New York Music Daily Review
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Congratulations to Aakash's Awaz Trio for a powerful night of music at Brookyn's Firehouse Space December 17th. You can read a great review of this amazing show here. |
New Music Box Blogpost: Questions of Identity
Today, Aakash's final essay was released for NewMusicBox. In it, he discusses ideas about how the cultural and universal collide within art. Be sure to check it out and catch up on his three preceding essays in the series. The four essay, entitled "Questions of Identity," can be found here.
New Music Box Blogpost: New York City Heartbeats
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Aakash is excited to announce the release of his third essay for NewMusicBox. In this piece, he explores some of the roles that biology plays in music making as well as the quantum process of creativity itself. Much of this revolves around the experience he's had studying with Milford Graves in New York City. Click here to read his essay. (Photo of Milford Graves' studio, taken by Aakash) |
Aakash's Premiere at NYC's Lincoln Center
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Congratulations to Aakash and the Brooklyn Raga Massive for their first performance at the David Rubenstein Atrium at the Lincoln Center. They performed a beautiful, energetic, and powerful concert to a packed audience. Before the show, the line wrapped around the building and their performance of music ranging from Hindustani classical, African, and Jazz music ended with a standing ovation. (Photo credit: Arun Ramamurthy) |
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New Music Box Blogspot: Street Music, Noise, and the City of Joy
Aakash's second essay is now on the NewMusicBox website! Click here to read Aakash's thoughts on music and his experiences living in Kolkata entitled, "Street Music, Noise, and the City of Joy."
New Music Box BlogPost: A Universal Music, by Aakash Mittal
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Aakash is excited to share his first published article, which can be found here on the NewMusicBox website. Learn more about how Aakash's work with Hafez Modirzadeh inspired him to move beyond ethnic stylizations and find the universal music in his own playing and composition. He looks forward to reading your thoughts and comments on the blogpost. (Photo credit: Molly Sheridan, NewMusicBox) |
Aakash Mittal, Conductor
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Here, Aakash conducts the Sound Bite Orchestra as they play Distractions by Conrad Kehn for their final concert of the season. This is one of two orchestra's Aakash conducts for Face the Music, the nation's only organization of youth orchestras solely dedicated to playing music of living composers. Keep an eye on the events page for Face the Music's 2016-17 season. |
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May 11th: Performance at the Brooklyn Raga Massive
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Aakash performed with Samir Gupta on drums and Rez Abbasi on guitar at Brooklyn Raga Massive. BRM is NYC's platform for lovers of raga music. The Awaz Trio is seen here playing Aakash's original music. (Photo credit: Gaurav Venkateswar) |
Live performance in Harlem Tomorrow Night
Aakash Mittal and Julius Schwing first collaborated at the Banff workshop for creative music in Canada. Under the tutelage of esteemed composer and saxophonist Hafez Modirzadeh, the duo wrote a number of pieces drawing from microtonal maqam tunings and exploring intervallic colors. Schwing and Mittal met up again in Kolkata, India in 2014 for a series of performances and to expand their repertoire. (Julius is pictured at the top of this page on the far left.) Now they are revisiting these compositions in New York City with the added voices of Carlo De Rosa on bass and Alex Ritz on drums. For details on the show, click here.
Upcoming Colorado Performance: September 3rd
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Last week, Aakash sat in on a few tunes with Lynn Baker's band at the Mercury Cafe in Denver. Do you miss hearing Aakash in Colorado? Don't worry! Aakash will be playing at Dazzle, Denver's premiere Jazz club, on September 3rd with Marc Sabatella. Marc is an incredible pianist and this is sure to be a night of live music you won't forget. Hope to see you there! |
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Mittal Gearing Up For Performances Back in the US
Aakash has finally returned home after his long stretch studying Hindustani music in Kolkata, India. He hopes to see you for his first performance back in the states on Sunday, April 26th at the Shastra Festival in New York City. In addition to a performance by the Awaz Trio, Aakash's newest project featuring Rajna Swaminath on mridangam and Rez Abbasi on guitar, Face the Music will be premiering a new work by Mittal commissioned just for the festival. For more information including tickets, times, and location, click here.
