Matthew Grasso - Guitarist, Composer, and Director
Alex Jenkins - tabla
Bill Petaishiski
and
Eric Rasmussen - drone guitar
Founded in 1997, The Nada Brahma Music Ensemble was created by guitarist, composer, musical instrument innovator and arranger Matthew Grasso. As students of the famed Ali Akbar College of Music (San Rafael, CA), Matthew Grasso and Alex Jenkins have studied with the legendary musical Gurus Ustad Ali Akbar Khan and Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri, respectively.
The Nada Brahma Music Ensemble's style can be described as Indian Classical Fusion. The ensemble plays original ragas and talas (melody forms and rhythmic cycles). These talas range from traditional eight or ten beats to the unusual 4 3/4 or 9 1/4 beats.
Matthew Grasso performs on a 25-stringed Raga Guitar built to spec by luthier Scott Richter of Fairfax, Ca. The Raga Guitar is a Hybrid of an extended 7-string classical guitar and the sarod, an Indian instrument. The Raga Guitar has seven playing strings, twelve sympathetic strings, two chikari strings, and four jawari strings. Matthew’s distinctive style is a unique synthesis of classical guitar, Ali Akbar Khan’s sarod, and L. Shankar’s ten-string south Indian violin.
Alex became interested in Tabla while on a trip to India. During this time, he spent several weeks studying and learning the basics of Indian Rhythm. Once back in the US, he continued his studies and spent two years at California Sate University, Sacramento (studying Tabla) under the guidance of Daniel Kennedy. For the last seven years, Alex has had the honor of being a student of the great Tabla maestro, Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri, at the Ali Akbar College of Music in San Rafael, CA. As an accomplished percussionist, Alex has had the unique opportunity to play in many musical settings (on both Tabla and Drum Set) and finds great satisfaction in experimenting with Indian Rhythm on all sorts of different percussion instruments.
Eric Rasmussen and Bill Petaishiski perform drone guitar. The drone guitar provides the sa and pa of a tanpuras and provide the tala (rhythmic cycle).
The N.B.M.E was nominated twice for a Sacramento music award (SAMMIE) in the World Fusion category. The N.B.M.E has played at various music festivals, music societies, and live radio throughout Northern California. In addition, The N.B.M.E has been active in the education of Indian Classical Music through concert/lecture demonstrations and their music course: Indian Classical Fusion Improv at Sacramento City College.
Past performances include:
- The San Francisco Conservatory of Music
- The San Francisco Classical Guitar Society
- Copia (Napa)
- The Whole Earth Festival (Davis, CA)
- Sacramento City College (lecture/demonstration)
- The International House of Davis
- Sacramento AIDS Housing Alliance Benefit concert
- Sacramento Yoga Center
- SAMMIES concert showcase (Sacramento, CA)
- The Bo Tree Yoga Center (Davis, CA)
- Pacific Rim Street Festival (Sacramento, CA)
- KDVS Radio 90.3 FM (Davis, CA)
- Capital Public Radio “Insight” 90.9 FM (Sacramento)
- KDRT Radio101.5 FM (Davis)
- Ch 10 TV Sacramento and Company
- Ch 31 TV Good Day Sacramento.
- Healdsburg Guitar Festival (Santa Rosa, CA)
- Watermelon Music (Davis, CA)
- American River College (Sacramento, CA)
- Cool Cat Gallery (Sacramento, CA)
- St Paul’s Episcopal Church (Sacramento, CA)
- 4th Annual Guitar Solo and Ensemble Festival, South Bay Society (San Jose)
- Mondavi Center (Davis, CA) lecture on Indian Classical Music
You can read a review of a Nada Brahma concert at this address:
http://www.cambium.com/matthewgrasso/review001.htm
The Nada Brahma Music Ensemble is available
for:
- Concerts
- Lectures
- Weddings
- Private Lessons (tabla, instrumental)
- Private engagements
Contact: Matthew Grasso
Phone: (530) 759-9071
Email: mysticalsounds@yahoo.com
Website: http://www.cambium.com/matthewgrasso/nadabrahma.htm
For more information, please email or
call (530) 759-9071
Learn about Indian Classical music!
Matthew Grasso will be teaching at course at Sacramento City College with Alex Jenkins heading the percussion.
Course Title:
Indian Classical fusion Improvisation
Description:
This course is the study and performance of the two elements of Indian classical music: Raga (melody) and Tala (Rhythm). Students learn to use these elements to improvise and compose music in this tradition. Students learn about Raga permutation possibilities and playing in various talas (rhythmic cycles) such as: 10; 4 3/4; and 9 1/4 beats. Students develop a sense of melodic freedom without having harmonic restrictions and explore many rhythmic possibilities found in Indian Classical music. Students learn to synthesize Indian and Western roots to create new musical systems. This course may be taken four times for credit.
On-Campus
This course is open to instrumentalists, singers, and percussionists.
MUIVI 499
Experimental Offering in Music - Instrumental/Voice Instruction 1 Unit
Professor: Matthew Grasso
Prerequisite: None
Course Transferable to CSU
Hours: 18 hours LEC; 18 hours LAB
Schedule: Jan 19, 2008 - May 21, 2008
Wednesday 7:00PM - 8:50PM
Contact Matthew Grasso for more information.
Email-mysticalsounds@yahoo.com
Phone- (530) 759-9071
