Past Forward

Radha Thomas began headlining as a singer while still in her teens with a rock and roll band called Human Bondage. Thomas represented India at European jazz festivals and made her way to New York, the home of jazz, where she lived and performed for almost 20 years with such musicians as Michael Brecker, John Scofield, John Faddis, Alex Blake, Buddy Williams, Harvey Mason, Anthony Jackson, John Abercrombie, Ryo Kawasaki, Joe Farrell and many others in some of NYC’s most famous jazz clubs including Sweet Basil, The Bottom Line, Alice Tully Hall and more. Prior to this, she studied Hindustani classical with Farid Ud Din Dagar and Kumar Gandharva in India.

In India she has performed all over the country in concerts and clubs. She is empaneled by ICCR to be a jazz ambassador for India. Thomas has performed all over the world and has several albums to her credit. She is also an author and dog activist. She once hosted a weekly jazz show on Radio Indigo in Bangalore. She continues to perform and record and has many plans for the future.

Indian pianist-composer Aman Mahajan plays improvised music as a medium of exploration, expression and exchange. His work is often reflective, influenced by a diversity of traditional and contemporary forms from around the world. His solo piano album REFUGE explores ideas of home, paying homage to inward journeys. 

Mahajan has performed widely on the Indian music circuit, and internationally at venues including Moods (Zürich, 2020), Murszene (Graz, 2019), Jazzwerkstatt (Graz, 2018), Jazz Utsav (New Delhi, 2017), EUROPAFest (Sinaia, 2015), Festival of Sacred Music (Thiruvaiyaru, 2015), Goa Jazz Festival (Goa, 2014), IndiEarth XChange (Madras, 2014), Rhythm & Blues Festival (Kasauli, 2014), goMAD Festival (Ooty, 2013) and MAD Festival (Ooty, 2012).

Focussed on the development of the contemporary improvised music scene in India, Mahajan also teaches privately from his piano studio in Bangalore, and has been a returning faculty member at the Global Music Institute, Delhi. He curates performances at a few independent venues in Bangalore. His work is inspired by a search for unity and connection.

Alfredo Paredes is a Bolivian musician with expertise in Piano and Guitar, specializing in Charango (a traditional 10-string Bolivian instrument). He is the creator of the online academy “Alfredo’s Music Dojo” for music education, covering courses on classical and modern harmony, ear training, counterpoint, and Guitar techniques.

Alfredo has traveled across more than 70 countries, researching, teaching, and performing in a variety of jazz, rock, and traditional music groups around the world. His experience, versatility, and vast vocabulary of musical styles have allowed him to collaborate with artists such as Ricardo Pellican (Argentina), Jarry Singla (Germany), and Kanchana Sisters (India), among many others.

His passion and inspiration have brought joy to professional musicians and enthusiasts alike, as well as fascinated interviewers and their listeners. He is currently dedicated to researching South Indian music and propagating the music and techniques of Charango through international classes and workshops.

With over 30 years in the music industry, Muthu Kumar has made a niche for himself as a tabla player/ percussionist par excellence. Having studied under tabla legends Ustad Allarakha and Ustad Zakir Hussain, Muthu has traveled around the globe many times and performed on many prestigious stages and festivals. 

He has accompanied the likes of Anup Jalota, Alice Coltrane, Maynard Ferguson, John Barnes, Bill Laswell, Dana Gillespie, Bombay Jayashree, Chaka khan, Sonu Nigam, Grammy winner Ricky Kej, and Lucky Ali to name a few. He is the founder of Rhythm Shala – a school for Indian percussions. Muthu is one of the pioneers into the field of Online Tabla learning with more than 100 students around the globe. 

Muthu has collaborated with musicians around the world, across genres. He has recorded on numerous albums. He is the founder of the popular bands – Mystik Vibes, Y Factor and Atmic Vision. Muthu’s drum circles “beat hunt”, are a much sought after stress buster.