| Autorickshaw: JUNO-nominated CD "Four Higher"
2005 World Music Album of the Year JUNO-nominee
2005 Canadian Independent World Music artist of the Year
"One of the best CDs of 2004" - Indie Acoustic Project; Spin the Globe; Eye Magazine
www.bdcdistribution.com/onesheet/autorickshaw_onesheet.pdf
autorickshaw@autorickshaw.ca
manager Derek Andrews:
derekandrews@sympatico.ca
www.globalcafe.ca
'Four Higher' is a perfect collision of styles, as contemporary jazz and funk easily rub shoulders with the classical music of India. Formed in 2003, autorickshaw has swiftly risen to become one of the most intriguing acts on the world music/jazz landscape.
You can sample the music here: www.cdbaby.com/cd/autorickshaw
autorickshaw has toured widely in Canada, performing at major world music, jazz, and folk festivals including the Vancouver folk Festival, the Montreal Jazz Festival, the Rochester International Jazz Festival (USA).
The group is led by vocalist Suba Sankaran (daughter of world-renowned master drummer Trichy Sankaran), and tabla player Ed Hanley.
Virtuoso bass guitarist Rich Brown (Steve Coleman, Andy Milne) and multi-percussionist Debashis Sinha (Maza Meze) round out the ensemble.
In January, autorickshaw will perform in New York City, with a showcase at IAJE, and a show at Joe's Pub. Other US dates on this tour include a concert at the Kennedy Centre in Washington D.C, and shows in Chicago and Boston.
Produced by artistic directors Ed Hanley and Suba Sankaran, 'Four Higher' is distributed in Canada and the USA, and has received airplay across the globe, thanks in part to a JazzDirectX campaign, where 'Four Higher' holds the record as the most requested CD.
Reviews:
"Autorickshaw have combined jazz with Vedic chant and South Indian classical music, a first for me, and an absolute delight. Normally, the kind of forced fusion that has me running, screaming away from hordes of Guardian readers, but here it works.
A mixture of original material, rearrangements of some South Indian classical pieces and cracks at a couple of jazz standards, the band have sidestepped the trap door to dull chill out and created a fascinating hybrid.
Suba Sankaran has a hypnotic, inviting voice, and her fellow band members, Ed Hanley, Rich Brown and Debashis Sinha just seem to flow in and out of each other. The originals are of uniformly high standard, but if you''re feeling a bit jaded with poor interpretations of classic jazz (hi, Jamie), take a listen to their run though of Duke Ellingtons "Caravan". Fabulous.
-Zeitgeist, Edinburgh, UK
"Singer Suba Sankaran fills the classical tunes with a hypnotic earthiness, signaling her as an accomplished singer in the Carnatic, or South Indian, tradition of classical music. Her intonation when she brings in the vocal suppleness on "Purvi Tillana" is a study in crafting a rhythm that is at once robust and pliant. Both the jazz tunes are adept interpretations. Sankaran scats with verve, lending the words a suppleness and bringing a heady effervescence that wafts balmily into "A Night in Tunisia."
- All About Jazz
"If you think the fusion of South Asian and jazz music seems incongruous, then you've obviously never heard the beautiful melodies made by Toronto-based group autorickshaw. As evidenced on their recent release, Four Higher, autorickshaw are able to do that most rare and alchemical of things: make great new music with a great new sound."
-View Magazine
"...the group pushes "Indian fusion" in a new direction, blending North and South Indian classical music, funk, and jazz. "Caravan" shows off Sankaran's remarkable vocal range and abilities, though even more fresh and engaging is the cover of "A Night in Tunisia" with unexpected rhythmic changes, scatting, and a cool desert vibe.The band is tight, but what really makes this fusion work is Sankaran's voice. Though classically trained, she has a richer, smokier tone than classical Indian singers, one perfectly suited to autorickshaw's hybrid sound."
Scott Allan Stevens, Earball Media (US)
"Seconda prova, gradevole, per il gruppo indocanadese Autorickshaw, composto da Suba Sankaran pianista e vocalist, Ed Hanley, tabla, Rich Brown, basso, Debashis Sinha, percussioni. In questi undici brani i quattro sfoggiano bravura e inventiva riuscendo a fondere jazz e tradizione musicale indiana, soprattutto del sud. A questa rimandano senz'altro Saraswati, invocazione alla divinità dell'arte e dell'ispirazione creatrice, Purvi Tillana (tillana è un ciclo temporale ritmico che utilizza sillabe mnemoniche), Ganamurthy, rielaborazione di un motivo di Thyagaraja (1767-1847), Tisra Tani, costituito da un bell'assolo di tabla. Al jazz, invece, si riallacciano pezzi come A night in Tunisia, Chennai Five-0, e il rifacimento del celeberrimo Caravan."
-Francesco Pullia, World Music Magazine
"Nicht Folk, nicht Jazz, nicht Pop und doch von allem eine Menge. Diesen scheinbaren Widerspruch löst das kanadische Quartett "Autorickshaw" auf ihrem aktuellen Album "Four High" - eine wunderbare Verschmelzung alter Swing-Legenden wie Duke Ellington mit der traditionellen Musik Indiens. CARAVAN In ihrer Heimat haben "Autorickshaw" hohe Wellen geschlagen. Ihr Album "Four High" war in diesem Jahr nicht nur für den Juno, Kanadas Antwort auf den Grammy, nominiert, den Indipendent Music Award als bestes Weltmusik-Ensemble konnten sie ebenfalls in Empfang nehmen. Das Geheimnis dieser atemraubende Mischung an Musik ist schon in der Zusammensetzung der Band zu finden: Pianistin und Sängerin Suba Sankaran, Tabla-Spieler Ed Hanley, Bassist Rich Brown und Perkussionist Debashis Sinha zeigen schon in ihren Nationalitäten wohin der musikalische Zug geht. Zwischen indischen Ragas und Improvisationen über Dizzy Gillespie-Themen finden sich hier so viele Gemeinsamkeiten, dass man sich fragen könnte, wieso hat dies niemand früher entdeckt? Doch besser spät als nie. "Autorickshaw" sind auf dem Weg die kanadische und amerikanische Musikwelt zu erobern, und auch erste Kontakte nach Europa hat man nun mit diesem Album geknüpft. Bleibt zu hoffen, dass dieses Quartett nicht im Alltags-Geschäft und beim schielen auf Verkaufszahlen, auf der Strecke bleibt. Der sensible Umgang mit den verschiedenen Musiktraditionen ist nicht jedem gegeben und auf Edelsteine sollte man ja stets eine besonderes Auge haben, im Fall von Autorickshaw sollte man beide Ohren nutzen, die Augen schließen und einfach genießen."
-Uwe Golz, Deutschlandradio Kultur
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