Check out Wasifuddin Dagar

Dhrupad, an ancient form of northern Indian classical music, is coming to America; and there can be no better practitioner to open the ears of the West to this beautiful and spiritual art form than Wasifuddin Dagar.

Dagar, the latest link in an unbroken chain that stretches back 20 generations, brings the spiritual improvisation of Dhrupad to the States on a two month tour, starting in Alabama on April 1st and winding up in Charlotte in mid-June.

So, what exactly is Dhrupad? Dhrupad is an original and abstract musical form with its roots in Hindu ritualistic Vedic chanting. It is a poetic discourse on philosophy and spirituality through the improvised conversation between singer, percussionist and tanpuras. It is a music with a rare freedom of expression and boundlessness. Above all, it is a music which embraces the peoples of the world, in all their forms and through all their differences.

Dagar has already taken his music, and the special message it brings, to France, Italy, Germany, England, Japan and at least 20 other countries across the globe. He has performed at festivals curated by the Philip Glass, most notably for the Dalai Lama Foundation at the United Nations in New York.

Through his music and his touring, Dagar has seen the attitude of people to his music change. He sees people far and wide accepting Dhrupad, and learning from it. This is testament to the universality of both the music and the peace-loving ethos it inspires.

“Music is communication,” says Dagar. “It is food for the soul, a medium to give space to the mind. It touches you inside and outside.”

Dagar’s mission is to keep taking his food for the soul to the far-flung corners of the Earth and to let people share in his love for it. In doing so, he is carrying on the tradition of his father and uncles and the many generations of Dhrupad singers that went before.

Although he has recorded with many respected world music labels in several countries, Dagar’s desire to keep touring, along with his percussionist Pandit Mohan Shyam Sharma, shows his dedication to the art. He believes that Dhrupad is something which must be experienced first hand and he wants to give as many people as possible that opportunity.

Dagar wants the world to open its ears and open its mind. And anyone who is lucky enough to hear his music surely will.

Wasifuddin Dagar’s tour dates can be found at www.dagarvani.org.