ওয়াশিংটন বাংলা রেডিও Washington Bangla Radio

Debojyoti Mishra talks to Subhomoy Mukherjee in this exclusive, comprehensive and intimate audio interview on Washington Bangla Radio.

How to describe Debojyoti Mishra who is an musical institution by himself!! We can only consider him as a gifted prodigy of Bengali Music. He is one amongst the best music directors of Tollywood. At the same time he is showing his talent for Ad films, soaps and movies from other countries and of other languages too.

Washington Bangla Radio is pleased to present a selection of the beautiful and unique compositions of Toronto Tabla Ensemble (www.tablaensemble.com)  for your listening pleasure. These audio tracks are presented courtesy of the Toronto Tabla Ensemble and their Artistic Director, Ritesh Das (e-mail: riteshdas [at] tablaensemble [dot] com). Click on the play button above to listen to the songs on WBRi On-Demand Radio.

The songs are:

• Indo Africa -Toronto Tabla Ensemble. Composer Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri
• Weight - Toronto Tabla Ensemble. Composer Ritesh Das
• Tap Root -Toronto Tabla Ensemble and Donald Quan. Composer Ritesh Das & Donald Quan
• Waterfall - Toronto Tabla Ensemble. Composer Ritesh Das
• Joyfully Seven- Toronto Tabla Ensemble
• Weaving - Toronto Tabla Ensemble. Composer Ritesh Das
• Bable - Ritesh Das and Hari Krishnan. Composers Ritesh Das and Hari Krishnan.

About Toronto Tabla Ensemble

This critically acclaimed independent band from Toronto, Canada, is a total music experience. The TTE has developed its own powerful style using rhythms from India, while exploring contemporary musical landscapes with artists from other cultures.

Playing to sold out audiences since 1991, this influential voice in Canadian music, brings together the North Indian percussive tradition of Tabla, with some of Canada's best music and dance groups.

Staying true to form, content and feeling, the TTE moves what is traditionally a solo instrument to an unparalleled level of ensemble work.

The intricate rhythms and abundant tonal variations possible on the tabla combine to make it one of the most expressive of all percussion instruments. Add to this the versatility of mallets, percussion, voice, violin, bass and dance, and you have what the Ensemble is all about.

The Ensemble has performed at all of Canada's best folk, jazz and art festivals, has appeared nationally and internationally on Bravo!, CBC News World and Much Music, and in 2003 was commissioned to create the current theme music for the CBC RADIO 1's daily morning show Metro Morning.

MP3 Download

Toronto Tabla Ensemble albums are available in MP3 Audio download format online. Click on the album names below to listen to free samples and download Mp3 Audio tracks.

• Weaving
• Alankar
• Compilations
• Firedance
• Second Palla

Band Members

Ritesh Das

Ritesh Das, composer and musician, has studied tabla with gurus Pandit Shankar Ghosh, Ustad Zakir Hussain and most extensively with Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri. He has toured throughout the US, Canada and India, and performed with many of India's great music and dance innovators. Since moving to Canada, he has established himself as an extraordinary teacher of tabla and founded the Toronto Tabla Ensemble in 1991.

Joanna De Souza

Joanna de Souza is perhaps the only Canadian born artist to achieve a Master's Degree in Indian Classical Kathak dance through Prayag Sangit Samiti, Allahabad, India. Her study of Kathak, which began in 1978, continues under Pandit Chitresh Das. Since her return to Toronto, she has gained reputation as an excellent Kathak dancer, teacher and choreographer. Her traditional and collaborative works have earned her a variety of nominations and awards. She is Artistic Director of M-DO and has been a member of the TTE since 1993.

Neel Punna

Neel, a native East Coaster, began studying with Ritesh Das upon his move to Toronto in 1993. As an integral member of the Toronto Tabla Ensemble, he regularly accompanies kathak dance classes and is on the teaching staff of the M-DO and Toronto Tabla Ensemble Centre for World Music and Dance. Neel has traveled with the Ensemble on many tours and has attended all professional development workshops with Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri.

Jonathan Gooch

Jono Gooch completed Grade 10 piano in 1996, under Clayton Scott at the Royal Conservatory of Music. A keen interest in rhythm lead him to the drums & he has been playing the kit drum since 1992 & has studied tabla with Ritesh since 1999. He has toured nationally with the Toronto Tabla Ensemble & plays locally with the Three Bears, Shiver Mc Timbers, Clocknuts and You Left Saving The Planet.

Heather Thorkelson

A passion for tabla lead Heather to begin studying tabla with Ritesh Das upon her return from abroad. She has toured internationally with the Ensemble and participates in all professional development workshops, including those with Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri. She is a member of the Ensemble's Board of Directors and plays a vital production and promotional role in all concerts and fund-raising events.

