�nther Paust spends several weeks a year in India to contact and get to know new talents and artists and so has new surprises and tours all the time. In the meantime he organised 44 concert tours with about 1500 concerts in Europe.),

[edit] CD Discography

•1983,1986. MUSIC ENSEMBLE OF BENARES, amf music (amf CDF 102)
•1991. JOHN HANDY`S MUSICAL DREAMLAND, Hammer Musik (BLD 515)
•1992. 10 YEARS MUSIC ENSEMBLE OF BENARES, Hammer Musik (BLD 518)
•1997. MUSIC ENSEMBLE OF BENARES presents KATHAK DANCE, Hammer Musik (BLD 537)
•2000. MUSIC ENSEMBLE OF BENARES presents CIRCLE OF THE DAY, Hammer Musik (BLD 550)