ahimsa

Ahimsa is a four-piece world music ensemble, based in India, Switzerland and Germany.Seamlessly weaving guitar, violin and both North & South Indian percussion, their music is a stunning fusion, masterfully blending traditional Indian Carnatic music with elements of western classical music and jazz.

The group grew out of a chance meeting between German jazz guitarist Matthias Muller and South Indian violinist S. Radhakrishna in 1999, which blossomed into friendship, mutual admiration, and eventually this musical partnership. With the addition of a bassist and two ace Indian percussionists, the original line-up of Ahimsa was born, and their debut album What is the nature of Spirit? garnered broad critical acclaim. They chose as their name the Sanskrit word which denotes non-violence, reverence and compassion for all beings and forms of life. Today Ahimsa tours as a quartet Matthias on guitar, Radha on the rare Indian double-necked violin, and ace percussionists Udai and Yoga, from North and South India, respectively.

In Ahimsas superb musicianship and fiery compositions, the complex rhythmic structures and raga improvisations are extemporaneous, yet meticulously balanced with the harmonic diversity of western classical music and the unlimited expression of jazz. The band creates daring and compelling explorations, played with a virtuosity reminiscent of the legendary Shakti --yet at the same time innovative, fresh and uniquely their own.

Attesting to their dazzling virtuosity in live performance, the bands individual members have collaborated with a veritable whos who of modern music, from maestro Yehudi Menuhin, Pandit Ravi Shankar, and Stephane Grappelli to Dr. L. Subramaniam, V.M. Bhatt, Debashish Bhattacharya, Bickram Gosh,Tanmoy Bose and Zakir Hussain.