north indian classical music

the journey

Along with being an accomplished visual artist, Jaeger studied sound engineering at the reknowned Dick Grove School of Music in Los Angeles and has been formally trained in Indian Classical Music on both tabla and esraj. She has performed throughout India and the US with many of Indias leading classical musicians. Her frequent recordings for film and commercial projects include the only advertisement made for Facehook marketing, films for Warner Bros. Studios, Rhythm & Hues and Sony Pictures, and she received outstanding reviews for a score composed and performed live for a two-month extended theatrical run of the play Buddha - A Fantastic Journey, in collaboration with director John C. Reilly. She also designed and composed the book Sangeet - Legacy or the Maihar Gharana with John Stephens for Ustad Aashish Khan. She is also the director of East Projects, an organization dedicated to promoting and documenting Indian Music and Arts events, and has organized numerous Indian classical concerts, fesitvals, and music workshops throughout southern California.

This music is traditionally taught in the Guru-Shishya Parampara, a revered teacher-student tradition that emphasizes personal mentorship and oral transmission of knowledge which fosters a deep understanding and mastery of musical forms, techniques, and cultural context.

Jaeger's gratefully acknowledges her revered teachers:

Ustad Aashish Khan a highly accomplished sarode player, the grandson of legendary artist Allauddin Khan and son of maestro Ali Akbar Khan of the Maihar Gharana. A professor of Indian Classical Music at California Institute of the Arts, and the University of California, Santa Cruz, he was a prolific performer and teacher, nominated for a Grammy Award and was a recipient of India's Sangeet Natak Akademi Award.

Shri Harsh Narayan A leading sarangi player of the younger generation and performer of Hindustani Classical Music living in Mumbai, India. His life has been steeped in the classical music of India since he was born, his father being sarode maestro Brij Narayan, his aunt is the sarangi virtuoso Aruna Narayan Kalle, and his grandfather is the legendary sarangi maestro Pandit Ram Narayan.

Pt. Shashanka Bakshi trained by legendary artists Pt. Kanai Dutta and Benares gharana maestro Pt. Samta Prasad, he has performed in major music festivals worldwide in a career spanning over six decades and has taught numerous students in India and the US.

esraj

The esraj is a stringed instrument found throughout South Asia. It is a relatively recent instrument, being only about 300 years old, and is found in Pakistan and North India, Bangladesh and West Bengal, India where it is used in Rabindra Sangeet and Classical Music. In Bengal, Rabindranath Tagore made this instrument mandatory for all students of the Sangeet Bhavan music academy and in Visva-Bharati University. Because of this, esraj is considered the main accompanying instrument for traditional Rabindra Sangeet.

tabla

Tabla has been the principal percussion instrument in Hindustani Classical Music, where it may be played solo, as an accompaniment with other instruments, or as part of larger ensembles. It is frequently played in traditional, popular and folk music performances in India, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. It consists of two small drums, the bass baya and tuned dayan. According to legend, the tabla was derived from the ancient barrel drum known as mridana, which the deity Krishna is said to have cut in half to create the tabla.

Aashish Khan, Swapan Chaudhuri in Los Angeles

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