Overview
Nocturne is the debut studio-recording project of Awaz Trio, an ensemble led by saxophonist and composer Aakash Mittal along with Miles Okazaki (guitar), and Rajna Swaminathan (mridangam). This recording exemplifies the trio's mission to foster an inclusive cultural imagination through musical performance, cultural hybridity and community engagement. It is only with your support that we can bring this project to life.
Nocturne is a series of pieces that deconstruct five Hindustani evening and night ragas. The music paints a unique picture of the night, evoking the meditation of a world at rest, night terrors conjured by the imagination, and the slow cadence of blue light melting into darkness.
This recording is the culmination of six years of development, with performances across the Northeast, New York, Denver, and Kolkata, India, and will help Awaz Trio's unique music reach an ever broader audience. Additionally, the project will provide critical documentation for the ensemble’s music, aiding in the creation of future performances, educational workshops, residencies, and community outreach.
Every contribution to this project will have a lasting impact, not just enabling us to cover the expenses of the recording, but also igniting momentum for present and future creativity. Please support Nocturne and help the Awaz Trio build community around music.
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Awaz Trio at Lincoln Center Atrium. Photo credit Satchyn Mital
About Nocturne
I composed Nocturne while living in Kolkata, India as part of an American Institute of Indian Studies Performing Arts Fellowship from 2013-2014. This project weaves my experiences of studying evening and night ragas with Prattyush Banerjee with the vibrancy of nighttime festivals, marketplaces, and rituals I experienced in Kolkata. In this work I wanted to explore the intersection of my experiences with jazz and raga music as well as my experiences of physical and sonic density that occur at night in Indian cities. The term Nocturne was made famous by European composers Frédéric Chopin and John Field. These pieces often depict a calm pastoral approach to night music with a voice like melody and accompanying arpeggiated chords. Through this project I seek to disrupt this traditional European view of the Nocturne by drawing on Hindustani time theory and jazz improvisation to offer a different perspective. The night can also be a place of vibrancy, action, and dissonance. My hope is that this music will bring awareness to our own hybrid nature and offer a unique perspective on the concept of the nocturne.
-Aakash Mittal
About Awaz Trio
The Awaz Trio sculpts sonic landscapes, pointalistic textures, and angular melodies from Indian and American improvised music. The trio has performed at such notable venues as The David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center (New York City), the Shastra Festival at Le Poisson Rouge (New York City), National Sawdust (Brooklyn), Dazzle Jazz Club (Denver, Colorado), The American Center in Kolkata, India and The Walden School Concert series in Dublin, New Hampshire. In 2014, the trio conducted a residency in Northern Colorado that involved workshops in public schools and state universities. The trio’s artistic mission is to create and present new work that explores the concept of Awaz, a Hindi-Urdu word that changes meaning between sound, noise, and voice depending on the context. Through adventurous programming and community engagement, Awaz Trio advances a unique perspective on cultural hybridity that supports cultural diversity and a universal creative spirit. Awaz Trio comprises Aakash Mittal (saxophone), Miles Okazaki (guitar), and Rajna Swaminathan (mridangam).
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Photo credit Satychn Mital
Building Community
In gratitude for your support, I am excited to offer insight into the album’s creation process and unique opportunities to gather with the artists and other supporters over homemade food and drink. In addition to receiving a copy of the album, you can examine the scores used by the ensemble and listen to alternate tracks that will be exclusive for Indiegogo supporters. I am particularly excited to open up my home in Brooklyn, New York and share my passion for cooking, mixology, pie-making, and hosting for supporters at the highest levels. Consider combining donations with your friends for the $500 level and join me for a special evening of food and drink. At the highest level I will give a private performance of solo music in your home.
$1 Thank you email Receive a personalized email thanking you for your contribution and have your name included in an alphabetical list of supporters on the Bandcamp album page.
$10 Digital Download of album. Receive a code by email where you can download and listen to the album on the Bandcamp website.
$20 Copy of CD mailed to you. Receive a physical copy of the album as a compact disc. Orders outside of the US may require an extra fee for shipping.
