Matthew Grasso - Guitarist, Composer, and Director   

Alex Jenkins - tabla

Eric Rasmussen - drone guitar

 

 

 

Founded in 1997, The Nada Brahma Music Ensemble was created by guitarist, composer, musical instrument innovator and arranger Matthew Grasso. As students of the famed Ali Akbar College of Music (San Rafael, CA), Matthew Grasso and Alex Jenkins have studied with the legendary musical Gurus Ustad Ali Akbar Khan and Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri, respectively.

The Nada Brahma Music Ensemble's style can be described as Indian Classical Fusion. The ensemble plays original ragas and talas (melody forms and rhythmic cycles). These talas range from traditional eight or ten beats to the unusual 4 3/4 or 9 1/4 beats.

Matthew Grasso performs on a 25-stringed Raga Guitar built to spec by luthier Scott Richter of Fairfax, Ca. The Raga Guitar is a Hybrid of an extended 7-string classical guitar and the sarod, an Indian instrument. The Raga Guitar has seven playing strings, twelve sympathetic strings, two chikari strings, and four jawari strings. Matthew’s distinctive style is a unique synthesis of classical guitar, Ali Akbar Khan’s sarod, and L. Shankar’s ten-string south Indian violin.

Alex became interested in Tabla while on a trip to India. During this time, he spent several weeks studying and learning the basics of Indian Rhythm. Once back in the US, he continued his studies and spent two years at California Sate University, Sacramento (studying Tabla) under the guidance of Daniel Kennedy. For the last seven years, Alex has had the honor of being a student of the great Tabla maestro, Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri, at the Ali Akbar College of Music in San Rafael, CA. As an accomplished percussionist, Alex has had the unique opportunity to play in many musical settings (on both Tabla and Drum Set) and finds great satisfaction in experimenting with Indian Rhythm on all sorts of different percussion instruments.

Eric Rasmussen performs drone guitar. The drone guitar provides the sa and pa of a tanpuras and provide the tala (rhythmic cycle).

The N.B.M.E was nominated twice for a Sacramento music award (SAMMIE) in the World Fusion category. The N.B.M.E has played at various music festivals, music societies, and live radio throughout Northern California. In addition, The N.B.M.E has been active in the education of Indian Classical Music through concert/lecture demonstrations and their music course: Indian Classical Fusion Improv at Sacramento City College.

Concert performances
(The Nada Brahma Music Ensemble)

• International House of Davis, (Davis)
  June ‘04
• Whole Earth Festival, (Davis)
  May ’99, ’02, ’03, ’04, ’05, ‘06
• Copia, (Napa)
  August ’02
• San Francisco Classical Guitar Society, (San Francisco)
  September ’99, Jan ‘05
• San Francisco Conservatory of Music, (San Francisco)
  Jan ’05
• Sacramento City College. (Sacramento)
  March ’05, April ‘06
• The Bo-Tree Yoga Center (Davis)
  June ’05
• Pacific Rim Street Festival, (Sacramento)
  May ’06, '07, '08
• Sacramento Yoga Center, (Sacramento)
  March ’03, September ’03, October ’06, Feb ’09
• Healdsburg Guitar Festival, (Healdsburg)
  Aug '07
• Watermelon Music, (Davis)
  Nov '07
• Cool Cat Gallery, (Sacramento)
  Feb '07
• American River College, (Sacramento)
  Nov '08, Feb ’09
• St Paul's Episcopal Church, (Sacramento)
  Feb '08
• 4th Annual Guitar Solo and Ensemble Festival
  at The South Bay Guitar Society, (San Jose)
  March '08
• Sangati Community Center for South Asian Music, (San Francisco)
  September ’08
• Mojoflow Studios, (Davis)

• Old First Church, (San Francisco), March ‘09
• St John’s Lutheran Church, (Sacramento) April ‘09
• Mont La Salle, (Napa) April ‘09

• Performed music and Interview (live) KDVS 90.3 (Davis),
  April ’05, Oct ’06, Feb’09
• Performed music and Interview (live) Capital Public Radio 90.9 FM “Insight”, Sacramento, Oct ’06
• Performed music and Interview (live) KDRT 101.5 FM Davis, Ca, Oct’06

• Performed music and interview on CH 10 Sacramento and Company
  September’06
• Performed music and interview on Good Day Sacramento Ch 31
  Oct ’06

• Sacramento City College, (Sacramento)
  March ’05, April ‘06
• American River College, (Sacramento)
  Nov '08, Feb ’09
• Mondavi Center, (Davis)

 

You can read a review of a Nada Brahma concert at this address:
http://www.matthewgrasso.com/review001.htm

The Nada Brahma Music Ensemble is available for:

• Concerts
• Lectures
• Weddings
• Private Lessons (tabla, instrumental)
• Private engagements

Contact: Matthew Grasso
Phone: (530) 759-9071
Email: mysticalsounds@yahoo.com
Website: http://www.matthewgrasso.com/nadabrahma.htm

 

For more information, please email or call (530) 759-9071