Ritesh Das
| Ritesh Das | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Ritesh Das |
| Born |
June 9, 1957 Kolkota, West Bengal, India |
| Genres | North Indian Classical |
| Occupation(s) | Composer, Teacher |
| Instruments | Tabla |
| Years active | 1991–present |
| Associated acts | Toronto Tabla Ensemble |
| Website |
torontotabla |
Ritesh Das (born June 9, 1957 in Kolkata, India) is a tabla player who has been teaching and composing music since the early 1970s. He is the founder and artistic director of the critically acclaimed Toronto Tabla Ensemble.[1]
Biography
Early life
Ritesh Das was born in Kolkata, West Bengal to parents Nrityacharya Prohlad Das and Smt. Nilima Das. He is the brother of renowned Kathak dancer, Pandit Chitresh Das. Das graduated from Don Bosco High School in 1975 and went on to study commerce at City College, Kolkata from 1976-1978. His parents opened a music and dance academy, Nritya Bharati, the first of its kind in Kolkata, which allowed him immediate exposure to music and tabla at a young age. His musical studies began in 1972, studying tabla with Pandit Shankar Ghosh, vocals with T.L. Rana, and sitar with M.D. Mullick. When Das was 22-years-old, he moved to Los Angeles, USA, to be a part of the AMAN Folk Ensemble. While in California, he served an apprenticeship under Zakir Hussain and then began studying tabla with his current guru, Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri at the Ali Akbar College of Music.[2]
Toronto Tabla Ensemble (1991 - Present)
In 1987, Das moved to Toronto where he began teaching tabla on a full-time basis. In 1991, he formed the The Toronto Tabla Ensemble. Along with the ensemble, he has nationally toured Canada six times as well as touring Australia in 2006 and India in 2011. They have performed at numerous jazz and folk festivals, and have also appeared on CBC News Network and Much Music. In 2000, their album, Firedance, received a nomination for the Juno Award for Best Global Album.[3] Along with the Ensemble, Das has released six CDs to date and is currently composing music for the Ensemble's seventh CD.[4] Das served on the music committee of the Toronto Arts Council from 1996-1998.
Discography
Toronto Tabla Ensemble
- Toronto Tabla Ensemble (1996)
- Rupehli Tarannum - LP of Ismaili Geets with Anaar Kanji & Pt. Krishna Mohan Bhatt (1983)
- Second Palla (1998)
- Firedance (2000)
- Weaving (2002)
- Compilations (2007)
- Alankar (2008)[5]
References
- ↑ Jain, Priyanka. "The Toronto Tabla Ensemble Brings Music, Culture, and Diversity to our Community". Retrieved 15 April 2012.
- ↑ "Ritesh Das". Toronto Tabla. Retrieved 3 April 2012.
- ↑ "Juno Awards of 2000". Wikipedia. Retrieved 15 April 2012.
- ↑ "Toronto Tabla Ensemble - About". Toronto Tabla Ensemble. Retrieved 3 April 2012.
- ↑ "iTunes". iTunes. Retrieved 3 April 2012.