June 20 and 27, 2008 at 9 PM

MELA Foundation Dream House

275 Church Street, New York

Two Concerts of Evening Ragas in the contemporary Kirana gharana (style) of North Indian Classical Music will be performed by La Monte Young and Marian Zazeela with The Just Alap Raga Ensemble in a memorial tribute to Pandit Pran Nath on the 12th anniversary of his passing, Friday Evenings, June 20 and 27 at 9 pm in the MELA Foundation Dream House light environment, 275 Church Street, 3rd Floor.

La Monte Young and Marian Zazeela will be accompanied by Jung Hee Choi and Da’ud Constant, voices, Charles Curtis, cello, Jon Catler, fretless sustainer guitar, Naren Budhkar, tabla, and The Tamburas of Pandit Pran Nath from the Just Dreams CD.  The Just Alap ensemble will perform a composition by La Monte Young featuring extended alap sections and sustained vocal drones in just intonation over tamburas. 

Pandit Pran Nath has said, “Alap is the essence of Raga. When the drut [faster tempo] begins, the Raga is finished.”  With The Just Alap Raga Ensemble, La Monte Young applies his own compositional approach to traditional raga performance, form and technique: a pranam (bow) of gratitude in reciprocation for the influence on his music, since the mid-fifties, of the unique, slow, unmetered timeless alap, and for one of the most ancient and evolved vocal traditions extant today. Young and Zazeela premiered this ensemble on August 22, 2002 in a memorial tribute to Ustad Hafizullah Khan, the Khalifa of the Kirana Gharana and son of Pandit Pran Nathís teacher, Ustad Abdul Wahid Khan Sahib. 

The Just Alap Raga Ensemble

La Monte Young · voice

Marian Zazeela · voice

Jung Hee Choi · voice

Da’ud Constant · voice

Jon Catler · fretless sustainer guitar

Charles Curtis · cello

Naren Budhkar · tabla

The Tamburas of Pandit Pran Nath from the Just Dreams CD