| Udai hails from a
family of musicians and fine artistes of Allahabad, India.
His father, the Late Partho Sarathy Mazumdar, is
among the first-generation of guitarists in the field of
Indian Classical music.
A versatile tabla
player of the Benares Gharana, and also a composer of great finesse,
Udai has over the years, consciously evolved into an evocative and
expressive tabla player. This could also be attributed to his
musicianship and sensitive approach both artistically and
professionally. His dedication and commitment to the classical music
genre and the time-tested Indian drum has made him equally adept as a
soloist and as an accompanist. Udai, thus, naturally aspires to apply
his skills to integrate the tabla as part of a musical whole in the
performance arena. |
With Guruji late Pt.
Kaviraj Ashoutosh Bhattacharya
With
Guruji
Pandit
Ravi
Shankar |
As Udai’s initial
training was in vocal music, it was only natural for him to be attracted
towards the nuances of composing but he was also simultaneously drawn to
the resonating rhythmic possibilities of the tabla. His first encounter
with the tabla was at the age of 7 years. In 1981, he turned to the
eminent Pandit Ashoutosh Bhattacharya, one of the foremost disciples of
the legendary Pandit Kanthe Maharaj, to hone his skills. In 1989, Udai
shifted to Delhi to further his musical experience and became the disciple
of the world-renowned Sitar Maestro, Bharat Ratna Pandit Ravi Shankar,
lived with him and learnt the art of Tabla accompaniment.
Udai has participated
in many noteworthy Indian and international festivals, besides playing for
and with Pandit Ravi Shankar in different occasions, like performing
before the Royal Families of England and Sweden, accompanied Pt. Ravi
Shankar together with Ustad Zakir Hussain in a concert to mark Pt. Ravi
Shankar’s 75th birth year. He is a regular performer on the
Indian National Radio and television channels. Udai’s Indian travels have
taken him to platforms such as the Durgalal Festival, Delhi, the Saptak
Festival, Ahmedabad, Vasantahabba Festival, Bangalore etc. His
international sojourns include the International Folk Festival Hungary,
several International Drum Festivals, Germany, several World Music
Festivals, Rome, the International Festival for the Chernobyl Victims in
Minsk and the International Festivals for Contemporary Music in Mongolia,
Odessa, Kyrgyzstan and Azerbaijan.
Udai has also been
recorded, aired and interviewed at the above mentioned International
Festivals and by Radio DRS, Switzerland, Radio France and the BBC Radio.
Udai also has credits on the CD’s “Echoes from India”, “Fulfillment”,
„Reverberations – I“, Musik der Welt Bern” and „ShankaRagmala“(for Pandit
Ravi Shankar’s 80th Birthday).
Establishing a
rapport with music-lovers, Udai has won critical and general acclaim of a
wide range of audiences through his memorable performances of the
universal language of melody and rhythm.
Based in Basel,
Switzerland and New Delhi, India, Udai is seriously engaged in
performance, composing and teaching.
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