Biography
Ray Spiegel is a disciple of the late Tabla Master Ustad Alla Rakha since 1975, specializing in the Punjab Gharana (style) of Tabla playing.
More informations: http://www.simlahouse.com/people/ray.php
Ray's involvement with Indian fusion music began while he was still a teenager in New York. He began playing tabla and touring with the East-West Chamber Ensemble led by composer/pianist John Cooper. He toured South Asia with the Ensemble in 1971, and stayed on in Indian to study for a year only months after graduating high school. After returning to the US, he studied vibraphone with Bobby Hutcherson in San Francisco, then tabla with Zakir Hussain. With Hussain and Mickey Hart (Grateful Dead) the Diga Rhythm Band was formed and "Diga" (United Artists, re-released by Rykodisk)was recorded in 1977, a landmark recording that still enjoys sales and airplay almost thirty years after it’s creation. Ray continued the exploration of Indian fusion music with jazz, and other styles with "Sum and Kali" (Simla House 1998) and collaborations with Zakir Hussain (Zakir Hussain and the Rhythm Experience), Danilo Perez, Karl Berger, and others. Although steeped in the traditional drumming of tabla, specifically the Punjab Gharana, Ray is dedicated to an original kind of music that does not employ gimmicks or electronics, but instead relies on a very high level of musicianship, carefully chosen band members who are top in their fields, and a creative spirituality shared by all members of the ensemble.
Source: http://www.amazon.com/Raga-Jazz-Ray-Spiegel-Ensemble/dp/B0002OEIKW
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