Mohamed Assani: Sitar and Tabla, History and Innovation

Conversations with Musicians, with Leah Roseman

12/16/23

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63m

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This podcast is also a video on my YouTube and the transcript is also linked to my website: https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/mohamed-assani Today’s guest is the genre-defying sitarist and composer Mohamed Assani. In this conversation a couple of compositions from his album Wayfinder are featured. Wayfinder incorporates a range of stylistic influences, including South Asian Classical, Middle Eastern, jazz, funk, Western Classical, ambient & electronic music. It was produced by Juno and Emmy nominated producer Adham Shaikh and in the show notes you’ll find links to the complete music videos and to his albums. Mohamed is also a wonderful educator, based in Vancouver Canada, also teaching online, and I’m so grateful to him for being so gracious in agreeing to demonstrate on both sitar and tabla some basics of these instruments, and of stylistic elements in South Asian music, for this episode.

I’m an independent podcaster, and I truly need the help of my listeners to keep this project going. https://ko-fi.com/leahroseman Remember you can sign up for my weekly newsletter to get access to Sneak Peeks for upcoming episodes: https://mailchi.mp/ebed4a237788/podcast-newsletter

This is the final episode for Season 3, and season 4 launches January 6th, so do check out episodes you may have missed from the first 3 seasons: https://www.leahroseman.com/about Mohamed Assani website: https://www.mohamedassani.ca/about/ Timestamps: (00:00) Intro (02:37) Mohamed’s path in music, South Asian music and history (08:56) introduction to the sitar with musical examples (13:34) history of the sitar, the Mogul rule (20:20) tabla, rhythm in South Asian music (25:28) tabla demonstration (28:51) please support this podcast (29:31)music education (32:12) Wayfinder album, Lullaby for Guli, Transit (41:07) Solace, understanding beat cycles (49:58) the intuitive versus analytical (51:28) Shahbaz Hussain tabla player (54:06) Aga Khan 80th birthday concert (56:22) reflections on learning music and self-development

Previous Episode

Ceara Conway: Roots and Wings

December 9, 2023

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81m

Ceara Conway is an Irish contemporary vocalist and visual artist, and this episode features music from her album CAOIN as well as excerpts from some of her other projects. I find Ceara’s curiosity about so many important topics around arts and culture really inspiring and this conversation circled around to her explorations of different languages and cultures as well as her rootedness as an Irish speaker. She has had many interesting commissions dealing with history, illness, grief, and the natural world. She uses traditional and contemporary song, performance and visual art to explore social issues such as the ecological crisis, migration and feminist concerns. She also spoke to me about some of her roles working with the Clare Arts office with artists with disabilities, and how she started her career as a glassblower in Rome and how her upbringing has helped her navigate the world as a freelance artist. Like all my episodes, this is also a video and the transcript is also linked to my website: https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/ceara-conway

Can you support the podcast with a virtual coffee? https://ko-fi.com/leahroseman Thanks so much! I need the support of my listeners to keep this going.

https://www.cearaconway.ie/about photo: Julia Dunin photography

Are you curious about upcoming episodes? Sign up for my newsletter here: https://mailchi.mp/ebed4a237788/podcast-newsletter

Timestamps

(00:00) Intro

(02:36) Ceara’s background, the album CAOIN

(17:03) Anach Cuain

(18:10) more about CAOIN An Caoinea

(20:52) singing in different languages, Oumou Sangaré

(23:56) Ceara’s childhood

(27:56) support this independant podcast!

(28:35) glassblowing, start in art and music, Matthew Noonan

(33:03) books

(35:28) Veriditas project

(41:23) Plant Chant

(43:01) Clare Arts Office Embrace arts and disability program

(49:18) CAOIN, intro to Seoith í n Seothó

(51:59) Seoithín Seothó

(56:00) Georgian song, choirs

(1:01:40) Dochas

(1:06:17) Hanna Tuulikki, corncrake

(1:09:05) Time to Say Goodbye

(1:13:14) Irish language

(1:16:50) new projects

Next Episode

Jennifer Roig-Francoli: The Art of Freedom

January 6, 2024

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82m

Welcome to Season 4 of Conversations with Musicians, with Leah Roseman. For this first episode in 2024, I welcome the violinist, author and coach Jennifer Roig-Francoli. We talk about her newly released book, Make Great Music with Ease!: The Secret to Smarter Practice, Confident Performance, and Living a Happier Life, and her Art of Freedom Method which incorporates the mind-body skills of the Alexander Technique. This episode also features excerpts from her solo violin album, Solo Con Spirito, with music of Kreisler, Enescu and Bach.

Jennifer had the opportunity to study with Nathan Milstein, Josef Gingold and Stanley Ritchie and has had an interesting career as a performer, including with Appollo’s Fire. We talk about performing barefoot at Carnegie Hall, travels to India, and in Jennifer’s words” how you do one thing is how you do everything”. I myself have been very influenced by different mind-body practices like the Alexander Technique, and the power of thought to help me address habitual tensions in my own life has really helped me, and I trust this inspiring and helpful episode will be of help to you, both musical performers and not, because the content of this discussion addresses universal challenges for all of us. This conversation is punctuated by some excerpts from Jennifer’s solo album, and I hope you’ll listen to the whole album which you’ll find both on streaming services, or better yet for purchase on her website: https://artoffreedom.me/meet-jennifer/

Like all my episodes, you can watch this on my YouTube channel or listen to the podcast, and I’ve also linked the transcript to my website: https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/jennifer-roig-francoli

Here you can sign up for my weekly newsletter to get access to Sneak Peeks for upcoming episodes: https://mailchi.mp/ebed4a237788/podcast-newsletter

I have had several interviews talking about some of the same issues as this episode. My interviews with Julie Lyonn-Lieberman, Madeline Bruser, Stephen Nachmanovitch, Derek Gripper and Daniel Ramjattan will be good places to start if you missed any of those.

Finally, I’m an independant podcaster, and I truly need the help of my listeners to keep this project going: https://ko-fi.com/leahroseman

photo of Jennifer Roig-Francoli: Tina Gutierrez

Timestamps:

(00:00) Intro

(04:16) album Solo con Spirito! Celebrating 50

(05:27) excerpt from Kreisler’s Recitativo and Scherzo-Caprice

(07:07) excerpt from Enescu’s Sarabande

(07:47) Stanley Ritchie

(10:03) Jennifer’s studies at Indiana University, learning baroque violin

(12:58) Apollo’s Fire

(15:11) studies with Nathan Milstein

(18:43) Alexander Technique and Primal Alexander touch-free approach