Kiran Ahluwalia: At the center of Kiran Ahluwalia's music is love in all its shades - yearning romantic love and sufi mysticism. She is a modern exponent of the great vocal traditions of India and Pakistan which she honors intensely yet also departs from in assertive, personal ways. Her original compositions and arrangements embody the spiritual essence of ghazal, an ancient form of poetry about the unattainable . Accompanied by traditional Indian percussion and contemporary Western instruments, Ahluwalia's boundary-blurring songs invite us to explore the human condition, transcending the self by losing ourselves in love.
Born in India, raised in Canada – Ahluwalia's latest CD, Aam Zameen: Common Ground was recently awarded Kiran's second Canadian Grammy - the prestigious JUNO Award. Her discography, now five albums deep is one of global music's most interesting furrows. Her ease of manner on stage makes her a unique and inspiring performer who's legion of fans continues to grow with every captivating performance.
Kiran is accompanied by some of North America's most exciting artists; Downbeat magazines's No. 2 Rising Star guitarist Rez Abbasi, hard grooving tabla player Nitin Mitta, superbly melodic accordion player Will Holshouser and the very funky bassist Mamadou Ba. Don't miss them in New York city.
"Ahluwalia is busy honing a transnational sound as fresh as tomorrow." - Seattle Times
"Her crystal clear voice arched superbly above rhythms that coursed through the audience." - Los Angeles Times
