Album Notes

Solo Piano instrumental treat. 18 yr old, Utsav Lal has won many hearts with his soulful rendition of ragas on piano at worldwide venues & festivals. An impressive career over the last decade,this album features a live recording of Utsav Lal's opening concert at Novara Jazz festival, Italy as he unfolds the notes of the ragas with spontaneous improvisations, creating music with simplicity & depth and leaves a spellbound audience.

The Album cover photograph of Utsav Lal has been taken by Italian music photographer Roberto Masotti at the concert.

Winner of MAMA Awards 2008, Utsav features in Indian Limca Book of Records and was named as on the worldwide pianists rosters a Young Steinway Artist in early Feb 2010. His Indian Classical guru is famous Dhrupad exponent Ustad Wasifuddin Dagar and with jazz training under Tommy Smith, Head of Jazz at RSAMD, Glasgow., Utsav's classical piano training has been honed under Irish Concert pianist Padhraic O'Cunneiagain.

Full details are available at www.utsavlal.com and a Live video clip of this album from the concert at Novara Jazz, Italy can be viewed at the following links:
Track 1: Raga Yaman Alaap excerpt.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsTvX3cPr8M

Track 2: Solo raga Improvisation excerpt.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZ4VAVfUWJ0

Here's a quote from the Novara Jazz festival Director on Utsav Lal's performance at the Festival:

"Well before contemporary music and radical improvisation,well before jazz was born and developed across Gottschalk and Jarrett, well before our sounds were written or conceived to be emotional, there was a territory of creativity that lead music into outer mental spaces..It was a magic valley where music was like a water flow: the ragas were played with mood and color, with that same illuminating grace that we can hear through the hands of Utsav Lal."
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- Corrado Beldì
(Festival Artistic Director
Novara Jazz)