Anupam Shobhakar
Encyclopedia
Anupam Shobhakar, born Anupam Shovakar, is an India
n musician, composer, instrumentalist, record producer, and classically trained sarod
ist currently living in Brooklyn, New York. He has released three World Fusion albums, and one classical Indian music album. He has performed live around the world at various venues and for charitable causes. Shobhakar's track "Water" made it to the first round of the Grammy Awards.
(Calcutta), but was raised in India's financial capital city of Bombay. Although Shobhakar's parents are not musicians, they often played classical Indian records at home, which had an influence on Shobhakar. His grandfather, Shri Bhavani Shankar Shovakar, played sitar
, tabla
, and sang, hosting concerts at his residence.
Shobhakar's first brush with Western Music was listening to Led Zeppelin
and Deep Purple
, followed by Megadeth
and Metallica
. He was given a guitar, which he strung lefty, and began practicing, eventually forming a band named Dead Sea Scrolls, which played Megadeth
, Joe Satriani
, and Steve Vai
covers. During this same time (before the age of thirteen), Shobhakar began experimenting with Jazz and Western Classical Music.
record . . . that re-ignited my interest in the deep melodic gravitas." Shobhakar experimented by crafting a fretless guitar, but found that nothing could match the "microtonal subtleties of Indian Music" like the traditional Sarode.
Shobhakar's first teacher was Suresh Vyas, who stressed practice and technical discipline. Shobhakar explains, "For three or four years it was only exercises – a lot of finger exercises, but no music. I got a little bit disillusioned, but that's okay: the philosophy behind it is, first you get your hands entirely ready, so that when the music comes to you, you don't have to worry about technique." The intense training process is known as "tayarri." He explains, "That word has been broadly translated as, like, 'technically great', but tayarri actually means 'to be ready'. To be ready when the creative thing comes to you, your fingers, your mind, your body, and your soul must be exactly in place for you to execute it."
Shobhakar met Ustad Aashish Khan briefly when he came to do a concert in Bombay and stayed at Shobhakar's apartment. Shobhakar states that he was "blown away by Khan's command over the Sarode," and has been studying with him ever since. Shobhakar lists Khan, and his father, Ustad Allaudin Khan (guru to Ravi Shankar
and Ali Akbar Khan
), as his main playing style influences: "Slightly aggressive in approach, but never at the cost of the melodic charm."
.
.
Shobhakar has released a subsequent World Fusion album, "Wine of the Mystic" in 2005, and is finishing production on another, titled "Way of the Warrior." In 2009, he released an Indian Classical album, "Dream Theory."
Shobhakar is currently working on a new project, "The Joel Harrison - Anupam Shobhakar Quintet."
Shobhakar has collaborated and played with musicians from all over the globe, including Joel Harrison, Dan Weiss, World Fusion Orchestra, Alessandro Gandola, Ivan Tucakov
, Gordon Gridna, Heather Schmid, Rich Balmer, Juan de Marias, Joel Harrison.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n musician, composer, instrumentalist, record producer, and classically trained sarod
Sarod
The sarod is a stringed musical instrument, used mainly in Indian classical music. Along with the sitar, it is the most popular and prominent instrument in the classical music of Hindustan...
ist currently living in Brooklyn, New York. He has released three World Fusion albums, and one classical Indian music album. He has performed live around the world at various venues and for charitable causes. Shobhakar's track "Water" made it to the first round of the Grammy Awards.
Musical influences
Shobhakar was born in the east Indian state of KolkataKolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
(Calcutta), but was raised in India's financial capital city of Bombay. Although Shobhakar's parents are not musicians, they often played classical Indian records at home, which had an influence on Shobhakar. His grandfather, Shri Bhavani Shankar Shovakar, played sitar
Sitar
The 'Tablaman' is a plucked stringed instrument predominantly used in Hindustani classical music, where it has been ubiquitous since the Middle Ages...
, tabla
Tabla
The tabla is a popular Indian percussion instrument used in Hindustani classical music and in popular and devotional music of the Indian subcontinent. The instrument consists of a pair of hand drums of contrasting sizes and timbres...
, and sang, hosting concerts at his residence.
Shobhakar's first brush with Western Music was listening to Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
and Deep Purple
Deep Purple
Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre...
, followed by Megadeth
Megadeth
Megadeth is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California which was formed in 1983 by guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine, bassist Dave Ellefson and guitarist Greg Handevidt, following Mustaine's expulsion from Metallica. The band has since released 13 studio albums, three live albums, two...
and Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
. He was given a guitar, which he strung lefty, and began practicing, eventually forming a band named Dead Sea Scrolls, which played Megadeth
Megadeth
Megadeth is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California which was formed in 1983 by guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine, bassist Dave Ellefson and guitarist Greg Handevidt, following Mustaine's expulsion from Metallica. The band has since released 13 studio albums, three live albums, two...
