SPOTLIGHT

TORONTO TABLA ENSEMBLE SCORES A BIG WIN

On June 22, Toronto Tabla Ensemble (TTE) was present at the 17th Annual Independent Music Awards (IMA) ceremony at Symphony Space in Manhattan, NY. The IMAs are an international award program created to recognize self-distributed recordings and releases. Some of the past judges have included Keith Richards, Norah Jones, and Peter Gabriel. At this year’s ceremony, TTE was nominated for awards in the categories of Best World Traditional Song and Best Music Video Performance, winning the former for their song Faceoff.

Led by Artistic Director and Canadian tabla maestro Ritesh Das, TTE is the area’s foremost non-profit charitable organization of its kind. Das’ groundbreaking blend of world music influences — from Japanese Taiko, to Celtic, to Flamenco, to rock n’ roll — with traditional Hindustani instruments and the tabla have been long-lauded for introducing the style to the mainstream public.

Their recent album Bhumika has received international acclaim especially with the release of the music video for Faceoff. The song’s composers Razak Pirani, Shamir Panchal, and Nivethan Vela describe it as “an energetic meeting between Hindustani and Carnatic rhythmic systems”. The song also features San Francisco-based violin player Raaginder Singh Momi, one of the Ensemble’s newest guest artists. The song’s music video, created by Melissa Das-Arp, has won awards at short film festivals across Canada, Europe, and India.

Toronto Tabla Ensemble was nominated for a Juno Award for their album Firedance, and their compositions have been licensed for numerous commercials and films. TTE created the theme music for CBC Radio’s daily Metro Morning.

• For more information, Toronto Tabla Ensemble can be reached at 416-429-0916 and info@tablaensemble.com