Steinway Artist Utsav Lal + George Brooks on the Inverness Ridge

Steinway Artist, Utsav LAL (born August 18, 1992) is an Indian pianist, improviser, educator and composer. Utsav Lal is recognized as a musician extraordinaire who has set a precedent in the world of music with his rendition of Ragas on the Piano. An impressive music career behind him spanning nearly two decades , Utsav is often known as the ‘Raga Pianist’ for his innovative handling of the Indian Classical music genre. He has gained international recognition for his ground-breaking work with performances across the world in countries including Italy, United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Hong Kong, Sweden, Kuwait, The Netherlands, USA, Canada, Singapore and India.

He was the youngest winner ever in the individual category in the ten years running of the MAMA awards. Utsav was chosen as the three top Asian music child prodigies to perform at the Asia on The Edge festival (AOTE 2008) in Singapore. His extensive work lays the foundation for a strong legacy that establishes the piano in a new role and he was recognized as a Young Steinway Artist in 2010 by leading piano makers Steinway & Sons. Utsav Lal received the ABRSM (Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, London) International Scholarship (2010) for undergraduate study at any of UK’s four Royal Schools of Music, a coveted scholarship awarded only to chosen four exceptional musicians amongst worldwide applicants.

Utsav Lal has performed several concerts in a lead role at venues that include Carnegie Hall-New York, The National Concert Hall- Dublin, Steinway Hall, NYC The Chambers-Singapore, Southbank Centre-London, Asia Society- Hong Kong, The Kennedy Center-Washington DC, Theatre Orangerie-The Netherlands, India Habitat Centre-New Delhi, Arts Centre- Melbourne, NCPA-Mumbai, Bridgewater Hall-Manchester and others.

“Lal continues to blend the improvisational mystique of Indian classical melodies, particularly Dhrupad-influenced raga interpretations, with the compositional framework of the piano”

Rolling Stone India

“A deeply personal pianistic meditation”

Songlines UK

Indian pianist Utsav Lal has been making waves in the global music circuit as a man of promising ventures for over a decade now. Popularly dubbed the Raga Pianist, what sets him apart from the rest of the world’s pianists is his constant endeavour to make the piano an Indian instrument, by infusing ragas and Indian compositions on the Western instrument.

Saxophone

” A fascinating set…Exotically lyrical…gracefully bridges seemingly antithetical disciplines. “ Billboard Magazine – Critics Choice

“Able to play in the tradition of Coltrane and Dexter Gordon one moment and with Terry Riley or Kronos Quartet the next Brooks is fast becoming a leading voice in the realm where jazz and north Indian improvisation meet.” San Francisco Bay Guardian

George Brooks is a prolific and diverse saxophonist and composer, acclaimed for successfully bridging the worlds of jazz and Indian classical music. He is the founder of Indian fusion groups Summit with Zakir Hussain, Steve Smith, Kai Eckhardt and Fareed Haque; Bombay Jazz with Larry Coryell and Ronu Majumdar; the Raga Bop Trio with Steve Smith and Carnatic guitarist Prasanna and Elements with Indian violinist Kala Ramnath and Dutch harpist Gwyneth Wentink.

In 1996, Brooks recorded Lasting Impression and two years later Night Spinner, for Zakir Hussain’s Moment Records. These recordings received wide acclaim as landmarks at the intersection of jazz and Indian classical music. Brooks was hailed as the “leading voice in Indian Jazz fusion.” He was soon performing and recording with India’s most prominent artists including Hussain, Hariprasad Chaurasia, Sultan Khan, Aashish Khan, Shankar Mahadevan and L. Subramaniam. In 2000 Brooks recorded Summit, another grounding breaking work of Indian/jazz fusion featuring Zakir Hussain and Journey drummer Steve Smith. Summit performed throughout the US, Europe and Asia, incorporating guest performers Niladri Kumar, Vikku Vinayakram, Fazal Qureshi and Hariprasad Chaurasia.

Brooks was first invited to perform in India in 2001 for the Jazz Yatra and has performed in India every year since at such prominent venues as Nehru Center and NCPA in Mumbai; the Music Academy in Chennai; Chowdiah Hall, Bangalore; Kamani Auditorium, Delhi; Saptak Festival, Elephanta Festival, Kala Ghoda Festival, Kolkata Jazz Festival and many others. Additionally Brooks has performed at the Queen Elisabeth Hall and Barbican, London; the Muziekgebouw and Concertgebouw, Netherlands; Lille Opera House, France; Esplanade, Singapore; Istanbul International Jazz Festival and jazz clubs throughout the world.

In 2008 Brooks was featured as a soloist on John McLaughlin’s Floating Point CD, recorded in India and nominated for a Grammy award as best contemporary jazz album. In 2010 Brooks released three distinctive recordings; Spirit and Spice with Summit and special guests, Zakir Hussain, Niladri Kumar Swapan Chaudhuri and Kala Ramnath; Elements a blend of western classical, Indian classical and jazz featuring violinist Kala Ramnath and Dutch harpist Gwyneth Wentink; and the Raga Bop Trio with Steve Smith and Carnatic guitarist Prasanna. In 2010 Brooks also toured Europe and the UK with Terry Riley and Talvin Singh to celebrate Riley’s 75th birthday.

PRESENTED BY MUSIC AND MINDS

Started in 2017, Music and Minds ( Formerly Every Blue Moon Concerts) is focused on bringing internationally acclaimed artists and speakers across a wide spectrum of genres, into the intimate setting of a salon. Set on the Inverness Ridge, audiences from as far as Sacramento, San Francisco, Los Angelas and the East Bay come to hear these world-class musicians, Grammy Artists and Steinway Artists, Former EU Ambassador among them.

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