Indus

Artist Information

Biography

Relative newcomers to Britain's world music scene, Indus brings together four of the country's leading instrumentalists from Indian, Western & Jazz genres. Indus was formed in late 2008 out of a shared desire to create new approaches to music-making and to expand the boundaries of each member's genres & instruments. Inspired by the rich musical tapestry of India & Pakistan, the group's original music skilfully navigates uncharted & ever-changing musical terrain. Indus is John Ball (Santoor), Mohamed Assani (Sitar), Henrik Linnemann ( Flute) & Shahbaz Hussain (Tabla).

Following an intensive & creative period of defining their sound, Indus embarked on their inaugural national tour of England in June 2009, with the support of the Arts Council England (please see EPK Calendar for details of tour dates & venues). The group's performances have attracted vastly diverse audiences of all ages and cultures and the response to their music has been phenomenal, with comments received like:

"I felt amazed - like a child!"

"Absolutely beautiful. I feel reconnected and refreshed!"

"Am not normally able to listen to 'sit-down' music, but this was riveting!"

"Thank you for an inspiring evening - even kept our cynical 9-year old enthralled!"

In October 2009, Indus released their debut album, Firefly, recorded live in studio. According to independent music reviewers RadioIndy, "The 4-piece band stretches the boundaries of their Hindustani-inspired music in a musical exploration that’s both rich in tradition as well as brilliantly modern....Equally challenging and rewarding, the evocative 'Firefly' CD by Indus is perfect for fans of Indian music, or for listeners of similarly modern World Music visionaries like John McLaughlin’s Shakti or Anouar Brahem." The album is on sale worldwide through CD Baby.

Indus continue to compose & develop their unique sound. They are keen to share their music as widely as possible. Their tour of the UK continues until October 2010 after which they plan to record their second album and tour globally. The group is committed to building their audience base and extending their network of partnerships with promoters, festivals, artistic directors & programmers, record labels, media reps, sponsors, funders and other potential collaborators.

Indus is currently managed by Shahaa Kakar, former CEO of Leeds-based music organisation South Asian Arts - uk.

A BIT MORE ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

Shahbaz Hussain (Tabla / Voice)
Shahbaz is fast emerging as one of the most promising tabla virtuosos of his generation. He has received numerous accolades for his captivating performances, including recently receiving the prestigious “Son of Lahore” Award from the Pakistan Arts Council for his services to the arts of tabla. He is much sought after for his accompaniment skills by many of the great masters musicians of India & Pakistan. Shahbaz has been groomed by some of the great tabla maestros of this century, including Ustad Faiyaz Khan, the late Ustad Shaukat Hussain Khan and the late Ustad Allah Rakha Khan.

Henrik Linnemann (Flute / Bass Flute)
Henrik is renowned as one of the most versatile flute players in the UK. Since he graduated from Manchester’s Royal Northern College of Music, he has worked in film, radio and theatre as well as pop sessions in and around the north of England. He also fronts the quartet ‘LJQ’ with which he has recorded two albums of his own jazz originals. From his home in Sheffield, he continues to teach and perform and is much in demand not only for his knowledge of the classical flute repertoire, but also for his ability to comfortably improvise in a variety of musical genres.

John Ball (Santoor / Djembe)
John is an accomplished santoor artist who regularly travels across the UK to perform and teach. He has composed and performed music for several theatre productions including North Country Theatre's production of “The Man Who Would Be King.” He also recently completed a tour with eclectic world music group Rafiki Jazz, featuring BBC World Music Award Winner Juldeh Camara. John is based in Sheffield where he works as a Musician in Residence at the University of Sheffield.

Mohamed Assani (Sitar)
Mohamed is widely acclaimed for his mastery & creative use of the sitar. His musical background includes training in Indian Classical, Western Classical & jazz. Mohamed regularly performs across the UK and in Europe as a soloist and with larger ensembles - including members of London's Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Black Dyke Brass Band & Grand Union Orchestra. He has also taken his music to the theatre, composing and performing as part of Rani Moorthy's acclaimed "Dancing Within Walls " and North Country Theatre's "The Man Who Would be King." He lectures in Indian Music & Ensemble Technique at the University of Huddersfield and teaches sitar at the University of Leeds.

Instrumentation

Mohamed Assani - Sitar
John Ball - Djembe, santoor
Henrik Linnemann - flute, Bass flute
Shahbaz Hussain - voice, Tabla

Discography

FIREFLY - DEBUT ALBUM RELEASED OCTOBER 2009
Drawn together by a shared desire to create fresh & exciting approaches to music making, Indus brings together four passionate performers with roots in diverse musical styles. Firefly, their first album, represents a significant chapter in the group’s remarkable journey. Through this live studio performance of over an hour of inspired music, Indus have combined carefully crafted arrangements & compositions with free flowing passages of improvisation & interplay. Their music endeavours to navigate through uncharted musical terrain while embracing the rich musical tapestry of India & Pakistan. Firefly mirrors the warmth & spontaneity shared with audiences through their live performances to-date and captures the group’s integrity, sensitivity & aspirational vision. On sale at www.cdbaby.com/cd/Indus.

