Natraj
Natraj seamlessly melds the classical music of India, traditional music from West Africa, and contemporary jazz to create its own unique and infectious style. Hard-driving African grooves and graceful Indian ragas meet in the band's expansive jazz conception. Selected as Boston's Best Jazz Band by the Improper Bostonian and nominated Best World Music Act in the Boston Music Awards, Natraj captivates and excites audiences with its exotic textures, accessible melodies, and rhythmic energy. Natraj has delighted listeners throughout the US, Canada, India, and West Africa since 1987. Appearances include PANAFEST, Ghana's major international festival; the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto; the Guelph Jazz Festival, Guelph, Canada; The Boston Globe Jazz and Blues Festival; Oberlin College; and JazzYatra, India's premier international music festival. Arts International, the New England Foundation for the Arts, and Meet the Composer have awarded repeated grant support for Natraj's tours. Natraj has released three CDs, The Goat Also Gallops (Dorian), Meet Me Anywhere (Dorian), and Deccan Dance (Galloping Goat), to acclaim in the international press and airplay worldwide. Natraj features the raga-influenced soprano saxophone of Phil Scarff; the emotive inflections of ECM recording artist and violist Mat Maneri; the warm, nimble solidity of bassist Michael Rivard; the tabla and multipercussion mastery of Jerry Leake; and high-energy groove of drummer Bertram Lehmann.