Kirtan

Madhava in Sydney.

Friday April 2, 8:00 pm
Body Mind Life Yoga
55 Foveaux St
Surrey Hills

More details and tickets for the concert at www.bodymindlife.com.au.

More details of the tour at www.kirtanaustralia.com.

"At roadsides, temples and sanctuaries He would chant in sweet tunes, 'Krsna,krsna, krsna, krsna, krsna, krsna hey!' Sometimes carried away by some indescribable divine exultation, He would sing 'Rama! Rama!' and dance sweetly in ecstatic rhythm. He would deliver one and all, irrespective of time, place orcircumstances, by magnanimously inducing them to chant the Holy names of Lord Krsna. I sing with joy the unending glories of my golden Lord Gauranga-sundara; the divine abode of pure love.

- Prema-dhama-deva Stotram 22

Just arrived in my email inbox.

Come to chant the Holy Names in at the 24 hour kirtan at New Govardhana, NSW, on the weekend of March 26-27, 2010.

Special guests include Madhava and Sri Prahlada, and bhakti kirtaniyas from New Govardhana and around Australia.

Please contact Radha on 02 6672 8549 to arrange accommodation, and contact Sitapati at sitapati@worldsankirtan.net if you want to be on the roster to lead kirtan.

Kirtan artist Madhava visits Australia for the first time in March - April, 2010.

He starts a four city tour with a 24 hour kirtan in Murwillumbah on March 27 - 28, and weaves his way up and down the country over the next three weeks.

Here are the dates for Madhava's tour (those that are tba will be updated as we get the information), followed by his bio.

MURWILLUMBAH, NSW
Saturday, March 27, 5:00 PM
24 hour kirtan featuring Madhava (until Sunday 5:00 PM)
Hare Krishna Community
525 Tyalgum Rd, Eungella
02 6672 6579

BYRON BAY, NSW
Tuesday, March 30, 7:30 PM
Kirtan concert
venue tba
Byron Bay, NSW

SURFERS PARADISE, QLD
Wednesday, March 31, 6:00 PM
Kirtan concert
The Bhakti Centre
Trust House, 3070 Surfers Paradise Blvd, Surfers Paradise. 1st floor

SYDNEY, NSW
Friday, April 2, 8:00 PM
Kirtan concert
Body Mind Life Yoga
55 Foveaux St, Surrey Hills

SYDNEY, NSW
Saturday, April 3 - Monday, April 5
Nightly Kirtan
ISKCON Temple
180 Falcon St, North Sydney

MELBOURNE, VIC
Thursday April 8 - Sunday April 11
Venues tba

BRISBANE, QLD
Thursday April 15, 8:00PM
Kirtan concert
Brisbane City Yoga
Level 2, 129 Margaret Street

Artist Information

Madhava

With a tuft of matted dread-locks erupting from his otherwise shaven head, a sculpted goatee, and a host of piercings and tattoos, you expect Madhava to be a punk rocker — that is until the moment he closes his eyes, opens his mouth, and begins to sing. Before he completes one line, the sweetness captures your mind. And by the time you are repeating the refrain, you are his—hook, line, and sinker. If you had any plans for the next few hours go ahead and cancel them, and instead make yourself an appointment with the ecstatic chanting of sacred mantras. Welcome to kirtan, Madhava-style.

About Kirtan:
Kirtan is a folk form that arose from the devotional Bhakti movement of 15th century India. The primary musical feature of kirtan is the use of call and response, a figure that also deeply informs Western bluegrass, gospel music and jazz. The form is simple: a lead group calls out the melodies and the mantras. The crowd responds, clapping and dancing and the rhythms build and accelerate.

The mantras that are used in kirtan are mainly Sanskrit names for the Divine. Sanskrit is the oldest language known, and its sounds and their meanings are primordial. Kirtan is a consciousness-transforming and raising activity, where music and song are used to bring everyone together in a beautiful experience of collective expression of the divine. The mantras quiet the mind, the music frees the heart.

