THE ATTUNED QUARTET

Jack is one of the few professional guitarists who fully adapt Indian classical music to their instrument. He is a disciple of sitar virtuoso Roopa Panesar and Shakir Parvez Khan who have enabled him to develop a deeply rooted approach while exploring the potential of the guitar as a new voice within Indian Classical music. He appeared on Kuljit Bhamra’s album ‘Raga & Tala’, had a master-class residency alongside Pandit Sanju Sahai and Chandra Chakraborty and worked extensively with slide guitarist Manish Pingle, developing unique repertoire together and playing concerts all around the UK.

As a composer his work ranges from classical guitar, Rock, Jazz and Indian Classical with his previous band Ashowka signed to Geoff Barrow (Portishead) label in Bristol. He is the principal composer of the Attuned Quartet and sees this group as the perfect vehicle for Indian music and other elements of world music to go hand in hand, forging new directions.

Omar is one of the world’s leading violinists and a well respected artist of the London Jazz and Latin music scene. Beginning his career in the late 80’s as the 1st chair violinist of the Cuban National Symphony Orchestra, he then toured American and Mexico with the ‘Jose Maria Vitier Jazz Band’ and moved on to play with leading members of the Buena Vista Social Club. In 1997 he moved to the UK and had a tremendous impact continuing to work with the best in business and making his name as a band leader and solo artist.

He has played with Nigel Kennedy, Eddie Palmieri, and collaborated on a jazz project with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Among other well known musicians he has played with are guitarist John Williams, pianist Robert Mitchell, Jools Holland, Kirsty MacColl, Ibrahim Ferrer and Omara Portuondo of the Buena Vista Social Club. Puente is a regular member of the band of saxophonist Courtney Pine, who produced his debut solo album From There to Here (2009).

Shanti Jayasinha is a highly sought after Jazz and World multi-instrumentalist and an extremely experienced educator. He has worked in all types of musical situations at the highest level in the Jazz, Latin, Brazilian, African and other World music fields. He has worked with legendary Cuban pianists Frank Emilio Fly, Ruben Gonzalez and Cachaito from the Buena Vista Club and with Chocolate Armenteros in New York. On the London scene he has worked with Jyotsna Srikanth, John Mayer’s Indo-Jazz Fusions, Gregori Schechter’s Klezmer Festival Band, Kuljit Bhamra, Gilad Atzmon, Tim Garland and Courtney Pine.

On the folk scene he has recorded on Karen Tweed’s ‘May Monday’ with Finnish and Swedish folk musicians, Bill Jones (3 albums) and worked with a variety of Irish and Scottish folk musicians including at Salsa Celtica. Cello credits include recording on Linsday Cooper’s ‘Sahara Dust’, Mônica Vasconcelos’ ‘Nois’, touring with the Mike Westbrook Orchestra, Mulatu Astakte, Adriana Vasques, Clare Foster, and his own Brazil Cello Trio.

Gurdain Rayatt is one of the leading tabla players in the UK today. Classically trained from the age of 3 by his father and grandfather, Gurdain became a disciple of late Pandit Shankar Ghosh of the Farukhabad Gharana and is now a disciple of Pandit Yogesh Samsi. He has been fortunate enough to perform alongside the greats of the Hindustani music tradition including Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Pandit Birju Maharaj, Ustad Shahid Parvez, Rakesh Chaurasia, Niladri Kumar and Purbayan Chatterjee to name a few.

Outside the classical field, he performs with world and cross-cultural musical genres in Kefaya, Songlines Winners in 2017 and 2020, blues slide guitar trio (Michael Messer’s Mitra) and jazz funk bad Shez Raja and has collaborated with a range of music genres including folk and Brazilian, Spanish, African music and electronica and dance. He has performed many times at Darbar Festival and on numerous occasions at the famous WOMAD Festival and prestigious venues such as the Southbank Centre and Royal Albert Hall. Gurdain is a dedicated tabla teacher to many students online and in person through private lessons, workshops, lecture demonstrations and the Chakardar Annual Tabla Retreat.