Artist of the Day | TORONTO TABLA ENSEMBLE
ARTIST OF THE DAY
21.05.2021
TORONTO TABLA ENSEMBLE
LOCATION
Toronto, ON, Canada
GENRE
World
CURRENT MEMBERS
Ritesh Das
Razak Pirani
Shamir Panchal
Alysha Addetia
Labonee Mohanta
With the current pandemic, the state of the music and touring industry has dramatically changed. Where were you when everything was brought to a halt?
We had just finished the last recording session of our 7th CD (Unexpected Guests) on the day Toronto went into the first lockdown. Our recording engineer was luckily able to complete the final mastering from his studio.
How has that affected your plans for the coming year? Did you have a tour planned, upcoming album release?
We had a CD release concert planned for May at the Harbourfront Centre which was supposed to feature over 30 artists and was almost sold out. We did eventually release the album but the concert could not happen. We created a documentary about the making of the album and featured all of our guests artists. We were also booked to perform in Italy for the first time and were very excited about organizing a European tour.
What have you been doing to fill/make the most of your new-found free time at home? How are you supporting your mental health through all of this?
We have been fortunate to receive funding for Album #8 so we have been busy composing, recording from home and working with musicians from around the world. In a way it has opened up doors and possibilities we didn't even know we’re possible. We've been hosting live shows with an element of performance and education of North Indian music, featuring guest artists from around the world. Of course we would rather do this in person, but at least we can still be creative.
How are dealing with the Covid third wave?
It's tough because it seems like there is no end in sight. But we keep going, we keep moving forward, we keep learning about technology and we keep being creative. We are lucky to be able to focus on music to help us through these difficult times.
Do you have a message for everyone at home reading this?
Keep being creative however you can right now!
If you would like to be our next ARTIST OF THE DAY please email us at:
JEN@CONCERTWORKS.CA