, Joe Satriani
Joe Satriani
Joseph "Joe" Satriani is an American instrumental rock guitarist and multi-instrumentalist, with multiple Grammy Award nominations...
, and Steve Vai
Steve Vai
Steven Siro "Steve" Vai is a three time Grammy Award-winning American guitarist, songwriter and producer who has sold over 15 million albums. Steve Vai is widely known as a flamboyant guitar virtuoso....
covers. During this same time (before the age of thirteen), Shobhakar began experimenting with Jazz and Western Classical Music.
Indian Classical Music and the Sarod
In his early teens, Shobhakar began to listen to Indian Classical Music again — as he says, "What I was doing on the guitar was not enough to musically satisfy me. I heard a ShaktiShakti
Shakti from Sanskrit shak - "to be able," meaning sacred force or empowerment, is the primordial cosmic energy and represents the dynamic forces that are thought to move through the entire universe in Hinduism. Shakti is the concept, or personification, of divine feminine creative power, sometimes...
record . . . that re-ignited my interest in the deep melodic gravitas." Shobhakar experimented by crafting a fretless guitar, but found that nothing could match the "microtonal subtleties of Indian Music" like the traditional Sarode.
Shobhakar's first teacher was Suresh Vyas, who stressed practice and technical discipline. Shobhakar explains, "For three or four years it was only exercises – a lot of finger exercises, but no music. I got a little bit disillusioned, but that's okay: the philosophy behind it is, first you get your hands entirely ready, so that when the music comes to you, you don't have to worry about technique." The intense training process is known as "tayarri." He explains, "That word has been broadly translated as, like, 'technically great', but tayarri actually means 'to be ready'. To be ready when the creative thing comes to you, your fingers, your mind, your body, and your soul must be exactly in place for you to execute it."
Shobhakar met Ustad Aashish Khan briefly when he came to do a concert in Bombay and stayed at Shobhakar's apartment. Shobhakar states that he was "blown away by Khan's command over the Sarode," and has been studying with him ever since. Shobhakar lists Khan, and his father, Ustad Allaudin Khan (guru to Ravi Shankar
Ravi Shankar
Ravi Shankar , often referred to by the title Pandit, is an Indian musician and composer who plays the plucked string instrument sitar. He has been described as the best known contemporary Indian musician by Hans Neuhoff in Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart.Shankar was born in Varanasi and spent...
and Ali Akbar Khan
Ali Akbar Khan
Ali Akbar Khan , often referred to as Khansahib or by the title Ustad , was a Hindustani classical musician of the Maihar gharana, known for his virtuosity in playing the sarod...
), as his main playing style influences: "Slightly aggressive in approach, but never at the cost of the melodic charm."
Musical career
Shobhakar was recognized for his talents as a Indian Classical Music performer by the Priyadarshni Academy, who awarded him the Best Young Artist Award. Shobhakar's current focus is World Fusion and Jazz FusionJazz fusion
Jazz fusion is a musical fusion genre that developed from mixing funk and R&B rhythms and the amplification and electronic effects of rock, complex time signatures derived from non-Western music and extended, typically instrumental compositions with a jazz approach to lengthy group improvisations,...
.
First album
Shobhakar recorded his first album "Mysterious Awakening," in 2004. He handled every aspect of production on the record, including tracking the guitars with a "goose neck internet chat mic." Shobhakar describes the sound of the music on the album as "the best of both worlds." He explains, "Most Indian musicians do not understand harmony as it's not a part of the musical system — it's a melodic and rhythmic tradition — whereas a lot of western music is based on harmony." The album was released by Saregama HMVSa Re Ga Ma
Saregama India Limited, formerly The Gramophone Company of India is an Indian music company. Saregama also works in the home video business...
.
World fusion
Shobhakar's album was his first major contribution to the World Fusion genre, something Shobhakar feels very passionately about. He says, "Apart from being a traditional concert sarodist, I want to really explore world music, and I've been wanting to do that for a while. I've been pretty much producing on my own: making all the music, adding all the MIDI instrumentation in my studio at home. But here it's better, because I can meet a lot of different musicians, a lot of different, diverse people."Shobhakar has released a subsequent World Fusion album, "Wine of the Mystic" in 2005, and is finishing production on another, titled "Way of the Warrior." In 2009, he released an Indian Classical album, "Dream Theory."
Shobhakar is currently working on a new project, "The Joel Harrison - Anupam Shobhakar Quintet."