Bindhu Sadasivan

Bindhu made her debut with the Toronto Tabla Ensemble in 2007. She participates in all performances, classes and workshops and is studying the art of kathak dance accompaniment. Outside of the Ensemble, she works as a full-time occupational therapist.

Robin Kalnin

Robin had his first exposure to the Indian classical performing arts while completing a degree in music at the University of British Columbia. A saxophone player by training, he has composed music and played in a variety of jazz, classical and contemporary settings. Upon moving to Toronto, an interest in Indian percussion lead to studies in tabla. Robin performs with the Toronto Tabla Ensemble and accompanies kathak dance classes and performances.

Vitra Gosine

Vitra has been studying tabla for the last several years and made her debut with the Ensemble in 2007. She participates in all classes and workshops and is studying kathak dance accompaniment. Outside of the Ensemble, Vitra is an Investment Finance Analyst.

Well-known Bengali film and television actor Sudip Mukherjee talks to Arijit Chakraborty, Washington Bangla Radio, in an informal, comprehensive and intimate interview.

Sudip Mukherjee is a sportsman-turned actor, with successful sportsmanship in cricket and rowing before he switched tracks to enter professional acting. Sudip has acted in acclaimed roles in Bengali stage theater, including for theater groups like Calcutta Performers lead by Kamal Roychoudhuri. He is also well-knows for his performances in major television serials, including Draupadi, Ingit, Neel Shimana, Janmabhoomi, Sheola, Ei To Jibon etc, and the currently airing Erao Shotru and Kurukhetra for which he has received the best actor award for multiple consecutive years.

Sudip has played significant roles in films like Gautam Ghosh's 13 years of vrindaban studio, Subrata's Ek je ache kanya, Tapan Sinha's Dheu and so on. He is also very well remembered for his depiction of Byomkesh Bakshi in Swapan Ghosal's adaptation. Other notable performances of Sudip Mukherjee include his roles in Jara brishtite bhijechilo, Premrog, Kantataar, Greftar and the recently released MUSALMANIR GOLPO.

Do not miss Srijit Mukherjee's great story of his cast and crew singing songs when shooting of Bengali movie Autograph was once delayed due to unavoidable reasons, including his senior collaborators, in this extensive and in-depth audio interview of playwright-director-actor Srijit Mukherjee by Arijit Chakraborty of Washington Bangla Radio.

Srijit Mukherjee has an extensive background in professional English and Bengali stage theater, and his full-length Bengali feature film AUTOGRAPH (2010) is expected to release in September 2010.

Autograph, a Bengali film, is produced by Shrikant Mohta and Mahendra Soni of Shree Venkatesh Films, the makers of Chokher Bali, Raincoat and Iti Mrinalini, in collaboration with Madhu Mantena, the producer of Ghajini and Rann. It marks the debut of Srijit Mukherji as a writer/director and stars the reigning matinee idol of the Bengali Film Industry, Prosenjit Chatterjee, the internationally acclaimed actress Nandana Sen and the emerging new face of Bengali parallel cinema, Indraneil Sengupta. The plot revolves around three lives - a superstar, a young director and a theater actress - and how their coming together during the process of making a film, changes them forever. The film is also a humble tribute to Satyajit Ray's Nayak and is expected to release in September 2010.

Tollywood Kolkata Bengali movie and Television actor Abir Chattopadhyay talks to Arijit Chakraborty of Washington Bangla Radio in this comprehensive and intimate interview.

Abir Chattopadhyay is a contemporary young smart and intelligent actor who has already made a place for himself in the Bengali Movie and Television worlds in Kolkata. Abir played the critically acclaimed role of Vicky in CROSS CONNECTION (2009)  (Buy DVD Online) directed by the popular duo Abhijit Guha and Sudeshna Roy co-starring Ritwick Chakraborty, Payal Sarkar, Rimjhim Mitra, Biswajit Chakraborty and Sasawata Chatterjee. Abir  is also the lead actor in Sudeshna Roy and Abhijit Guha film PREM BY CHANCE where Abir's co-star is Ranjit Mullick's daughter KOEL MULLICK. In a welcome development, Abir is also going to play the role of Satyanweshi Byomkesh Bakshi in a trilogy directed by ANJAN DUTTA starting off with ADIM RIPU followed by Chitrachor.

In the world of Bengali TV Shows, Abir plays a lead role in the Bengali popular tele-serial SOMOY on Rupashi Bangla Kolkata TV Channel. In SHOMOY, Abir's co-stars are Indrani Haldar, Parno Mitra and Dhritiman Chatterjee. SOMOY is a modern take of the Indian mythological classic The Mahabharata. You can watch live Indian Hindi and Kolkata Bengali TV Shows online via Washington Bangla Radio's Affiliate Service - click here for more information.