DEEP'S BIO

My Perspective

Music is life, a gift from heaven, and it is infinite.  I am grateful to the Gods, my teachers, and my musical friends to have been able to experience a little bit of the vastness of it in my life.  

Kundalika is the name I use for my work and my collaborations.  It is a Sanskrit word for circle.  My favorite form of music is improvised music, both traditional and across traditions.  When improvising, my friends and I often sit in a circle.  We find something in the seemingly empty space between the players.  Sometimes we can hear, for a few moments of synchronicity, the echoes of anahata, the first, unstruck sound that birthed the universe.

 

Background

I have been a  performing musician for more than two decades.   I am trained in Hindustani (North Indian) classical percussion (tabla) and melody (mohan veena).   I also perform Hindustani-style melody on a lap steel guitar and a "banjabab," a fretless tenor banjo I modified (see the instruments page for more information).  I also occasionally perform percussion on the dumbek, pakhawaj, and ghatam.  I am a member of the Board and a performer in the DC-based Indian music and dance company Nootana.

In addition to playing  traditional Hindustani music, I have also been lucky to collaborate with musicians from traditions such as Carnatic (South Indian classical), American (especially jazz, bluegrass),  Japanese, Chinese, and African.  I am currently collaborating with Graham Smith-White's world music project, Sunrise Review, and the Alex Martin Quartet jazz ensemble.  I also compose cross-tradition electronic music.

In 2020, I released two albums Echoes of Anahata and Prayers to Lord Malkush. 

 

    Teachers

    I have been lucky to learn from many wonderful musicians and friends over the years, thank you all!   I lack the words to adequately express my gratitude.  In alphabetical order: