New Moon Arun Ramamurthy Trio

• 1Walk As One04:38
• 2Bangalore to Brooklyn06:10
• 3Aaji09:42
• 4Mirrors04:10
• 5Amavasya16:44
• 6Sri Valli06:45
• Total Runtime48:09

Info for New Moon

The similarities between American Jazz and Indian Classical music can often be found within the spirit of the musicians themselves. The shared artistic pursuit of carefully crafting a fluent, spontaneous voice, and the deep reverence for artists who came before are just two common threads between the kindred traditions.

The core of the Arun Ramamurthy Trio’s new album New Moon (Sept 20, Greenleaf Records) is the “New Moon Suite” – a 4-part work that reflects on the inspiration of ancestors, family and tradition, and how we navigate the world as multicultural beings, composed thanks to a grant from CMA’s New Jazz Works program. Amavasya, which means “new moon” in Sanskrit, is a time to acknowledge and remember and pay tribute to the ancestors. In creating the suite, violinist/composer Arun Ramamurthy thought first of one of the most influential people in his life; his maternal grandmother, Aaji.

Growing up as the first generation of his family to be born in the US, Arun did not get to see Aaji very much. A month at a time, every couple of years, when Arun’s parents took him and his brothers to visit India. But on a few occasions, Aaji was able to come to the US and spend several months with Arun and his family. Those were important times in the development of Arun’s musicianship.

Grandmother Aaji was not a professional musician, but she played the violin and had a deep love for Carnatic music. Back in India she taught groups of children from the town, and when she came to the States she encouraged Arun’s playing and singing, telling Arun’s mother- a Carnatic vocalist herself- to get him started on vocal classes, and subsequently suggesting that Arun should study violin. Aaji is given due honor in the suite’s second movement, entitled simply “Aaji”.

Arun’s parents’ transformational journey from India to NYC is explored in the first movement of the suite, “Bangalore to Brooklyn”. Arun’s father left Bangalore and came to Brooklyn to work as a civil engineer at Falco Construction- where he’s been working for over 50 years, laying a foundation for life in the US and making sure the family had a steady footing in this country.

Perhaps because of the theme of being on a journey, ART’s interplay and spontaneity as a group are on display in “Bangalore to Brooklyn”; the track is a remarkably fitting first movement, drawing the listener into the New Moon Suite. The song begins with a collective alap- the improvised section of a raga, forming a prologue to the formal expression. Traditionally, a soloist is the only ensemble member to perform the alap; here, ART interacts as a trio, spontaneously and responsively to each other, while exploring the Saraswathi raga used in the tune. After this introduction, bassist Damon Banks sets up the groove that then propels Arun into soaring heights of open improvisation, adroitly underpinned by longtime collaborator Sameer Gupta on drums. A brief korvai ends the song, with everyone playing an energetic unison line before segueing into “Aaji”.

New Moon is the second release from Arun Ramamurthy Trio, and it’s evident from listening to the album that the group is in a place of comfort with each other musically- the listener can sense the connection in the recording studio. There’s a sense of genuine spontaneity, an ensemble able to adjust at any moment, all aware, all ready. Carnatic music and jazz are kindred spirits in the philosophy of awareness amongst musicians, as well as in the love and reverence for the elders, those who shaped us and our music. Arun Ramamurthy Trio’s NEW MOON presents musical practitioners at the highest level of their art, seamlessly blending Carnatic music and jazz in an exciting furthering of both musics.