January 19th: Performance at Plush Lounge
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Aakash joined the Oam Trio featuring Matthias Muller on guitar and Aniruddh Saha on drums at Kolkata's Plush Lounge for a great night of improvised music. Thanks to everyone who came out! If you missed it, Aakash will be playing at Plush again on March 19th for another amazing show. Hope to see you there! (Photo credit: Alan Teller) |
January 30th: Performance with BrahmakhyapaA
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Aakash joined Kolkata based Brahmakhyapa at Jamsteady to raise funds for the Kashmir Relief Fund. He'll be playing with them again on February 22nd at a festival outside Shantaniketan in West Bengal. Here's a clip from the show featuring Sanjoy Bhattacherjee on guitar, Malabika Brahma on vocals, Tatai Bhattacharya on bass, and Gabu Chatterjee on drums. This is a Baul song, which is folk music from West Bengal. Click here to read an article on the event, which includes a photo of Aakash! |
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November 9th: Studio Time
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Aakash joined The Bottesini Project, Colorado's premiere free improvisation ensemble, in the recording studio today. This project features Colorado natives Paul Riola, Glen Whitehead, Kim Stone, and Jay Ellis.
Check back for updates on the album and Aakash's involvement. |
September 20th Newsletter
Dear Friends and Family,
Tonight is the opening night for Mudra Dance Studio's production of Gyaan: Truth through Knowledge in Denver. This is an amazing project that I have been working with through the summer. I am excited to be featured with a number of improvisations and composed melodies in this work. If you are able to make it please let me know and I will come say "hi" at intermission.
For more than twenty years, Mudra Dance Studio has been bringing Indian dance to Colorado stages with a flourish of colorful costumes and unstoppable energy. The evening-length work GYAAN: Truth Through Knowledge at the Lakewood Cultural Center addresses the numbing effect of violence and unspeakable crimes with a hopeful heart, and includes a live ensemble of musicians, aerial performances, and Aurora Poet Laureate Jovan Mays in a spectacle Mudra calls its "gift to the world, a way to give back, remember those lost, inspire the desire for change, and heal together as a community." (Westword Magazine)
For more information about the production, please click here.
For more information on everything I am doing including details of other upcoming performances, please click here.
Finally, I want to say a big thank you to everyone to attended the Colorado premiere of the Awaz trio earlier this month. It was wonderful to share this music with my Colorado community.
Thank you for the support!
Aakash
Tonight is the opening night for Mudra Dance Studio's production of Gyaan: Truth through Knowledge in Denver. This is an amazing project that I have been working with through the summer. I am excited to be featured with a number of improvisations and composed melodies in this work. If you are able to make it please let me know and I will come say "hi" at intermission.
For more than twenty years, Mudra Dance Studio has been bringing Indian dance to Colorado stages with a flourish of colorful costumes and unstoppable energy. The evening-length work GYAAN: Truth Through Knowledge at the Lakewood Cultural Center addresses the numbing effect of violence and unspeakable crimes with a hopeful heart, and includes a live ensemble of musicians, aerial performances, and Aurora Poet Laureate Jovan Mays in a spectacle Mudra calls its "gift to the world, a way to give back, remember those lost, inspire the desire for change, and heal together as a community." (Westword Magazine)
For more information about the production, please click here.
For more information on everything I am doing including details of other upcoming performances, please click here.
Finally, I want to say a big thank you to everyone to attended the Colorado premiere of the Awaz trio earlier this month. It was wonderful to share this music with my Colorado community.
Thank you for the support!
Aakash
Awaz Trio Colorado Premiere
Featuring New Compositions By Aakash Mittal
I am excited to bring my latest project, Awaz Trio, to my Colorado community. The conception for Nocturne began nine years ago during my undergrad at CU Boulder. I was inspired by the Indian concept of rasa, the literal evocation of emotion through music and dance, and time theory, the idea that certain ragas communicate specific times of day or night. I knew then that I didn't have the skills or knowledge to even begin such a project. I predicted that I wouldn't start until I was at least thirty.
Right now I am twenty nine so I guess the prediction was accurate. My recent year long fellowship in India gave me the opportunity to have an authentic experience with Hindustani raga music and the space to explore this idea for the first time. This is also my first project to incorporate traditional Indian percussion in creative improvised and composed music. In many ways I feel I am only just beginning to sculpt this idea into sound.
The musicians I am collaborating with have cultivated their own original voices stemming from a diversity of traditions. Matt Fuller is a Brooklyn based guitarist whose sound emanates the western slope and jazz language. Rajna Swaminathanalso hails from New York City and is doing ground breaking work creating a space for the south Indian hand drum, called Mridungam, in improvised music.
Please join us for a night of creative music. The sounds of West Bengal will collide with Carnatic ragas and New York City beats to create music that is at once steeped in tradition and distinctly modern.