$40 Double Album: Experience the recording process of Nocturne. In addition to the original album receive selected alternate takes of the music that were not chosen for the album. The trio recorded a number of versions of the music each with their own beautiful interpretations and improvisations. I will curate a series of alternate takes that offer a look into the evolution of the composition. You will receive a link where you can download the tracks directly to your computer. These tracks are exclusive to this fundraising campaign.
$50 Musical Scores. Receive a PDF copy of the scores Awaz Trio uses to play the music from the album. Follow along with the recording or play the music with your own band.
$100 Invitation for you and a friend to a “pie and cocktails” party at my home in Brooklyn, NY. I am passionate about making food, mixing drinks, gathering people, and building community around music. For a donation of $100, you will receive an invitation to a party at my home in Brooklyn, NY. I will make several homemade pies and mix cocktails for everyone to enjoy. (Some of my favorite recipes include a pear, fig, apple pie with a hazelnut crumb topping and bourbon milk punch, which is a mix of vanilla, cinnamon, chocolate, bourbon, and milk shaken with ice.) This will be a chance for you to meet other supporters, listen to music, ask me questions about the project, and enjoy sugar in many forms. Consider splitting the cost with a friend you would like to bring or bring someone as your guest. The party will take place on a Friday or Saturday evening in Spring/Summer 2020.
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Homemade pumpkin pie from scratch!
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The "Canadian Cocktail" garnished with blueberries
$200 VIP Tickets to the Lincoln Center Atrium (only one set of 2 tix available) Receive two VIP “tickets” and two drinks for a Thursday night show at the David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center. You and a friend will be put on the Lincoln Center’s VIP guest list. Skip the line and enjoy an evening of incredible music from an elevated VIP seat in the rear of the Lincoln Center Atrium. Concerts start at 7pm. Once you notify me about which Thursday night you would like to attend, I will contact the Lincoln Center and reserve the seats. Show availability is subject to the Lincoln Center’s schedule so request seats at least one week in advance. The Awaz Trio’s performance at the Lincoln Center Atrium in 2018 was the catalyst for the studio recording that you are generously supporting.
$500 Private dinner for you and up to three guests at my home in Brooklyn, NY. I love to host and feed people. Bring up to three guests to my home in Brooklyn, NY for a private dinner where we can hang out, discuss music, and enjoy some homemade food. Some of my specialties include butter chicken with puris, sautéed chicken thighs with a wine reduction sauce, and vegan coconut curry soup. We will schedule this dinner for a mutually agreed upon time in 2020. Dinner will include 2-3 dishes, drinks, and dessert. The meal will be a surprise menu that will take into account any dietary preferences or restrictions requested. (Expires January 1st 2021)
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Spiced fish, cinnamon-coconut mashed sweet potatoes, and roasted beet & banana salad
$1000 House Concert. I will play a short set of solo music for you and your guests at your home. There will also be an opportunity for you and your guests to ask questions about the album and solo music. (For performances outside of New York City you may need to cover travel and accommodation expenses.)
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Budget
Artist Fees $1,500
Recording Studio $1,250
Mixing $1,500
Mastering $1,000
Artwork and Design $1,000
CD Duplication $825
Digital Distribution $50
Publicist $3,000
Total: $10,125
If we exceed our goal extra funds will go toward publicist fees and future recording projects. If we don't meet our goal I will prioritize paying the artists, mixing and mastering costs and printing CDs.
Other Ways You Can Help
Please share this Indiegogo campaign with your friends and family on your preferred social media platform using the “share” tools on this website. Consider staying in touch by joining my email newsletter at aakashmittal.com where I will share upcoming events, stories, and music. If you are very excited about supporting this project, feel free to send me a direct message or email and we can discuss ways for you to help spread the word.
Thank you for your time and generous support!
Aakash-
About Aakash Mittal
Hailed as “A fiery alto saxophonist and prolific composer” by the Star Tribune (Minneapolis), Aakash Mittal is sculpting a dynamic voice that mines the intersection of improvisation, composition, sonified movement, and noise. The colorful dissonances, meditative silences, and angular rhythms that emerge invite the listener to enter a sonic landscape. Mittal’s work explores universal designs while being rooted in both South Asian and American musical traditions.
