Singularity: An Evening of World Music and Jazz Fusion

Ranjit Barot is today on the forefront of both worlds, the mainstream popular Indian / World music and Jazz Fusion genres. He is the Musical Director for all of Oscar winning composer, A.R.Rahman’s Live Concerts and holds the coveted ‘throne’ as Drummer for world renowned Guitar legend John Mclaughlin  & The 4th Dimension band. Born into a family steeped in Indian classical music and dance, melody and rhythm has always been an integral part of Ranjit’s life, and he started playing at the age of 12, encouraged by his mother, the legendary Kathak dancer, Sitara Devi. His early career saw performances with Louis Banks & the Jazz Yatra Sextet, the great Pandit Ravi Shankar, the maestros, (late) Don Cherry & (late) Charlie Mariano.  His unique approach to drumming has seen collaborations with Maestro Zakir Hussain, including a ‘Masters of Percussion’ US Tour in 2004., Carnatic classical legends, Maestro U. Srinivas and Guru L. Subramaniam, Hindustani slide guitar master exponent, Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, sarangi legend Ustad Sultan Khan Sahab, ghattam maestro Pandit ‘Vikku’ Vinayakaram, Khanjira exponent Selva Ganesh, among many other noted artists. His work / performances with the Western greats have included unique collaborations with renowned artists such as Bill Evans, Scott Kinsey, Jonas Helborg, Ayden Esen, and Tim Garland. Ranjit has also had a long career in composition and music production, working out of his own state-of-the-art studio facility, in Mumbai, India. Combined with his strong roots in the Indian classical tradition and his world-view of music gave him a unique perspective on the Indian Film genre.  His career spans projects over the last almost 4 decades as a featured drummer and arranger for Indian Film Industry erstwhile giants such as R.D. Burman, Lakshmikant - Pyaarelal right up to A.R. Rahman’s greatest work through the years, including the Grammy & Oscar nominated ‘127 Hours’  and continues to bring his unique personality to this genre of music. His recognition as a Music Composer and Arranger for Album Projects and Feature Films has earned him the Filmfare Award for his score in ‘Aks’ (2001) and more recently his work in ‘Shaitan’ swept all 3 major Indian awards, in the year 2011. Ranjit was Music Composer and Sound Designer for the entire Opening and Closing Ceremonies of mega event, the Commonwealth Games Delhi 2010, Hockey World Cup 2019 Opening, Music Producer for MTV Unplugged (Season 1 & 2), Jammin' (Season 2).

Mark Hartsuch is a saxophonist from Geneva, Illinois. He attended the University of North Texas, where he was a member of the Grammy-nominated “One O’Clock Lab Band.” After college, he entered the professional music industry in Dallas, Texas, playing pop, jazz, and gospel music 4 to 5 times a week with his horn section, the Dallas Horns. In December of 2017, Mark and Dallas Horns flew to Goa, India, where they performed with Louiz Banks and Gino Banks for the Serendipity Arts Festival curated by Ranjit Barot. After the festival, Mark moved to Los Angeles, CA, where he played with jazz luminaries like Marvin Smitty Smith, Barbara Morrison, Jacques Lesure, Theo Croker, and many more. Mark became widely known for composing horns on pop tracks for many independent artists. In late 2018, Mark and Dallas Horns were asked to join “AR Rahman Live.” They composed horn arrangements that helped fuse contemporary western horns with AR Rahman’s legendary compositions. In 2021, Mark moved to Mumbai, India. Mark has made his name known in the local music community, playing venues all over the country with his collaborative project with Mohini Dey and Gino Banks, MaMoGi, as well as other projects. Mark has also lent his skills to jingles and Bollywood movie scores. Mark works with various Indian artists, teaching young Indian saxophonists and jazz musicians and cultivating original music.

Nastya Saraswati is a musician from St.Petersburg, Russia, who finds her forte in Indian Classical Music, a passion she has been nourishing since late 2012. Born in St Petersburg Russia, in the family of non musicians Nastya started her first music experience to learn violin upon suggestion of her uncle, who was a professional orchestra conductor. She made frequent trips to India in search for Gurus and learn Hindustani Classical and Karnatic music from them. She still continues to hone her skills under guidance of her Guru Shri Purbayan Chatterjee and find her place in her Indian dream. In 2017 Nastya was also a part of Indian reality TV show 'Dil Hai Hindustani’ on Star Plus. Lately Nastya has started sincerely educating russian students the basics of Indian Classical music to inspire them and open their world to the beauty of this ancient music in Russia.

Arka Chakraborty is a pianist and educator based in Kolkata. Arka had initially been playing western classical music and had given recitals in Kolkata and Mumbai. But then his improvisational instincts soon landed him on the other side and he was playing alongside Carlton Kitto, the legendary jazz guitar player. Soon Arka found himself collaborating with many musicians. Jody McBrayer, 3 time Grammy nominated vocalist and Arka performed jazz standards when he was on a tour in India. He is also enrolled as a faculty of Piano and music theory at the Calcutta School of Music. He conducts workshops and is also a high altitude trekker and a nature lover.

Alstan Remedios is a keyboardist, pianist, film score composer, and arranger based in Mumbai. With a fervent dedication to his craft, Alstan draws inspiration from a myriad of influences, passionately exploring the realms of sound to create original compositions that resonate with depth and emotion. His journey as a musician is marked by a relentless pursuit of new sonic textures and innovative approaches, reflecting his profound love for the art of music and its limitless possibilities. His belief lies in the philosophy of 'Expressing every part and colour beyond its vision of expressivity.'