International Performer
Shobhakar has toured internationally, playing at major music festivals such as Canada's Vancouver Folk Festival, MTV's Independence Rock Festival in India, Oman's Muscat Festival, and Italy's Roma Rock. Shobhakar has also dedicated his talents to charitable events such as YWCA India's Concert for Peace, raising money for the survivors of the Gujarat earthquake.Shobhakar has collaborated and played with musicians from all over the globe, including Joel Harrison, Dan Weiss, World Fusion Orchestra, Alessandro Gandola, Ivan Tucakov
Ivan Tucakov
Ivan Tucakov is a world music composer, guitarist, producer and promoter currently living in Vancouver, Canada.-History:...
, Gordon Gridna, Heather Schmid, Rich Balmer, Juan de Marias, Joel Harrison.
Awards and recognition
- Received title, “Surmani” (Jewel of Melody), awarded by Sursingar Samsad
- Felicitated by the Indian Armed Forces
- Awarded "Best Young Artist" by Priyadarshni Academy
International
| Year | Festival Name | Place |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Bengali New Year Festival | Canada |
| 2007 | Delhi Nights Festival | Canada |
| 2007 | Mela Festival Mela Festival Melas are south Asian events which have spread around the world from the south Asian subcontinent. Mela means 'gathering' and can describe festival, market, trade event, religious gathering and more.... |
Canada |
| 2007 | Jerrico Beach Music Festival | Canada |
| 2007 | Chinese New Year Festival Chinese New Year Chinese New Year – often called Chinese Lunar New Year although it actually is lunisolar – is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. It is an all East and South-East-Asia celebration... |
Canada |
| 2007 | Canada Day Festival Canada Day Canada Day , formerly Dominion Day , is the national day of Canada, a federal statutory holiday celebrating the anniversary of the July 1, 1867, enactment of the British North America Act , which united three British colonies into a single country, called Canada, within the British Empire... |
Canada |
| 2007 | Komasket Music Festival | Komasket, Canada |
| 2007 | Vancouver Folk Festival | Canada |
| 2008 | Roma Rock | Italy |
| 2008 | Muscat Festival | Saudi Arabia |
| 2009 | Sangati Center (Indian Classical Music Art House) | San Francisco, USA |
| 2010 | Komasket Music Festival | Komasket, Canada |
| 2010 | Phoenix Symphony Hall | Phoenix, USA |
| 2010 | Hiroshima Memorial Day Hiroshima is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It became best known as the first city in history to be destroyed by a nuclear weapon when the United States Army Air Forces dropped an atomic bomb on it at 8:15 A.M... |
Phoenix, USA |
| 2010 | World Refugee Day World Refugee Day World Refugee Day, observed June 20 each year, is dedicated to raising awareness of the situation of refugees throughout the world.- History :... |
Phoenix, USA |
| 2010 | Phoenix Art Museum Phoenix art museum The Phoenix Art Museum is the Southwest United States' largest art museum for visual art. Located in Phoenix, Arizona, the museum is . It displays international exhibitions alongside its comprehensive collection of more than 18,000 works of American, Asian, European, Latin American, Western... |
Phoenix, USA |
| 2010 | World Music Festival | Gilbert, USA |
| 2010 | Skin and Steel Debut | New York City, USA |
| 2010 | New York Guitar Festival New York Guitar Festival The New York Guitar Festival is a music festival founded by radio host and author John Schaefer and musician, producer and curator David Spelman, who serves at the festival's Artistic Director... |
New York City, USA |
| 2010 | Komasket Music Festival | Vernon, Canada |
| 2010 | 3D Festival of Music | Prescott |
| 2011 | Indian/Persian Fusion Concert | Phoenix, USA |
| 2011 | Reese Auditorium | Columbus, USA |
| 2011 | World Music Museum | Phoenix, USA |
| 2011 | Canada Day Festival Canada Day Canada Day , formerly Dominion Day , is the national day of Canada, a federal statutory holiday celebrating the anniversary of the July 1, 1867, enactment of the British North America Act , which united three British colonies into a single country, called Canada, within the British Empire... |
Vancouver, Canada |
Domestic (India)
| Year | Festival Name |
|---|---|
| 1996 | MTV Independence Rock Festival |
| 2002 | Ms. Kerala Beauty Pageant |
| 2003 | Priyadarshani |
| 2004 | Concert for Peace |
| 2006 | Mehli Mehta Foundation Festival |
| 2008 | Brahma Kumaris Festival |
| 2008 | Whistling Woods Student Convention |
| 2008 | Young String Masters (Kala Ghoda Music Festival) |
| 2008 | Malhar Festival |
| 2008 | Sur Singar Samsad Festival |
| 2009 | Haridas Samelan |
| 2010 | Alternative Art Festival |
Voluntary Work
- Concert for Peace by YWCA - After Gujarat Earthquake, India, 2008.
- Designed the Module to Teach Underprivileged Tribal Children in India, 2008.