Sunday, April 22 – 2 pm

John Trudell
Poet, Musician, Activist

John Trudell is an acclaimed poet, national recording artist, actor and activist, with an international following that reflects the universal language of his words, work and message.

Today at Bird & Beckett, he’ll read poems and lyrics collected in his book Lines from a Mined Mind.

Trudell (Santee Sioux) was a spokesperson for the Indian of All Tribes occupation of Alcatraz Island from 1969 to 1971. He worked with the American Indian Movement (AIM), serving as Chairman of AIM from 1973 to 1979. In February of 1979, a fire of unknown origin killed Trudell’s wife, three children and mother-in-law. It was through this horrific tragedy that Trudell began to find his voice as an artist and poet, writing, in his words, “to stay connected to this reality.”

In 1982, Trudell began recording his poetry to traditional Native music and in 1983 he released his debut album Tribal Voice on his own Peace Company label. Trudell then teamed up with the late legendary Kiowa guitarist Jesse Ed Davis. Together, they recorded three albums during the 1980’s. The first of these, AKA Graffiti Man, was released in 1986 and dubbed the best album of the year by Bob Dylan. AKA Graffiti Man served early notice of Trudell’s singular ability to express fundamental truths through a unique mix of poetry, Native music, blues and rock. Since that time, Trudell has released seven more albums plus a digitally re-mastered collection of his early Peace Company cassettes. His 2002 CD, Bone Days, was executive produced by Academy Award winning actress Angelina Jolie and released on the Daemon Records label.

His latest double album, Madness & The Moremes, showcases more than five years of new music and includes special Ghost Tracks of old favorite Trudell tunes made with legendary Kiowa guitarist Jesse Ed Davis. This internet only release offers a full range of classic Trudell poetry – there are lyrics filled with penetrating insight and others with knock out humor, all put to some of the best music Bad Dog has ever made together. Madness and The Moremes is available now on www.johntrudell.com

In addition to his music career, Trudell has played roles in a number of feature films, including a lead role in the Mirimax movie Thunderheart and a major part in Sherman Alexie’s Smoke Signals. He most recently played Coyote in Hallmark’s made for television movie, Dreamkeeper.

Same day, Sunday, April 22 – 4:30-6:30 pm

Mallar Bhattacharya
+ Ferhan Qureshi
sarode and tabla
Hindustani Classical Music

which way west?
Sunday concert series
all ages welcome

your donations enable us
to pay the musicians

View a performance by Mallar and Ferhan by clicking on this link

Mesmerizing music developed over centuries of cultural refinement in North India, performed by two highly skilled practitioners of their arts.

Mallar Bhattacharya is a student of the instumental and vocal music of the Acharya Baba Allauddin Seni gharana of Maihar and Rampur, India. Mallar began his musical training at the age of three, learning both Western and Hindustani violin from his father Dr. Jahar Bhattacharya, a viola student of Ustad Ali Akbar Khan. After taking regular lessons from Ustad Aashish Khan in high school, Mallar was inspired to focus on the sarode as he began his undergraduate studies in Boston. Now a medical student in Boston, Mallar has been learning regularly for several years from Dr. George Ruckert, senior disciple of Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, and he continues to study with Aashish Khan several times a year. Mallar has also spent two summers of dedicated study at Ali Akbar College of Music in San Rafael, California, learning from Ustad Ali Akbar Khan.

Ferhan Qureshi is one of the most in-demand tabla players in the San Francisco Bay Area, and performs internationally on the instrument.  He is a senior disciple of the tabla maestro, Ustad Abdul Sattar Tari Khan, universally recognized as one of the foremost tabla players performing today. Ustad Tari Khan learned tabla from Miyan Shuakat Hussain Khan, the most celebrated tabla nawaz (performer) in Pakistan’s musical history.

Prior to studying with Ustad Tari Khan, Ferhan took his initial lessons in Hindustani music theory and practice with Surrinder Mann Singh (a senior disciple of the late Ustad Allah Rakha).  Ferhan studies the Punjab gharana of classical tabla which both of his teachers represent. Primarily performing the tabla lehara (tabla solo), Ferhan Qureshi has also accompanied numerous distinguished classical artists both in the United States and in Pakistan, including: (Vocalists) UstadShafqat Ali Khad, Ustad Latafat Ali Khan, Ustad Sukhawat Ali Khan, Ustad Altaff Hussain, Riffat Sultana, Rita Sahai, Shri Mukesh Desai, and Tina Mann, (Instrumentalists) Ustad Habib Khan, Ghulam Farid Nizami, Asad Qizilbash, Srinivas Reddy, Parag Chordia, Nasir Syed, Dr. Waheed Siddiqui, Josh Feinberg, Arnab Chakravarty, among others and (Kathak dancers) Farah Sheik and Sonia Mann.

Although his primary focus is classical and traditional music, over the years Ferhan has also collaborated and/or performed with numerous organizations and artists in modern applications of the tabla, including the Dhamaal Artist Collective, (for which he is a founding member), The Lines Ballet, Non-Stop Bhangra, and Dj ChebiSabaah, among others.  Ferhan currently is the Director of Artist Management at Bol Records and is diligently working towards the promotion of traditional Pakistani and Indian music in the Bay Area.