"...a beautiful, exotic, ear-opening listening experience.” (All About Jazz)

“…..a captivating and inspirational listening experience, worthy of the highest recommendation for multicultural music collections.” (Midwest Book Review)

​"...Ramamurthy's violin more than anything makes the connection between India and America clear." (SomethingElse)

Arun Ramamurthy Trio:
Arun Ramamurthy,violin
Damon Banks, bass
Sameer Gupta, drums

Arun Ramamurthy Trio (ART)
brings together South Indian classical Carnatic music and contemporary jazz. Boundaries are blurred in this organic and seamless integration of styles as the group expands on traditional forms in explosive, improvisational flights of fancy. The trio freely explores the kindred spirit of raga music and jazz, resulting in a deeply invigorating and spiritual experience. ART's collaborative sound is driven by the dynamic rhythm section of drummer Sameer Gupta & and electric bassist Damon Banks. Arun’s original work tells stories of migration and cultural connection. His commissioned work from CMA's New Jazz Works, "New Moon Suite" shines a light on the teachings and wisdom of our ancestors, and the lessons we take on our own personal journeys. The 4-movement work premiered in late 2022 in NYC, and will be released as a studio recording in 2024.

Featured performance venues have include Jazz at Lincoln Center, Bimhuis (Amsterdam), LantarenVenster (Rotterdam), Joe’s Pub, The Jazz Gallery, Ragas Live Festival at Pioneer Works, Kennedy Center, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Cornelia Street Cafe, Brooklyn Raga Massive and more.

Arun Ramamurthy
is a violinist, composer and educator based in Brooklyn, NY. Rooted in South Indian classical Carnatic music, Arun is a versatile musician, performing internationally in both traditional Carnatic and Hindustani settings, as well as blurring genres with his own innovative projects like the acclaimed Arun Ramamurthy Trio. Arun studied under the celebrated violinist brothers, Sri Mysore Nagaraj & Dr. Mysore Manjunath, the distinguished violinist Sri. Ananthakrishnan as well as many early years with western classical violinist Jim Mate.

He has shared the stage with luminaries like Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna, Sudha Ragunathan, Reggie Workman, Kenny Werner, Jamey Haddad, Flute Shashank, Amir ElSaffar, Hamid Drake, Mashkoor Ali Khan, Adam Rudolph, Hamid Al-Saadi, Subhankar Banerjee, Martha Redbone, Awa Sangho amongst others. He has performed and recorded with a wide range of musical genres including Jazz, Arabic Maqam, Afro-Cuban, Malian, American folk, Western classical, and other creative and improvisational styles. Arun's music has brought him prestigious stages like Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, Celebrate Brooklyn and many more.

In addition to leading ART, Arun also co-leads a violin duo project with wife and violinist Trina Basu, reimagining string chamber music through the lens of Indian classical raga. The duo released their debut studio album “Nakshatra” in January 2022. Other notable projects Arun is involved with include Raga Maqam (ensemble with Amir ElSaffar bridging the worlds of Raga and Maqam) and Ragmala Go: Organic Orchestra & BRM (large ensemble led by percussionist / composer Adam Rudolph).

As a composer, Arun has created new works for his Trio (ART) and duo project with Trina Basu, scores for theatrical productions such as Tom Stoppard’s Indian Ink, composition for Indian classical dance, and for the pioneering musician's collective Brooklyn Raga Massive. Arun was recently commissioned by Chamber Music America’s New Jazz Works grant to create music for his ensemble, Arun Ramamurthy Trio. Arun was also commissioned through New Music USA to compose original work for Malini Srinivasan's 'Appeasing Radhika', an ambitious project investigating Devadasi lives in Indian Classical performing arts.

Arun is a co-founder and co-Artistic Director of Brooklyn Raga Massive, a progressive genre-bending collective of musicians rooted-in and inspired-by the classical music of India. He created and produced the innovative series Carnatic Sundays at the iconic West Village haunt, Cornelia Street Cafe. Throughout his career, Arun has curated and performed in hundreds of concerts bringing together music from all over the world.

Arun also is a dedicated educator, teaching Carnatic music privately to children and adult students, professional string players and instrumentalists from various genres. He conducts workshops and has held teaching-artist residencies working with student ensembles at Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Brooklyn College’s Jazz & Big Band program, NYU, Yale University, Sarah Lawrence University, and many others.

