November 6, 2004 at 9 PM

MELA Foundation Dream House

275 Church Street, New York

A Concert of Evening Ragas in the contemporary Kirana 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 honoring Pandit Pran Nath on his 86th birthday, Saturday, November 6, at 9 pm in the MELA Foundation Dream House light environment, 275 Church Street, 3rd Floor.

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 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.  Featuring extended alap sections and sustained vocal drones in just intonation over tamburas, 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.  . 

La Monte Young and Marian Zazeela will be accompanied by Jung Hee Choi and Da’ud Constant, voices, Naren Budhkar, tabla, and The Tamburas of Pandit Pran Nath  from the Just Dreams CD.  The Just Alap ensemble will present the continuing avant-premiere of a new composition by La Monte Young, Raga Sundara vilampit khayal set in Raga Yaman Kalyan, composed under a commission grant from the NYSCA Individual Artists Program.  

The Just Alap Raga Ensemble

La Monte Young · voice

Marian Zazeela · voice

Jung Hee Choi · voice

Da’ud Constant · voice

Naren Budhkar · tabla

The Tamburas of Pandit Pran Nath from the Just Dreams CD