Links

• Facebook
• Indus Youtube Channel

Audio

• In The Round
  Listen  
• A Night at the Court
  Listen  
• Mind the Gap
  Listen  
• Firefly
  Listen  

Video

Indus performing at Birmingham Symphony Hall, May 2011

Clips from Indus's UK Tour, 2009-11

Photo Gallery

Press

• "A Group to Keep a Beady Eye Upon" [+ Show ]
  

  Firefly is the debut release by the UK-based Indus. The quartet features Mohamed Assani (sitar), Joh...Firefly is the debut release by the UK-based Indus. The quartet features Mohamed Assani (sitar), John Ball (santoor), Henrik Linnemann (western flute) and Shahbaz Hussain (tabla and vocals on 'A Night at the Court' and bols - rhythmic mnemonics - on 'In the Round.') Recorded live in studio, track titles like 'Mind the Gap,' 'Kafi Lounge,' and 'A Night at the Court' give flavours of what to expect. The music is out of a similar frame of mind that guided the Indian Quintet of Daya Shankar, Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Tarun Bhattacharya, Ramesh Misra and Kumar Bose on their 'Raga-Ragini' back in 1988. What shines out is that this is an improvised art form. These compositions were not made for exact replication. Indus' progress is going to be one to keep a beady eye upon. Suggested entry points: 'Firefly' and 'In the Round.' Ken Hunt (August / September 2010 Issue)

• Review of Indus Album, Firefly [+ Show ]
  

  Recorded live in studio, Indus’ debut CD “Firefly” is an exhilarating mix of Eastern melodies and in...Recorded live in studio, Indus’ debut CD “Firefly” is an exhilarating mix of Eastern melodies and instrumentation performed with a jazz ensemble-like flair for spontaneity, improvisation and - not least, playfulness. Incorporating sitar, santoor (a 100-stringed instrument played with wooden mallets), Western flute and tabla, the 4-piece band stretches the boundaries of their Hindustani-inspired music in a musical exploration that’s both rich in tradition as well as brilliantly modern. On CD-opener, “Mind the Gap,” Indus’ playfulness is in full evidence; a rhythmically complex piece that challenges each musician to stay true to the beat, it is an 11-minute workout of pure inspiration. “A Night at the Court” utilizes improvisational scat-like singing (called “bols,” the language of tabla) over a regal melody reminiscent of classical Persian extemporization. In fact, the album’s opus, “Esfahan,” draws the neighboring cultures of India, Pakistan and Iran into sharp relief over the course of a wildly provocative 19-minute jam that gives each player more than ample space to improvise and experiment with melody, rhythm, tone and harmony. Equally challenging and rewarding, the evocative “Firefly” CD by Indus is perfect for fans of Indian music, or for listeners of similarly modern World Music visionaries (e.g., John McLaughlin’s Shakti or Anouar Brahem).

• British Flute Society Review of Firefly, June 2010 [+ Show ]
  

  The new CD from Indus, a four-piece ensemble predominantly formed of instruments from the Indian sub...The new CD from Indus, a four-piece ensemble predominantly formed of instruments from the Indian sub-continent, will be of great interest to those who want to explore how the western concert flute can cross cultural and stylistic borders. Henrik Linnemann, the Sheffield-based jazz flautist, is to be heard on a standard (silver?) concert flute as well as bass flute. His fellow musicians are Shahbaz Hussain on tabla and vocals, John Ball on santoor – a traditional Indian instrument closely related to the zither – and Mohamed Assani on sitar.
  
  The combination of instruments is particularly interesting as the upper partials and resonances of the two stringed instruments (santoor and sitar) combine to produce a bright, almost crystalline sound which contrasts with the much rounder, boomier sonority of the tabla. The flute slots in between these two opposing timbres and although the modern western instrument might lack the flexibility and tonal variety of the traditional Indian flute, especially in the execution of the characteristic meend or gamak – the microtonal slides and ornaments so much a feature of Indian melodic improvisation – it does bring a depth, clarity and precision to the ensemble. Listening to Linnemann's improvisation, one can definitely detect his western jazz roots even when using Indian ragas as his source material. Linnemann's talents as a flautist are particularly well showcased in this recording (for example, in the extended bass flute solo that opens the first track), although the disc as a whole is impressive for the equal integration and interplay of all four musicians.
  
