quadrature - black hole blues
debut album out on Deko entertainment
Quadrature is a musical powerhouse that redefines sonic frontiers with their electric blend of raga, rock, jazz and psychedelia. Rooted in deep musical traditions, yet soaring into uncharted territories, the band crafts soundscapes that defy laws of genre, space and time. They feature the magnetic sitar/effects of Neel Murgai, the experimental Firebird trumpet/effects of Indofunk Satish, the structural rhythm of Tripp Dudley on drum set, and the electric grooves of Damon Banks on bass.
Emerging from the legendary Brooklyn Raga Massive (BRM) jam sessions, Quadrature began their journey with fully improvised sets rooted in ragas, captivating audiences on the streets of Brooklyn. In 2023, they were artists in residence at David Rockefeller Creative Arts Center at The Pocantico Center, where they further developed their sound and arrangements. They have performed at Globalfest at Lincoln Center, Ragas Live Festival at Pioneer Works, Barclays Center Plaza, Joe's Pub and more. Inspired by their name, which derives from mathematics and astronomy, Quadrature is the area under the curve of raga and contemporary music, working the right angles while embracing odd time signatures and black hole blues. Live, Quadrature is a revelation as their dynamic sets travel from contemplative solos to thunderous ragarock anthems.
Waves of gravity
Waves of Gravity is a solo multimedia performance from sitarist, overtone singer, percussionist and composer, Neel Murgai, directed by Michole Biancosino with video and art design by Seema Pandya. Through story telling, raga, polyphonic overtone singing, percussion, live looping, and video projections, Neel weaves a personal story of healing in sound and music. Performed and live-streamed on October 22, 2021
Waves of Gravity is presented by CultureHub and supported by NYSCA and the City Artist Corps Grant.
Terry Riley In C
Neel is musical director for Brooklyn Raga Massive's In C, performing Terry Riley's classic work with an ensemble of 18 musicians. They are the first to use so many Indian instruments and incorporate elements of raga and tala into the piece.
Reorientation
Featuring Neel’s raga chamber jazz compositions and solo overtone singing,
This album is partially funded by the Jerome Composer's Commissioning Program, administered by the American Composer’s Forum. Additional funding was provided by the Spark Plug Foundation.
A reorientation of self and music, this album is a story of loss and recovery through community and new found love. The ensemble pieces were composed during another era of my life, when I was with my long time girlfriend who took her own life in 2012. The solo overtone singing compositions are my newest work and personal reflections used in part for self healing. In this album they exist in dialogue with the older music and my former self, providing reorientation for heart and mind.
Neel Murgai, Compositions, Sitar, Vocals, Daf
Sameer Gupta, Tabla
Trina Basu, Violin
Arun Ramamurthy, Violin
Marika Hughes, Cello
Raga Kids Element Suite
Raga Kids was started in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn in 2012 by Trina Basu, Sameer Gupta, and Neel Murgai who all draw from their experience in Indian classical music and many other music forms, including jazz, rock, Western classical and more. They started off writing easy to understand songs for kids written in multiple languages and based on specific ragas and have been singing them in classes for toddlers and family concerts held regularly in the NYC area ever since. This album features the latest Raga Kids songs about the four elements, with traditional Classical Raga pieces preceding three of them, to hear the ragas influence in context; plus a few other songs that are guaranteed to bring a smile to your face!
Remember! 'Ragas' are the moods of Indian classical music and means “that which colors the mind”
Neel Murgai, sitar, guitar, vocals, cowbell, daf, bass
Sameer Gupta, guitar, tabla, vocals, drumset, tambourine, shakers, bass
Pawan Benjamin, bansuri, shennai, wurlitzer
Plus special guests (on Track 10 'First There Was the Sound')
Trina Basu, violin
Arun Ramamurthy, violin
Marika Hughes, cello
Neel Murgai Ensemble
Released in 2010 on Innova Records, this is Neel’s First album Neel Murgai, Sitar, Voice, Daf, Compositions Sameer Gupta, Tabla Mat Maneri, Viola Greg Heffernan, Cello