About Madhava:
A native of Mauritius, Madhava – né Joy Naidoo – was given his first drum at the age of 5. At 18, he moved to Vrindavan, a place of pilgrimage in India where kirtan has been practised continuously for centuries. He spent the next seven years living in an ashram, doing kirtan daily with the Krishna Balarama 24 Hour Kirtan Mandali, under the direction of legendary 24-hour kirtan leader, Aindra Dasa. While there he played the mrdanga drum for hours on end, day after day, honing his rhythmic skill and sensitivity. Unbeknownst to him, through bootleg recordings he was also becoming an influential figure in the global kirtan scene, all while sitting on the dusty floor of a small temple in a village in India.

When Madhava left to return to the West, his mentor Aindra impressed on him that he had to take the kirtan back with him from Vrndavan — telling him: "Now it is you who must lead the kirtan".

Based in Switzerland, Madhava travels extensively through Europe and the US with his partner Radhika and his band Gaura Prema, enlivening audiences with the power of devotional kirtan. He fuses his Mauritian roots with the influences of India to produce a unique style of kirtan, but one in which the main ingredient is the heartfelt bhakti. This year Madhava visits the shores of Australia for the first time.

Others on Madhava:
"Madhava's kirtan is one of the most transcendent kirtan experiences I've ever had. He sings with so much heart and dedication that every one who is present is effortlessly transported to another universe on waves of his chanting. His melodies are rich and inviting, his voice is honest and true, and he always surrounds himself with beautiful musicians and artists - all part of his artful way of revealing a doorway to the divine world through sacred chant. Madhava is a treasure to hear and to join with in kirtan. I pray that I'll be chanting with him for many years to come, basking in the warm glow of the names of the divine."
— Gaura Vani
Bandleader - As Kindred Spirits
Creative Director - Mantralogy

"Madhava is a powerful and inspirational devotional singer and master of mantra singing. His music and melodies bring ecstacy to our singing and dancing, bathing us in happiness as we respond to his illuminating voice."
— Loren Russo
Yoga teacher, Miami FL, USA

"Madhava’s singing touches the heart.... his chanting is always sweet and full of energy. It is a wonderful experience being in his kirtans."
— Dr. Nisha Vastani
Research Scientist, Uni Hospital- Zurich, Switzerland

"The kirtana of Madhava has an almost magnetic influence. The mind and heart get totally attracted, then drawn into the inside world where one can meet the soul of the universe. Tune in and you will have a deeply rewarding, spiritual experience."
— Sacinandana Swami
Inspirational speaker and spiritualist

This morning we finally unveiled the Kirtan Australia website. A huge thanks to Bhakticandrika, Vrajadhama, Prema Yogi, David Jorm and Nath0rn for the hours of work that they put into it.

The core concept of Kirtan Australia is discoverability.

We want to make it easy, at the first level, to discover what national kirtan tours are going on. One single place that you go to check who is coming when, and where, and what time. For this we will rely on visits to the site and the rss feed.

Going down another level, we want to make it easy to find a regular on-going kirtan in your local area, wherever that may be.

Conversely, we want to make it easy to publicise your regular kirtan circle or one-off event. For this we will rely on visits to the site, and email notifications.

Going down another level, we want to make it easy to discover quality suppliers of instruments, especially exotic and imported instruments.

And going down a further level from there, we want to make it easy to discover lessons and teachers to learn to lead or accompany kirtan.

It's about creating community through connection, facilitated by "discoverability" - a function of sattva.

Check out the site: Kirtan Australia.

Madhava's "Yoga is Music" Tour visits Australia March 26 - April 18, 2010. Stay tuned for tour dates for your city.

Artist Information

Madhava

With a tuft of matted dread-locks erupting from his otherwise shaven head, a sculpted goatee, and a host of piercings and tattoos, you expect Madhava to be a punk rocker — that is until the moment he closes his eyes, opens his mouth, and begins to sing. Before he completes one line, the sweetness captures your mind. And by the time you are repeating the refrain, you are his—hook, line, and sinker. If you had any plans for the next few hours go ahead and cancel them, and instead make yourself an appointment with the ecstatic chanting of sacred mantras. Welcome to kirtan, Madhava-style.