As a composer, Aakash Mittal has written extensively for a variety of ensembles and mediums composing over one hundred new works. His recent commissions include, Samay Raga for Wind Ensemble for Lawrence University and a consortium of eleven international wind symphonies, the found sound piece Ghosts (2017) for BOMB Magazine, a work for solo percussion titled Meditation, Motion, and Melody for Indian-American percussionist David Abraham (2017). The Playground Ensemble has commissioned a number of works including Urban Raga (2011), Transitions (2011), and Questions of Identity (2012). In 2009 Mittal wrote Octet on Raga Yaman for the Ethos West Chamber Orchestra. In 2012 Mittal wrote Meditation for Pictures on Silence saxophone and harp duo. American University Creative Ensemble commissioned the work Pooja, in 2013. As a leader, Mittal has self-released four recordings, Possible Beginnings, Videsh, Thumbs Up EP, and Ocean to rave reviews.
Aakash Mittal performs with such notable ensembles as the Milford Graves Trio, Du Yun’s Ok Miss, Amir Elsaffar’s Rivers of Sound, and the Brooklyn Raga Massive. As a leader, Mittal performs nationally at such venues as Lincoln Center (New York City), The Dakota (Minneapolis), The Cultural Center of Chicago, The American Jazz Museum (Kansas City) and Dazzle Jazz Club (Denver). Internationally, Aakash Mittal led a quartet at the Congo Square Jazz Festival in Kolkata, India. As a sideman, Mittal has performed in Kolkata with world renowned percussionist Pandit Tanmoy Bose’s Taal Tantra, and with the creative music ensemble Kendraka. In 2012 Mittal toured Mexico with Ravish Momin’s Trio Tarana. Other collaborations include poet Bhanu Kapil, Yells at Eels with Dennis Gonzalez, and Joining Hands with bharatnatyam dancer Anjal Chande.
Music education is a core element of Mittal’s creative activities. He began teaching private students at home and clarinet classes at Lucille Erwin Middle School in Loveland, Colorado at the age of sixteen. He has maintained a private studio since 2002. After moving to New York City Mittal taught music classes at the Salvation Army in Harlem. Aakash Mittal is currently on the music faculty for Special Music High School, The Lucy Moses School, and The Brooklyn Waldorf School. As a conductor Mittal leads three ensembles for Face the Music. Face the Music is a NYC youth organization where students play the music of living composers. Mittal has conducted workshops at a number of universities including Concordia College Ann Arbor, University of Denver, University of Colorado at Boulder, and Lawrence University.
As a writer Mittal has published essays, interviews and performance reviews in NewMusicBox, BOMB Magazine, and New York Music Daily. Writing is an integral part of his compositional practice. Mittal shares personal essays through his website and email newsletters.
Aakash Mittal’s awards and honors include the Chamber Music America/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming of Contemporary Music (2012), the Herb Albert/ASCAP Young Jazz Composers Award (2013) and the American Institute of Indian Studies Creative and Performing Arts Fellowship (2013). Aakash Mittal has received a Bachelor of Music from the University of Colorado at Boulder (2007) and has been a participant of the “Workshop for Jazz and Creative Music” and “(R)evolution: Resonant Bodies” at the Banff Center in Alberta, Canada. Mittal has been studying Hindustani raga music with Prattyush Banerjee and Tanmoy Bose since 2009 and with Samarth Nagakar since 2016. Aakash Mittal currently studies music and creativity with the legendary drummer/healer Milford Graves.
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Acknowledgements
Nothing is created alone, not even the writeup and video for this Indiegogo campaign. Thank you to all my friends and family who watched videos, mastered sound tracks, offered perspectives and edited misspellings for this fundraiser. Thank you Meera Dugal, David Bloom, Rajna Swaminathan, Miles Okazaki, Josh Moore, Meera Mittal, and Trevor New. If I forgot to include your name please let me know so I can add you to this list!
To my wife Jayanthi, thank you for being a collaborator in every step of every project. I love you!
