Madras Special & KCP 5
Media Downloads Madras Special:
Media Downloads KCP 5:
Ramesh Shotham was born in Madras, South India. He began his career as a drummer in a rockband that performed all over the Indian subcontinent, co-leading a group called Human Bondage. During the mid-seventies, he returned to Madras to study the Tavil, a traditional Temple music drum,- played all over South India and Sri Lanka. Later, he studied the other classical percussion instruments, like Ghatam, Mridangam, Kanjira and Morsing at the Karnataka College of Percussion under Professor TA.S. Mani. In 1980 Shotham came with the Indo-Jazz Fusion- group Sangam to participate in various European festivals. Since then Shotham works and lives in Europe and is recognized as one of the most successful percussionists around. He has worked not only with leading European and American Jazz and Rock musicians, but also with artistes from Africa, Australia, China, Korea and several Arabic countries. During the last 20 years, Shotham has recorded over 120 LPs and CDs and has worked for all the leading TV and Radio stations in Germany and Europe. In 1984 he was invited as artist-in-residence at the Iwalewa Haus, University of Bayreuth. In 1986 he was guest teacher at the Conservatorium in Rotterdam. He has also conducted workshops and seminars in various cities. Ramesh Shotham has performed at various international festivals. To mention a few: Berlin Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival, Festival of Perth, Buk Festival in South Korea, Montreal Jazz Festival, Jazz Yatra Festival in India and Festival of India in Australia and China, Umbria Jazz Festival in Perugia, … Shotham also went on three tours organized by the Goethe-Institut: 1990 to the former Yugoslavia, Hungary and Bulgaria; 1992 to France, Spain and Portugal; 1993 to India. Shotham's Work with musicians such as Carla Bley, Chris Hinze, Steve Coleman, Steve Swallow, Jonas Hellborg, Charlie Mariano and a host of others is well documented. He also founded his own formations like Bhavani and Madras Special. These concepts were used to feature Shotham's own compositions. During the last few years Shotham has been touring with Sigi Schwab's Percussion Project regularly. He was invited during the 1997 Music Triennale in Cologne to perform with the Carla Bley Big Band. Early 1998 involved work with Steve Coleman in India. Shotham recently appeared in Heartbeat of the Continents, a film by Manfred Waffender featuring different styles of drumming, produced by arte and the ZDF. Along with Rabih Abou-Kahlil and Zoltan Lantos, he recorded a documentary film for Euroarts to demonstrate the influences of World music on Jazz. Recent activities included uded a trip to Cuba to play at the Jazzfestival with Steve Coleman, a summer tour with Carla Bley's Escalator over the hill Project and an invitation to a Worid-Music-Festival in Tunesia with the well known Oud player Mohammed Zinelabidin. Ramesh Shotham has been commisioned by the WDR to travel to India with his group Madras Special in early 1999 to perform and record new music.
Madras Special
The musical concept is based on a quartet format with very special guest musicians, with whom Ramesh Shotham shares a creative friendship since many years.
Zoltan Lantos, the hungarian violinist who spent several years in India plays a crucial role in the band. His virtuoaity and warm sounds coupled with his knowledge of Indian ragas is just right for this music.
Sandhya Sanjana, the indian singer lives in Amsterdam and is one of the few singers, who can bridge pop and indian classical music.
Christian Zürner: bass
KCP 5
R.A.
Ramamani-vocal
Charlie Mariano-saxophone
Mike Herting-keys
T.A.S. Mani-percussion
Ramesh Shotham-percussion
Long
before the expression 'World Music' became fashionable and musicians in
the West were still busy trying to find out about sitar and tabla, Charlie
Mariano travelled to a remote village in Tamilnadu, South India, to study
the intricacies of the oboe-like instrument, the Nadaswaram. This was
the beginning of his experience with Carnatic or South Indian classical
music, which would lead him to over two decades of fruitful association
with artistes from the Karnataka College of Percussion.
Around 1978 two muscians from the KCP (Karnataka College of Percussion),
Ramamani and T.A.S. Mani, met percussionist Ramesh Shotham in Bangalore
and, together with jazz pianist Louis banks from Bombay, they formed the
first Indo-Jazz fusion group called 'Sangam'. This band's great success
on European tours culminated in a much acclaimed performance at the 1983
Berlin Jazz Festival, with special guest Charlie Mariano! During the same
year the groundbreaking ECM production 'Jyothi' featuring Mariano and
the KCP was also released. Thus a new genre in the music scene came into
existence.
After several albums and tours with outstanding European musicians, KCP
met Mike Herting, who became so enthralled with this form of music, that
he travelled to Bangalore, studying and exchanging ideas with Ramamani.
The result was a unique project, a first time meeting of South Indian
classical musicians with a big band! Arranged by Mike Herting, 'Sketches
of Bangalore' performed by KCP/Mariano and the WDR Big Band became a landmark!
Around 2005 the group streamlined into a quintet featuring
Ramamani-vocal, Charlie Mariano-saxophone, Mike
Herting-keys, T.A.S. Mani-percussion and Ramesh Shotham-percussion. They
now call themselves very simply, KCP 5! A brand new recording by this
lineup was produced by Mike Herting in January 2006 in Bangalore. Titled
'Many Ways', it is to be released later this year.
In 2007 KCP 5 will tour Europe starting circa the 10th of March until
the 15th of April. During this period the group will once again meet and
work with the WDR Big Band.
Selected Discography:
Jyothi - ECM
Germanistan - Dissidenten
Live - VeraBra
Sankirna - Oriental Wind
Blue Glass - Keytone
Bangalore - Intuition
Sketches of Bangalore - pmp
Recent
Festival Appearances:
Berlin Jazzfest 1998
Stimmen Gottes Morocco 1999
Moers Festival 1999
Leverkusen Jazztage 2003
Theaterhaus Festival Stuttgart 2005
Dresdner Musik Festspiele 2005