Catherine Potter - Duniya Project printable press kits:
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Catherine Potter - Duniya Project
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Flutist and composer, Catherine Potter, has carved out a distinctive niche in the Canadian world music scene with her mastery of the bansuri, the Indian bamboo flute, and her sophisticated cross-cultural approach to composition.

Duniya, which means ‘world’ in several Asian and African languages, speaks to both the international flavour of the music and to the diverse backgrounds of the outstanding musicians who make up DUNIYA PROJECT’s unique global sound: tabla-player Subir Dev, double-bassist Nicolas Caloia, and drummer Thom Gossage.

A musical odyssey between Montreal and Mumbai, where Catherine works with the world’s top bansuri master, Hariprasad Chaurasia, CATHERINE POTTER - DUNIYA PROJECT creates a smooth blend of ancient and current traditions; faithfully rending the intracate beauty of Indian ragas while creating jazzy atmospheres and enticing rhythms with forays into flamenco, funk and gamelan.

CATHERINE POTTER - DUNIYA PROJECT has performed to acclaim at jazz, folk and new music festivals including the Montreal International Jazz Fest, the Ottawa International Jazz Festival, the Festival du Monde Arabe and Small World’s South Asian Music Fest in Toronto to name a few. The project often features additional guests from a wide array of musical traditions; for example, with Palestinian oud player Simon Shaheen in a concert recorded for Radio Canada’s Espace Musique; and with Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia and tabla player, Subhkar Bannerjee at Outremont Theatre.

CATHERINE POTTER - DUNIYA PROJECT’s self-titled CD has continued to receive great critical praise since its release early 2006.

Bios

Considered “Canada’s master bansuri flautist”, CATHERINE POTTER is a long-time disciple of one of India’s most respected musicians, Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia, and also trained in jazz, West-African and Balinese music. With a solid reputation as an inspired performer of North Indian classical music, she has performed extensively in Canada, USA and India, has been featured on Radio-Canada radio and television and has shared the stage with Hariprasad Chaurasia, Zakir Hussain and Kalinath Mishra. Catherine Potter released her first CD, Bansuri, in 1997 and founded Duniya Project in 2001. Her bansuri can be heard in a wide array of collaborations in dance, theatre, film, recordings and concerts including with Tasa, Ramasutra, Adham Sheikh and Simon Shaheen.

Double-bass player, NICHOLAS CALOIA is a long-time member of Montreal’s avant-garde musical community and has collaborated with Steve Lacy, Malcolm Goldstein, Tristan Honsinger, Chris Cauley, Michel F. Côté, and Lorie Freedman. He has directed his own group, The Ratchet Orchestra and has recorded with Michel Brown, Jean Derome and Said Mesnaoui. Nicolas Caloia has toured USA and Europe with the Lullay Baxter Trio and Suzie Arioli and works with world music groups Hassan ElHadi, Cheb Dino, Nestor Vaz and Mercedes Gomez.

Drummer THOM GOSSAGE needs no introduction, having performed in numerous jazz settings including associations with Christine Jensen, Dave Binney, Kurt Rosenwinkle, Ben Monder, Wolter Weirbos, Steve Swell, Remi Bolduc, Erik Hove and John Labelle. He’s currently involved in the creative projects Mandala, Follow Follow and Phathed/N.O.M.A. His own group, Other Voices, won the OPUS prize at the Montreal International Jazz Festival in 2002 and completed a second Canadian tour on the strength of their second CD, The Now Beyond.

SUBIR DEV first learned tabla in his native Bangladesh and then undertook several years of training in North Indian classical music with Dr. Narendra Verma. He regularly accompanies artists from India including Vinay Bhide, Aruna Narayan Kalle and Sumitra Guha and works in a wide array of collaborations such as Jorane, MIchel Cusson, Chantal Chamady, Matapat and Musa Dien Kala. Subir Dev has also earned himself an international reputation as a composer and producer of new South Asian music and works with Kashif and DJViscious.

Press

“One senses the virtuoso in the superb Indian ragas and other compositional procedures whose ancient rules she transgresses by projecting them in a jazz environment.” -- Alain Brunet, LA PRESSE (translation)

“Potter is Canada’s master bansuri flautist, deftly handling the hollow, windy tones of the venerable Indian instrument and building off a template of North Indian classical music and jazz in a calm but vivid manner. 8/10” -- Rupert Bottenberg, MONTREAL MIRROR

“One feels the spirit, the joy, the exaltation to play a music which avoids clichés like the plague ... a beautiful success, a progress on the music front here.” -- Jean Beauchesne, JOURNAL DE MONTRÉAL (translation)

“Catherine Potter’s music is a beautiful example of a passionate meeting between Indian classical music and jazz elements. It’s not simply a fusion of genres but rather a veritable dialogue. Bravo!” --André Rheaume, ÉSPACE MUSIQUE (translation)

“Catherine Potter leads this truly one-of-a-kind Montreal project, a coming together of the city’s finest musicians from an array of divergent circles.” -- Steve Guimond, HOUR

“Catherine Potter perfumes her music with sweet delights in a completely different manner than other groups with ties to India. Catherine appears more and more like an essential player in a culture that is constantly redefining itself.” (translation)
Yves Bernard, ICI / LE DEVOIR

“What sets this CD apart is the blending of styles that occurs so effortlessly ...mystical rhythms, fast runs and glides that shift the feel and emotion of the song from excitement to pure pleasure.” -- Paul J. Youngman, THE LIVE MUSIC REPORT

“One of richest world musics produced in Montreal.” -- Denys Lelièvre, VOIR (translation)

Photos

Click to download print-quality photos (300 dpi jpeg)

Audio

1. Aube (listen)
2. Gori (sample)
3. Kutila
4. Vol blanc
5. Harijis Dream
6. Kali noire
7. Jaswandi
8. Karuna

Video

- watch Duniya Project on youtube

Rider

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