About Kirtan:
Kirtan is a folk form that arose from the devotional Bhakti movement of 15th century India. The primary musical feature of kirtan is the use of call and response, a figure that also deeply informs Western bluegrass, gospel music and jazz. The form is simple: a lead group calls out the melodies and the mantras. The crowd responds, clapping and dancing and the rhythms build and accelerate.

The mantras that are used in kirtan are mainly Sanskrit names for the Divine. Sanskrit is the oldest language known, and its sounds and their meanings are primordial. Kirtan is a consciousness-transforming and raising activity, where music and song are used to bring everyone together in a beautiful experience of collective expression of the divine. The mantras quiet the mind, the music frees the heart.

About Madhava:
A native of Mauritius, Madhava – né Joy Naidoo – was given his first drum at the age of 5. At 18, he moved to Vrindavan, a place of pilgrimage in India where kirtan has been practised continuously for centuries. He spent the next seven years living in an ashram, doing kirtan daily with the Krishna Balarama 24 Hour Kirtan Mandali, under the direction of legendary 24-hour kirtan leader, Aindra Dasa. While there he played the mrdanga drum for hours on end, day after day, honing his rhythmic skill and sensitivity. Unbeknownst to himself, through bootleg recordings he was also becoming an influential figure in the global kirtan scene, all while sitting on the dusty floor of a small temple in a village in India.

When Madhava left to return to the West, his mentor Aindra impressed on him that he had to take the kirtan back with him from Vrndavan — telling him: "Now it is you who must lead the kirtan".

Now based in Switzerland, Madhava travels extensively through Europe and the US with his partner Radhika and his band Gaura Prema, enlivening audiences with the power of devotional kirtan. He fuses his Mauritian roots with the influences of India to produce a unique style of kirtan, but one in which the main ingredient is the heartfelt bhakti. This year Madhava visits the shores of Australia for the first time.

Others on Madhava:
"Madhava's kirtan is one of the most transcendent kirtan experiences I've ever had. He sings with so much heart and dedication that every one who is present is effortlessly transported to another universe on waves of his chanting. His melodies are rich and inviting, his voice is honest and true, and he always surrounds himself with beautiful musicians and artists - all part of his artful way of revealing a doorway to the divine world through sacred chant. Madhava is a treasure to hear and to join with in kirtan. I pray that I'll be chanting with him for many years to come, basking in the warm glow of the names of the divine."
— Gaura Vani
Bandleader - As Kindred Spirits
Creative Director - Mantralogy

"Madhava is a powerful and inspirational devotional singer and master of mantra singing. His music and melodies bring ecstacy to our singing and dancing, bathing us in happiness as we respond to his illuminating voice."
— Loren Russo
Yoga teacher, Miami FL, USA

"Madhava’s singing touches the heart.... his chanting is always sweet and full of energy. It is a wonderful experience being in his kirtans."
— Dr. Nisha Vastani
Research Scientist, Uni Hospital- Zurich, Switzerland

"The kirtana of Madhava has an almost magnetic influence. The mind and heart get totally attracted, then drawn into the inside world where one can meet the soul of the universe. Tune in and you will have a deeply rewarding, spiritual experience."
— Sacinandana Swami
Inspirational speaker and spiritualist

Hey Beautiful Chanters,


Dave Stringer is back for 2010 with a concert in Brisbane on March 16. If you went to his concert last year you know what an amazing kirtan experience it was, and if you missed it - well, here's your chance!

Dave writes:

For this tour, I'll have copies of my new live kirtan CD, Joyride, with me. Nothing I've made previously captures the essence of the interplay between band and audience as well as this, and it sounds great. I'll be playing a lot of the new kirtans from this CD each evening, but I am also happy to take requests for old favorites. Just send me an email.

This year, again, the concert in Brisbane is at The Yoga Den, which is on Level 1 at 43 Vulture St. Tickets are $20 and are available for purchase online at www.atmayoga.com.au.

If you can't make it on Tuesday night, Dave is doing kirtan in Ipswich and Byron Bay on Wednesday and Thursday. I'll be playing bass at all three, so I hope to see you there!

