Vandana is the duo collaboration of bassist Bill Koehler and tablist Manpreet Bedi, who’s interests range from contemporary classical music, to jazz, to world music and the music of India, to the fusion of eastern and western musical languages. This group explores the world of open form improvisation in an array of tonalities within the framework of composed works. The duo has grown out of a four-year friendship and artistic relationship, and as a result, they have developed a common language that allows for very adventurous explorations. In our music, the compositional structures of Western Contemporary Classical music and Jazz are combined with the improvisational and complex multi-metric rhythmic structures of Indian Classical music. In addition to being of great interest musically, this group travels easily. The duo can be enlarged to a trio or quartet setting depending upon interest.

• We share a special interest in working with young improvisers and composers, or with teachers wanting to expose and develop their students’ improvisational and compositional abilities.

Vandana can give clinics on improvisation and composition in classical, jazz, world music, Indian classical musical styles, and the fusion of eastern and western musical elements, and give concerts as a duo, trio, or with members of your faculty or local artists.

• Clinics on Improvisation/Composition
A number of conceptual ways of organizing improvisations and ideas for pieces can be explored. Compositional structures of Western Contemporary Classical Music, Jazz, and the improvisational and complex multi-metric rhythmic structures of Indian Classical music are explored through lecture, demonstration, and class participation. Topics can include: tetrachords, modal music, polytonality, synthetic scale formulations, manners of motivic development such as melodic types, Shenker in reverse as a means of developing motives, embellishment formulas, modes of limited transposition, interversion, inversion, retrogression, influences of Indian rhythmic structures and Raga treatment (like cadences which employ the "three speeds" - a unique organizational feature in traditional Indian classical music), and the joys of tonal ambiguity.

*Please see the description of bill’s new book entitled A Guide to the Developmental Processes of Improvisation and Composition at the end of this brochure.

• A Concert of Original music for Double Bass and Tabla - Our concert would include an improvisation on a Raga, and a number of original compositions for the duo. Samples of our new CD will be available on line soon.

Other possible combinations:

Individual

Bill - Solo Bass - Bill has developed a repertoire of his own pieces scored for bass and adaptations of pieces which he has recorded, as well as jazz standards.

Manpreet - Solo Tabla - Manpreet has developed a repertoire of his own small rhythmic primary composition and secondary compositions which includes Tukra, Tihai, Kaida Bol Vistaar and Rela approved by his Guru Shree Anil Datar, Pandit Raman Sharma and Pandit Anup Ghosh desciple of Padmabhushan Gyan Prakash Ghosh. His playing reflects authentic, majestic and rich composition's of various Ustaads from Farukabad, Delhi, Banaras and Punjab tabla Gharanas . Manpreet's playing is influenced by various tabla legends such as Ustaad Zakir Hussain, Pandit Anindo Chatterjee, Pandit Anup Ghosh, and other Senior percussionists like Trilok Gurtu. Visit the website at: www.vandana.com/tabla/mbedi to listen.

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Trio and Larger Ensemble

bill/many/ glenn/john/Bob

This group explores compositions which involve more than two voices and can include additional percussion.

copyright 2006 Koehler INC.