Damon Banks
Born and raised in The Bronx, New York Damon Banks has evolved into a "world musician" in the truest sense of the word. Growing up in New York City, he was exposed to all aspects of the arts at an early age, as well as a wide range of musical genres, approaches and "schools of thought". At 14 years old, Damon was fortunate to enroll in the prestigious "Fame School" (High School of Music & Art - as a visual artist) Those 4 years were some of the most inspirational and impactful years of his life (musically and artistically) Upon graduation from Fisk University (B.A.Music) he decided to pursue a career in music full time. Since then, he has evolved into an "in-demand” bassist and composer, and has worked with some of the music industry’s most creative artists, innovative musicians and brightest stars. His ability to adapt creatively and remain open-minded has led him into countless collaborations with genre-bending, musical trendsetters worldwide.

Some of these artists include: George Benson, Peter Gabriel, Caetano Veloso, Angelique Kidjo, Chico Hamilton, Hassan Hakmoun, Arto Lindsay, Marc Ribot, Loose Ends, Leo Wadada Smith, The Neville Brothers, Andre de Shields, Bobby Womack, C.J. Chenier, Saul Williams, Noel Pointer, Ronny Jordan, Majek Fashek, KRS-ONE, Brooklyn Raga Massive, Phyllis Hyman, George Howard, Karsh Kale, DJ. SPOOKY, The Frankfurt Ballet, The Weather Girls, Eric Gadd, Min Xiao-Fen, Ntozake Shange, Me’lissa Morgan, Lawrence "Butch" Morris, Roxane Butterfly, Angela Bofill and Adam Rudolph (to name a few). In addition to numerous tours and recordings, his bass playing appears on these soundtracks: “Footsteps In Africa” (Kiahkeya films) and “Muppets from Space” (Henson / Sony films)

As a composer, Damon wrote, produced and arranged his 2014 debut LP “Travelguides”, and several tracks on Violinist Gwen Laster’s "Sneak Preview" / "I Hear You Smiling" / "Gameboard" records. He also co-wrote the singles “Where Are You Now" (George Benson) and “Kiss Of A Stranger” (Miki Howard) Lately, Damon has been an international teaching artist, and has led and / or workshops and facilitated grant-supported teaching initiatives for: The El Sistema Organization, Bard College, Interlochen School of the Arts, Cal Arts, Wesleyan University, St. Ann’s School and Medger Evers College.

Sameer Gupta
is a first generation Indian American artist, parent, entrepreneur and educator. Gupta is also known as one of the few percussionists simultaneously representing the traditions of American jazz on the drum set and Indian classical music on tabla. While living in Brooklyn, his own experiences as an artist and his love of many kinds of music from both America and India helped inspire Sameer to become a co-founder of Brooklyn Raga Massive, as well as one of the co-founders of Raga Kids, an Indian music for toddlers education program. Sameer has created a unique musical sound by combining traditional and modern improvisational styles drawing from his dual Indian and American heritage, and has already established himself as an original voice in music today. From bebop to avant-garde jazz, and European classical percussion to North Indian classical tabla, Gupta continues to compose and perform music from a true multi-cultural perspective that now bridges several continents.

Sameer has had the pleasure to make music with many great musicians including 2019 NEA Jazz Master recipient Reggie Workman, Marc Cary, Jon Batiste, Ron Carter, Kaoru Watanabe, Prince Lasha, Rogerio Boccato, Kenny Garret, Harry Belafonte, Adam Rudolph, Charlie Burnham, Brandee Younger, Casey Benjamin, Martha Redbone, Awa Sangho, Falu Shah, Adam Rudolph, Rez Abbasi, Kiran Ahluwalia, Wallace Roney, Karsh Kale, Pandit Krishna Bhatt, Pandit Chitresh Das, Jason Samuels Smith, Pandit Ramesh Mishra and numerous other luminaries.

This album contains no booklet.