TEACHERS
of
LIFE,
MUSIC
and
TABLA
I have been very fortunate to have studied North Indian Tabla
with all of the gentlemen listed below at different phases of my livingness/beingness.
(1979 thru 1992)
All have left an indelible impression on me as men, as musicians and as teachers.
I gratefully and humbly acknowledge each of them for their compassion,
selflessness, and PATIENCE with me and profoundly apologize for any of my inadequacies.
BOWING VERY LOW
PAZ
Christopher
HISTORY
I first heard tabla on a record (black round thing with a hole in the middle)
called FESTIVALS FROM INDIA in 1974, there was a tabla solo on it by the great Alla Rakha,
and it was the first time that I had ever heard the instrument being recited and played.
This is pre-internet, dvd, cd technology) in EAST LA.
There was little to nothing on tabla in the library in EAST LOS
so I went to the record store,
to the INTERNATIONAL MUSIC SECTION
WORLD MUSIC did not yet exist as a genre - a record store is a building you
could actually walk into and see and hear records, read the liner notes,
buy the record and take it home.
I removed the shrink wrap rather unceremoniously and put the record
on and and sat there fascinated by the SOUND's.
There are (still) not very musicians,
if any,
of India who make EAST LOS ANGELES
home,
i.e.,
no one to study or play with there.
So I went on a quest for (accredited) schools that taught tabla.
(Which was not considered the wisest career move by
my parents in 1975 while living in EAST Los Angeles)
My choices at the time were
UCLA
in California
went to UCLA to check it out
when I was there I was shown the CHICANO STUDIES DEPT office
which was being built,
which was a bathroom they were removing urinals from
i.e.,
I passed on UCLA,
but I would be hired by UCLA a few years later to play in their ensembles
and Airto asked me to sub for him for a couple of weeks.........
Wesleyan University
in Connecticut
too cold
too far
zero financial aid at that time
eventually did concerts there many years later with
Michael Pierre Vlatkovich - playing drumset
and with
L Shankar - playing tabla, ghatam, kanjira
ALI AKBAR COLLEGE OF MUSIC
in San Rafael , CA
too far
and no money to study OR live
and unaccredited at that time
CAL ARTS
in Valencia, CA, USA
called and spoke to a wonderful human being on the phone
named John Bergamo
knew nothing about John
it's 1977,
pre INTERNET
spoke to him and asked what I would need to do to audition
when I told him that I have never had a lesson in my life
i.e.,
my folks did not have money for that kind of thing
he asked what I played and how I had learned
he eventually asked me
"is there a junior college by you?"
Yes E L A C = EAST LA COLLEGE
he told me to go there and
TAKE EVERY MUSIC COURSE YOU POSSIBLY CAN
and see me in 1 year
which is what I did
BEYOND fortunate to receive a full scholarship to CAL ARTS* and study
with these wonderful teachers,
and be immersed into a universe I knew little to nothing about
the scholarship did not cover housing or food of course, so spent nights
there where I could, and survived on 8 pounds of raw chili per week
and 1/2 gallon of juice
One of the most interesting things about tabla is that it is an aural/oral tradition.
At that time I was playing drumset in rock and fusion bands.
We would buy a record learn it and play the music at gigs,
e.g.,
MAHAVISHNU,
RETURN TO FOREVER
WEATHER REPORT,
GONG,
TONY WILLIAMS LIFETIME,
YES
GENTLE GIANT
BRUFORD, etc., etc.,
Music was also, at that time, very much an aural/oral tradition.
No commercial transcriptions dvds, youtube, etc.,
for you to check out and play along with.
I remember wearing out records,
you would put the needle on it and it would go straight across.
I bought the same albums many times trying to learn these grooves
by (literally) wearing out the grooves on the record.
Tabla was very much the same way for me.
LISTEN,
LISTEN,
LISTEN,
learn the compositions
imitate, and emulate the playing,
which I still do every day,
and every day these men and their amazing spirits
are with me as men, musicians and teachers.
It is only due to their selflessness to impart their knowledge with me and so many others
which allows me to make music as a living playing tabla and/or drumset.
Hundreds of performances in 28 countries and 5 continents ............................ so far
Playing THE MUSIC I wish to learn,
with the giants who have come before me
Blessed to be able to travel the world playing my music
and the music of others due to their great gifts
FOREVER INDEBTED TO THE FOLLOWING
they are listed in order of who I studied with when..........
