Album Notes

AMBIKA BEGAN when Sumita, Mohini, and Annika met in the Braun Music Building of Stanford University, in January of 2004. All three immediately shared each other’s vibrant energy, agreeable disposition, and musical optimism. Though always open to the addition of a fourth chordal instrumentalist, Ambika initially accepted, and embraced, the challenge of coordination in a sax-bass-drums group. Complementary personalities gave easy way to balanced leadership roles. And backgrounds in various jazz ensembles formed a foundation of conventions that helped solidify the role of each instrument.

Even with their dynamic interpretations of modern jazz standards, Ambika's brilliance is most profoundly manifested in their original compositions. Each member of the trio brings a different perspective, carefully molding the melody, groove, and structure of each composition: Annika brings strong, swinging basslines, Mohini the classical Indian and Afro-Cuban rhythms, and Sumita the Karnatik scales and melodies of South India. All three contribute to the progression and harmonic structure, building each piece, as it comes out, together.

Sumita Pennathur (saxophone) recently completed a PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Annika Todd (bass) is a grad student in the Economics department at Stanford, and Mohini Rustagi (drums) is a Stanford undergraduate in Architectural Design. Ambika currently plays several venues in the San Francisco Bay Area, which you can check out through www.palaceofambika.com.