I love performing. I derive my energy and inspiration for my improvisations from the audience. Beginning in 2003, I had audience members describe my performances as healing and emotional (read this inspiring reminiscence from one of my performances). Hearing my sitar guru, Ustad Usman Khan, craft an incredible and indelible performance at 4:30 am of the beautiful raga Basant Mukhari, I cried for the first time listening to music. I strive to make music both emotionally powerful and playfully surprising. 

Solo Sitar

Performing the sitar solo is a tradition passed on in the form of Alaap, typically performed at the beginning of each different collection of pieces one might play. Sometimes the sitar is used entirely as a solo instrument, as in the ‘Dhrupad’ tradition. I primarily perform South Asian Classical music on sitar, which involves some traditional composition structures but also relies heavily on improvisation for its development and excitement for the audience. I love playing for both small groups and large crowds and both the very young and very wise enjoy this inspiring music.

Sitar & Tabla

Sitar and Tabla move together like a river and its banks. Their sounds compliment each other while the melodies of the sitar interlock perfectly with the tabla’s intricate rhythms. Improvisations between Sitar and Tabla make performances engaging and entertaining.  Enjoy the videos below with Detroit based tabla player Pavan Kanekal and Seattle based tabla player Ravi Albright.

Sitar & Dance

From 2014-2019, I taught sitar lessons at Whitman College. My colleague there, dancer Peter de Grasse, approached me after a concert and asked if I would like to collaborate. I had accompanied a couple of his dance classes the year before and I absolutely wanted to work with him! We had the opportunity to perform ‘Malkauns Meditation’ several times between 2017-2019 including the Seattle International Dance Festival 2018 and the UN World Dance Congress in Mumbai 2018. The paragraphs below describe our approach to the piece.

“Malkauns Meditation, a collaboration between sitar and dance, is improvised within a tightly scripted format.  Throughout the piece, the dancer responds to the sitar, which in turn responds to the movements.  Each performance is unique, with the energy and climate of each venue and audience contributing to the palette of the artists.

Peter’s fluid and effortless movements create a stunning visual compliment to J.J.’s rendition of Raga Malkauns in the traditional Alaap-Jod-Jhalla form.  As they improvise through their respective frameworks, the music informs the dance which in turn informs the music.  The visual focus of the dance allows audience members the mental space to listen deeply to the slowly developing music of the South Asian classical tradition while creating an opportunity for a collective meditation experience.”

The first video below is an excerpt of ‘Malkauns Meditation’ and the second video is a behind-the-scenes look at our approach to creating ‘Malkauns Meditation.’

Sitar & Sound Artist Chigusa Fukushima

Sitar & Poetry

Debut release from J.J. Gregg X Sherman: Boot-stomping beat poet experiments cut into crisp sitar grooves. The album uses a sparse yet diverse array of sounds from sitar to tabla-beat-box to interlocking bells. Somehow the instruments and voice seem to leave space for each other, the recordings simultaneously cacophonous and clear. J.J.’s sitar or bells provide a circular platform for each track; this allows Sherman’s poetry to drop in, taking its time – the sounds spreading out “in answering echoes.”