- country:India
- style(s):Indian, Percussion
- label:doublemoon
- artist posted by:Gekkobeat
Links
Ramesh Shotham was born in Madras, South India. He began his career as a drummer in a rockband that performed all over the Indian subcontinent, co-leading a group called Human Bondage. During the mid-seventies, he returned to Madras to study the Tavil, a traditional Temple music drum,- played all over South India and Sri Lanka. Later, he studied the other classical percussion instruments, like Ghatam, Mridangam, Kanjira and Morsing at the Karnataka College of Percussion under Professor TA.S. Mani. In 1980 Shotham came with the Indo-Jazz Fusion- group Sangam to participate in various European festivals. Since then Shotham works and lives in Europe and is recognized as one of the most successful percussionists around. He has worked not only with leading European and American Jazz and Rock musicians, but also with artistes from Africa, Australia, China, Korea and several Arabic countries. During the last 20 years, Shotham has recorded over 120 LPs and CDs and has worked for all the leading TV and Radio stations in Germany and Europe. In 1984 he was invited as artist-in-residence at the Iwalewa Haus, University of Bayreuth. In 1986 he was guest teacher at the Conservatorium in Rotterdam. He has also conducted workshops and seminars in various cities. Ramesh Shotham has performed at various international festivals. To mention a few: Berlin Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival, Festival of Perth, Buk Festival in South Korea, Montreal Jazz Festival, Jazz Yatra Festival in India and Festival of India in Australia and China, Umbria Jazz Festival in Perugia, ... Shotham also went on three tours organized by the Goethe-Institut: 1990 to the former Yugoslavia, Hungary and Bulgaria; 1992 to France, Spain and Portugal; 1993 to India. Shotham's Work with musicians such as Carla Bley, Chris Hinze, Steve Coleman, Steve Swallow, Jonas Hellborg, Charlie Mariano and a host of others is well documented. He also founded his own formations like Bhavani and Madras Special. These concepts were used to feature Shotham's own compositions. During the last few years Shotham has been touring with Sigi Schwab's Percussion Project regularly. He was invited during the 1997 Music Triennale in Cologne to perform with the Carla Bley Big Band. Early 1998 involved work with Steve Coleman in India. Shotham recently appeared in Heartbeat of the Continents, a film by Manfred Waffender featuring different styles of drumming, produced by arte and the ZDF. Along with Rabih Abou-Kahlil and Zoltan Lantos, he recorded a documentary film for Euroarts to demonstrate the influences of World music on Jazz. Recent activities included uded a trip to Cuba to play at the Jazzfestival with Steve Coleman, a summer tour with Carla Bley's Escalator over the hill Project and an invitation to a Worid-Music-Festival in Tunesia with the well known Oud player Mohammed Zinelabidin. Ramesh Shotham has been commisioned by the WDR to travel to India with his group Madras Special in early 1999 to perform and record new music