Haribol! - Sitapati

BRISBANE, QLD
Tuesday, March 16, 8:30 PM
The Yoga Den
L1 43 Vulture St, Westend, Brisbane, QLD
0431 929 675

IPSWICH, QLD
Wednesday, March 17, 7:30 PM
Sacred Cow Yoga Studio
227-233 Brisbane St., Ipswich, QLD 4305
0732 012 586

BYRON BAY, NSW
Thursday, March 18, 8:00 PM
Byron Bay Community Centre Theatre
69 Jonson St., Byron Bay, NSW 2481
0266 856 807

Here are our upcoming gigs:

• Fri Feb 19 - Sun Feb 21 - Jai Uttal Kirtan Workshop, Durrumbul Community Hall, Mullumbimby (Vraj - mrdanga, Sitapati - mrdanga/cartals) www.oneentertainment.com.au
• Sun Feb 21 - Jai Uttal Kirtan Concert, Durrumbul Community Hall, Mullumbimby 7:00pm (Vraj - mrdanga, Sitapati - mrdanga/cartals) www.oneentertainment.com.au
• Sat Feb 27 - Kevin James album release - Temple Byron, Byron Bay, 8:00pm (Vraj - mrdanga, Sitapati - mrdanga) www.kevinjamesheartsongs.com | Kevin James on Myspace
• Sat Mar 6 - Byron Yoga Centre Kirtan, 7:30pm (World Sankirtan Party kirtan)
• Tue Mar 16 - Dave Stringer, Yoga Den, Brisbane 8:30pm (Vraj - mrdanga, Sitapati - bass) www.davestringer.com
• Wed Mar 17 - Dave Stringer, Sacred Cow Yoga, Ipswich 7:30pm(Vraj - mrdanga, Sitapati - bass) www.davestringer.com
• Thu Mar 18 - Dave Stringer, Byron Community Centre 8:00pm (Vraj - mrdanga, Sitapati - bass) www.davestringer.com
• Mar 25 - April 18 - Madhava "Yoga is Music Tour" Australia (Vraj - mrdanga, Krishnapada - guitar) www.davestringer.com

Dear Friends,

Thank you for purchasing your online tickets to Jai Uttal Live in Byron Bay.

Some of you may have already attended the events last week, others are about to join us this coming weekend at Durrumbul Hall.

The feedback we have had has been incredible. Each event was truly inspiring and uplifting.

This coming weekend we celebrate again together at Durrumbul Hall the finale of Jai's visit to the shire.

Those of you who would like to come back for more , we welcome you again and invite you to attend another event

We have added a Single Day Pass for entry to any day of the weekend workshop if you can not make all 3 Days.

Workshop times:

• FRIDAY 19th : 3pm – 9pm
• SATURDAY 20th: 10am – 5pm
• SUNDAY 21st: 10am – 5pm

Tickets on Offer are:

• 3 day weekend pass (19-20-21) that includes the Kirtan evening on Sunday Feb 21st - $220.
• Single day pass for either.... Friday the 19th..... Saturday the 20th or Sunday the 21st - $85 (this does not include the Kirtan evening on Sunday)
• And the Kirtan evening on Sunday 7pm to 9pm - $30.

All information and Tickets available online http://www.oneentertainment.com.au or through Santos (Mullumbimby) or Fairy Floss (Byron Bay).

Food will be available by 'Open Table'
And remember to bring your own cushion.

Please forward the word to people you love, as this will be a very special gathering

Vraja and I will be playing with Jai for the weekend workshop and concert.

Here are a couple of recordings (from my phone) of kirtans from the weekend.

First up, a version of the Qawwali Hamd (song to Allah) "Allah hoo", made famous by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and here performed by Vrajadhama on mrdanga, Shen Flindell on tabla, myself on clapping, and a certain famous western qawwali singer who shall remain nameless in this post ;-)

• Allah Hoo (.m4a, 29MB)

Next, a kirtan by Jai Uttal from his Sunday workshop. Vrajadhama is on mrdanga, and I am playing some gorgeous tiny cymbals that someone at the workshop lent me.

• Hare Krishna (Jai Uttal) (.m4a, 75MB)

Enjoy!

Next weekend Jai has another workshop, this time three days - Friday - Sunday, with a concert on Sunday night. Vrajadhama and I will be accompanying him again. Check www.oneentertainment.com.au for the deets.