Brijanga - Sanskriti Shrestha Avatar
Avatar is a powerful sextet presenting a unique blend of Nepalese musical influences with jazz and experimental music. The group represents a new generation of musical explorers who build bridges between the new and old, western and eastern, composed and improvised.
Their music is the sonic dreamscape of tabla player Sanskriti Shrestha. With the band Avatar, Sanskriti’s Nepalese roots and training in Hindustani and Nepalese traditions find their expression with the more experimental music influences encountered during her last years in Oslo. All compositions are made by Sanskriti, and draw from the extended traditions of melodic percussion in Nepalese classic and Folk music. Together with the additions and different influences brought by the other band members, Avatar presents listeners with a unique alloy of boundless expression.
Their music always maintains the potential for change according to the musician's mood and intentions. Finely attuned to the receptivity and response of their audience, the band regards their music as an ‘avatar’ of shared consciousness that manifests itself sonically.
Henriette Hvidsten Eilertsen- flute
Hans P. Kjorstad- violin
Magnus Soltvedt Wiik- guitar, banjo and dobro
Erlend Olderskog Albertsen- double bass
Sanskriti Shrestha- tablas, tabla tarang, kantele, percussion
Andreas Wildhagen- drums, percussion