Aakash Mittal
Right now I am twenty nine so I guess the prediction was accurate. My recent year long fellowship in India gave me the opportunity to have an authentic experience with Hindustani raga music and the space to explore this idea for the first time. This is also my first project to incorporate traditional Indian percussion in creative improvised and composed music. In many ways I feel I am only just beginning to sculpt this idea into sound.
The musicians I am collaborating with have cultivated their own original voices stemming from a diversity of traditions. Matt Fuller is a Brooklyn based guitarist whose sound emanates the western slope and jazz language. Rajna Swaminathanalso hails from New York City and is doing ground breaking work creating a space for the south Indian hand drum, called Mridungam, in improvised music.
Please join us for a night of creative music. The sounds of West Bengal will collide with Carnatic ragas and New York City beats to create music that is at once steeped in tradition and distinctly modern.
Aakash Mittal
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Awaz Trio
Colorado Premiere of Nocturne by Aakash Mittal When: Saturday, September 6th Where: Dazzle Restaurant and Lounge Time: 7 and 9pm sets Price: $20 General Admission/$15 Students with ID |
September 3rd: Interview on KUVO
Join Aakash and the rest of the Awaz Trio at 6:30 pm to promote their upcoming performance at Dazzle, Denver's premiere jazz club. Aakash will also be talking about his experiences in India and the inspiration for his newest pieces, including Nocturne.
Listen on air at 89.3 FM Denver or visit kuvo.org to stream the interview. |
August 6th
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Congratulations to Aakash for his first New York City performance! Last night, the Awaz Quintet played at the
Cornelius Street Cafe. Aakash played with Rajna Swaminathan, Anjna Swaminathan, Tyshawn Sorey, and
Rez Abbasi to a sold out audience. The quintet performed new compositions, by Aakash and Rajna, that explored improvised forms and abstracted ragas.
Cornelius Street Cafe. Aakash played with Rajna Swaminathan, Anjna Swaminathan, Tyshawn Sorey, and
Rez Abbasi to a sold out audience. The quintet performed new compositions, by Aakash and Rajna, that explored improvised forms and abstracted ragas.
July 18th Newsletter
Welcome to the Aakash Mittal Music newsletter! Jayanthi and I made it safely home to the United States. We have been feeling a bit of culture shock and have been enjoying all of the food, music, and people that we missed while abroad.
I am excited to be debuting a new project called Awaz Trio that features Matt Fuller playing guitar and Rajna Swaminathan playing mridungam. We are giving a number of performances on the east coast and in Colorado premiering my AIIS project Nocturne. This trio is a dynamic development in my goal of pursuing a sound that expresses the night through reconciled traditions. Please join us at one of these performances so we may share this project with you.
I will be giving my first performance at an established NYC music venue on August 5th at Cornelia St. Cafe. In addition to that I will be playing with my long time musical heroes Rez Abbasi and Tyshawn Sorey along with my friends Rajna Swaminathan and Anjana Swaminathan. Please wish me luck and if you living on the east coast please listen to the music.
In late September I will be performing in Gyaan with the Mudra Dance Company in Denver. This project will be utilizing Kathak and modern dance styles to make a statement about loss and healing in our society. I am thrilled to be part of such a wonderful band of Denver musicians. To help fund the project Mudra is doing a kickstarter campaign. If you are interested in checking it out please click here.
Thank you for supporting Jayanthi and me during our adventures in India. We have many more exciting projects and concerts in the works so please stay in touch.
Sincerely,
Aakash Mittal
I am excited to be debuting a new project called Awaz Trio that features Matt Fuller playing guitar and Rajna Swaminathan playing mridungam. We are giving a number of performances on the east coast and in Colorado premiering my AIIS project Nocturne. This trio is a dynamic development in my goal of pursuing a sound that expresses the night through reconciled traditions. Please join us at one of these performances so we may share this project with you.
I will be giving my first performance at an established NYC music venue on August 5th at Cornelia St. Cafe. In addition to that I will be playing with my long time musical heroes Rez Abbasi and Tyshawn Sorey along with my friends Rajna Swaminathan and Anjana Swaminathan. Please wish me luck and if you living on the east coast please listen to the music.
In late September I will be performing in Gyaan with the Mudra Dance Company in Denver. This project will be utilizing Kathak and modern dance styles to make a statement about loss and healing in our society. I am thrilled to be part of such a wonderful band of Denver musicians. To help fund the project Mudra is doing a kickstarter campaign. If you are interested in checking it out please click here.
Thank you for supporting Jayanthi and me during our adventures in India. We have many more exciting projects and concerts in the works so please stay in touch.
Sincerely,
Aakash Mittal