  Out of the six tracks, four are extended compositions lasting more than eleven minutes, all sharing a sectional structure and, as with much Indian music, alternating highly complex rhythmically pre-determined sections with passages of freer improvisation. Kafi Lounge and In the Round have a more laid back, western jazz feel. By contrast, the evocative vocalisation of Shahbaz Hussain which opens A Night at the Court immerses us in the Indian classical tradition, as does his use of solkattu – the alliterative technique of rhythmic syllabic vocalisation so unique to the music of the subcontinent – in this and the sixth track Isfahan.
  
  The CD cover tells us that 'their music endeavours to navigate through uncharted musical territory while embracing the rich musical tapestry of India and Pakistan.' Although uncharted territory may be an exaggeration, the ensemble has produced six tracks full of variety, contrast and invention which will appeal equally to world music enthusiasts and flautists searching for something different for their CD (or iPod!) collection.
  
  Jonathan Booty

• Review of Indus Performances [+ Show ]
  

  "Thank you for an inspiring evening - even kept our cynical 9-year old enthralled!" (Sheffield) "..."Thank you for an inspiring evening - even kept our cynical 9-year old enthralled!" (Sheffield)
  
  "Am not normally able to listen to 'sit-down' music, but this was riveting!" (Glossop)
  
  "Beautiful music, most suitable venue. Though in a Cathedral, you will continue playing in the temples of my mind." (Sheffield Cathedral)
  
  "Truly unbelievable...a real joy to get lost in what they were doing." (Bradford)
  
  "I felt amazed - like a child!" (Sheffield)
  
  "Absolutely beautiful. I feel reconnected and refreshed." (Sheffield)
  
  "Absolutely superb - a thoroughly enjoyable and relaxing and stimulating afternoon. Never heard Western and Indian music merged in such a way. Brilliant! I will be following you from now on! (Liverpool)
  
  "Such a fantastic concert. I appreciated the mix of cultures and diversity. Truly magical and inspirational." (York)
  

• Review of Indus Performance in Liverpool, January 2010 [+ Show ]
  

  Indus is a phenomenal east-meets-west ensemble made up of Tabla, Sitar and Santoor, with jazz-tinged...Indus is a phenomenal east-meets-west ensemble made up of Tabla, Sitar and Santoor, with jazz-tinged Flute. Now, I’m not normally one for ‘fusion’ musics. Jazz-rock, urgh. Jazz-funk. ARGH! And anything that brings together any form of ethnic drums with a thumping four-to-the-floor house beat makes me want to strangle myself with my wooden beads. But this fusion worked for me. It was a tasteful and accomplished blend of North Indian Classical instruments and tradition, with some of the more familiar phrase structure and harmony of western music. Some might say it's world music 'lite,' but if it’s making other cultures and traditions more accessible to western audiences, I say, great.

Setlist

A typical Indus performance usually consists of two x 50 minute sets with a 20 minute interval in between. The group perform their own original repertoire, including the following:

IN THE ROUND
An original composition set in Dorian mode, characterised by offbeat rhythms & contrasting melodic motifs and set in keherwa taal (an 8-beat rhythm cycle).

KAFI LOUNGE
An upbeat & groovy original composition set in raag Kafi and set in keherwa taal (an 8-beat rhythm cycle).

A NIGHT AT THE COURT
An original & introspective piece with a poignant vocal element by Shahbaz. Set in rupak taal (a 7-beat rhythm cycle) and dadra taal (a 6-beat rhythm cycle), this piece uses influences from raag Darbari – a raag brought into North Indian music by Mian Tansen, a legendary 16th century composer in Emperor Akbar's court. The word Darbar is derived from Persian and literally means Court. Darbari is considered to be a grave raga, played in the deep of the night and with the potential for profound emotional impact.

FIREFLY
An original composition that creatively fuses contemporary riffs with traditional themes of raag Yaman. The piece alternates between keherwa taal (an 8-beat rhythm cycle) and teentaal (a 16-beat rhythm cycle).

MIND THE GAP
An original composition that playfully uses raag Chandrakauns in a rhythmic exploration of a 7 ½ beat cycle.

NICE PLACE TO JOG
An original bluesy flute-based tune in a distinct 6-beat groove with added percussion on djembe. Inspired by themes from raag Jog.

ISFAHAN
An adaptation of a popular Persian / Afghan folk melody set in raag Bhairavi and in keherwa taal (an 8-beat rhythm cycle). This piece also features a short tabla solo by Shahbaz set in teentaal (a 16-beat rhythm cycle). During the solo, John keeps the time cycle by playing a repeating melody on the santoor, around which Shahbaz improvises.

Basic Requirements

Calendar