Artist Information
Biography
"...It was a very healing and powerful experience that left me filled with emotion."
-Aurore Adamkiewicz N.D.
"I Loved the Indian music. They have a lot of talent. I love how they explained everything so we could understand it."
-Manchester Village Newspaper
John Churchville holds a BFA Degree in World Music Performance from California Institute of the Arts, where he majored in North Indian Classical music, and minored in West African music and dance. He has been playing drums for over 20 years, and has studied tabla for the last ten. Currently, John is the music director at the "Go Like
the Wind" School in Ann Arbor. He has performed in India, Germany, Canada, and all over the United States with a wide range of groups including the Gratitude Steel Band, Deep Blue Jazz Trio, Ann Arbor Kirtan, the U of M Indian Classical Music and Dance group, and as a featured performer with the Michigan Pops Orchestra.
Dan Piccolo is a drummer and percussionist based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He has performed, taught, and studied internationally during his professional career, which has spanned nearly twenty years. Dan holds both a BM in Percussion Performance and a MM in Improvisation from the University of Michigan School of Music, and has studied tabla intensively in Varanasi, India. He performs regularly throughout the US and abroad in a wide variety of settings. Dan is also an active educator, teaching the full range of percussion instruments in private and classroom settings. Please visit www.dpbeats.com for more information.
Prashanth Gururaja has been an important part of the thriving Indian classical music scene in Southeast Michigan for over 10 years. Though his training is in traditional South Indian classical music, Prashanth has proven himself as a truly diverse performer. He has been member of the Detroit Beats, a fusion group made up of top Indian Musicians and members of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. He has also been a featured performer with experimental jazz group Kozora, and with the Indian Classical Music and Dance Group at the University of Michigan.
Meeta Banerjee began learning the sitar at the Detroit Institute for Indian Music. She has performed all over Michigan in venues such as the Detroit Institute of Arts, Ann Arbor Book Festival, and the N.American Bengali Conference. In 2005, she and John were invited as featured artists for the Michigan Pops Orchestra's "Pops Around the World". In 2000, she founded the Saadhanai Classical Music Group, a student-run organization at the University of Michigan. Saadhanai is dedicated to the promotion and preservation of Indian Hindustani classical music.
Scott is a Michigan native and graduate of the University of Michigan-Flint, where he earned his BA Degree in classical and jazz performance on saxophone. He began studying the traditional Indian Bansuri, (flute) in 2003 when he won a scholarship to study music education in India. Since then he has studied and performed with Srimati Madhumita Saha, and master tabla player Pandit Samar Saha.Scott continues to teach, perform and promote music education and performance in Southeast Michigan.
Atmaram Chaitanya has been singing and playing Indian-style kirtan for over 37 years and is currently with the Ann Arbor Kirtan group. He has helped facilitate bhakti kirtans at ashrams, retreats, yoga studios, festivals, and homes around the U.S. and India. Atmaram plays harmonium, tambura, and guitar and credits music instructors Morris Lawerence, Shari Kane, and the dozens of kirtaniyas that have influenced his musical style over the years.
Instrumentation
Dave Sharp - Electric Bass
Meeta Banerjee - Sitar
John Churchville - Tabla
Dan Piccolo - Percussion, Tabla, Cajon, Frame Drum
Mahesh Ganesan - Ghatam, Kanjira, Mrigdangam
Scott Brady - Saxophone, Bansuri
Vishrut Srivastava - Vocals, Harmonium
Prashanth Gururaja - Violin
Atmaram Chaitanya - Vocals, Tanpura, Dotar
Anoop Gopal - Violin
Discography
Sumkali - "Mandali" 2010
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/sumkali
John Churchville and Meeta Banerjee: Sangeet http://cdbaby.com/cd/churchvillebanerjee
Official Website
Links
Video
Photo Gallery
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Sumkali Group
Download print quality (high-res) version (Right Click -> Save As) -
Vish Jammin
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Sumkali profile at Top of The Park, Ann Arbor
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Srishti Dancers join Sumkali
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Sumkali at Kerrytown Concert House, Ann Arbor
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Tabla
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Sitar
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Prashanth
Press
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iTunes Review
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"...It was a very healing and powerful experience that left me filled with emotion." -Aurore Adamki...
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Indian Music at Riverfolk Festival
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"I Loved the Indian music. They have a lot of talent. I love how they explained everything so we c...
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UMS Presents Sumkali
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SumKali Indian Classical Music Lecture/Demonstration Tuesday, October 13, 7 pm Kerrytown Concert H...
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Sumkali brings India's Music and Culture the the White Crow Conservatory of Music
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"John Churchville remembers one of the first Indian bands he joined, the only Westerner among its tr...
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Michigan Music Monthly Video Episode
This is one of the segments of the Michigan Music Monthly video channel.
Setlist
We play a range of music from North and South India, including Bengali folk tunes, Tagore tunes, Ragas, and North/South fusion pieces. We also specialize in a style known as Raga Jazz. It is all about flowing with the energy of the crowd, and it has always been great!
