"Sandip Burman & Friends," an energetic performance fusing ancient Indian rhythms with modern jazz improvisation, will take place Thursday, March 31, at 7 p.m. at Fairfield University's Wien Experimental Theatre in the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts. A second concert will begin at 9 p.m.

The concert will feature the Quick Center for the Arts' artist-in-residence Sandip Burman, a master of the tabla, a pair of Indian drums played with the fingers, palms and heels of the hand in complex, often high-velocity Eastern rhythms. He will be joined by his sister, Sima Burman, an accomplished classical Indian vocalist, and jazz saxophonist David Pietro.

Burman's jazz fusion work is based on ancient Indian raga and tala systems and sounds nothing like the rhythms that flow in a traditional Western groove. His compositions and artistry have been highly acclaimed and he's toured major national venues and festivals, often accompanied by some of the masters of jazz, rock and R&B.

Known for his radiant smile and exuberance, Burman plays with such speed reviewers often remark that his hands become a blur.

"The sound and rhythms came so fast, with such precision, uttered with such a visible sense of joy, that both the crowd and the other players were utterly spellbound," wrote a reviewer for the Los Angeles Times.

Born in Durgapur, India, Burman was just six when he took up the tabla, as a student of tabla master Pandit Shyamal Bose of Calcutta. The youngster quickly took an intense interest in his musical studies, developing a reputation for dazzling speeds and spontaneous innovations while retaining tonal purity. As a young man, he played with India's most celebrated musicians, including legendary sitar player Ravi Shankar and sarod player Rajeev Taranath.

Burman came to the United States in the late 1980s, when the Calcutta ashram at which he taught sent him to instruct students in its Los Angeles branch. Here he has collaborated and toured with many prominent musicians, including Béla Fleck, drummer Jack DeJohnette, Steve Smith (Journey), Victor Bailey (Weather Report), guitarist Al DiMeola, Grammy-winning drummer Glen Valez (Steve Reich, Paul Winter) and many more. His career highlights reflect his eclectic spirit, including performances at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., House of Blues Chicago, the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, Ravinia Festival and the Monterey World One Festival.

Described by The Washington Post as "nothing if not a catalyst," Burman will bring an accomplished group of musicians to the Quick Center. David Pietro, a native of Southboro, Mass., has been on the New York jazz scene since 1987. He has toured with the Woody Herman Young Thundering Herd, the Lionel Hampton Big Band and Maynard Ferguson's Big-Bop Nouveau Band. Since 1991, this seasoned recording artist and member of the Tashiko Akioshi Band has performed with Paul Anka, Bobby Caldwell, Rosemary Clooney, Ray Charles, Liza Minelli and many others.

Sima Burman is a master teacher and vocalist who lives in Calcutta, India. A noted interpreter and performer of traditional Indian classical music and vocal techniques, Burman began studying with Satyanarayan Chatterjee, a well-known teacher, when she was just six years old. At 12, she won an all-Duragpur competition and she accepted by master teacher Dianath Mishra.

In addition to teaching at many prestigious music schools in India, she tours throughout India and the United States, in festivals and performing arts centers, performing both classical and jazz styles.

Tickets for the concerts are $20. For tickets or more information, call the Quick Center box office at (203) 254-4010 or toll free, 1-877-ARTS-396 or visit www.quickcenter.com.

Posted On: 02-25-2005 10:02 AM

Volume: 37 Number: 175