GRACIAS A TODOS
cg
|
PANDIT TARANATH RAO
http://davidphilipson.com/pages/Taranath.html My first tabla teacher - very open, very giving and very forgiving, and walking tabla history |
LEONICE SHINEMANN
https://leoniceshinnemandrums.weebly.com/about.html
My 2nd tabla teacher and Gurujis primary torch bearer
https://leoniceshinnemandrums.weebly.com/about.html
My 2nd tabla teacher and Gurujis primary torch bearer
|
JOHN BERGAMO
www.pas.org/about/hall-of-fame/john-bergamo MAESTRO John Bergamo, my 3rd tabla teacher and man with 3 feet one in jazz, one in 20th century music and another foot(?) in world music. An amazing man and an amazing musician who continues to show me the way. |
|
SWAPAN CHAUDHURI
http://www.swapanchaudhuri.com/ My last tabla teacher Swapan, always elegant, eloquent profound and startlingly amazing |
REVIEWS
The following pics are from the U.S. premiere of
JACQUES LOUSSIER’s
CONCERTO FOR VIOLIN AND TABLA
@
WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL
by the
IPALPITI ORCHESTRA
under the baton of
Edward Schmieder
guests soloists were
Alexandru Tomescu - violin
and
myself - tabla, ghatam, kanjira
REVIEWS
Onstage with
L. SHANKAR aka Shenkar
October 2016
CLICK ON IMAGE FOR ADDITIONAL INFO
"I know Christopher Garcia ... he is an angel from above. We have been working over 3 years touring and everything else, and many times we rehearse, all the time, as music is not my profession, Music is my passion, Music is my LIFE, see…..We are always rehearsing so many times, and Chris used to come, he is one of the busiest percussions on earth, he is incredible, he also plays South Indian percussion, clay ghatam, kanjira and everything else......”
L. SHANKAR - composer, violinist, vocalist
"Garcia’s drumming cut through, complemented, and grounded the reverberating echoes of L. Shankar’s masterful slides on the violin throughout the hall. ... Highlights included Garcia’s percussion solo in the fifth composition, in which he built upon various rhythms for several uninterrupted minutes, beating tabla, kanjira and ghatam, including tapping his face to a fascinating effect..... "
WESLEYAN ARGUS
"Christopher Garcia is a critically acclaimed percussionist, composer, performer, ethnomusicologist, and multi-instrumentalist ……he is known in different circles for various reasons: either as a composer or performer either on drum set, percussion instruments of North and South India, marimba, or instruments of indigenous Mexico/Mesoamerica….. he had the privilege of receiving a full scholarship at California Institute of the Arts where he studied tabla with Pandit Taranath Rao, Leonice Shinneman, and Swapan Chaudhuri, and tabla , ghatam and kanjira with John Bergamo. In 1976, his mentor John Bergamo was asked to perform with Shakti in Canada and 40 years later Christopher was honored to be the first Westerner to be invited by L. Shankar (aka Shenkar) to perform Indian classical music with him. His compositions for woodwind quintet, pedal harp, classical guitar, pipa, piano, and percussion of India and Mesoamerica continue to be performed in the Americas and Europe."
SCHIMMEL CENTER
PACE UNIVERSITY
MORE REVIEWS
L. SHANKAR - composer, violinist, vocalist
"Garcia’s drumming cut through, complemented, and grounded the reverberating echoes of L. Shankar’s masterful slides on the violin throughout the hall. ... Highlights included Garcia’s percussion solo in the fifth composition, in which he built upon various rhythms for several uninterrupted minutes, beating tabla, kanjira and ghatam, including tapping his face to a fascinating effect..... "
WESLEYAN ARGUS
"Christopher Garcia is a critically acclaimed percussionist, composer, performer, ethnomusicologist, and multi-instrumentalist ……he is known in different circles for various reasons: either as a composer or performer either on drum set, percussion instruments of North and South India, marimba, or instruments of indigenous Mexico/Mesoamerica….. he had the privilege of receiving a full scholarship at California Institute of the Arts where he studied tabla with Pandit Taranath Rao, Leonice Shinneman, and Swapan Chaudhuri, and tabla , ghatam and kanjira with John Bergamo. In 1976, his mentor John Bergamo was asked to perform with Shakti in Canada and 40 years later Christopher was honored to be the first Westerner to be invited by L. Shankar (aka Shenkar) to perform Indian classical music with him. His compositions for woodwind quintet, pedal harp, classical guitar, pipa, piano, and percussion of India and Mesoamerica continue to be performed in the Americas and Europe."
SCHIMMEL CENTER
PACE UNIVERSITY
MORE REVIEWS
