Trina Basu & Arun Ramamurthy
"free-flowing, globe-spanning" - New Yorker
"...intricate, cinematic, constantly shifting series of themes anchored in thousands of years of Indian classical music." - New York Music Daily
photo by Sheila Basu
Violinists Trina Basu and Arun Ramamurthy reimagine the potential of string chamber music with a unique sound both deeply intimate and cinematically expansive. Rooted in traditions of South Indian classical music, Western chamber music, and jazz, the duo is uniquely positioned to create a sound that feels ancient, orchestral, and contemporary or as The New Yorker put it “free-flowing and globe-spanning.” Combined with the duo’s fluency in improvisation, there is a clear architecture to their sound that still gives space for the two violins to be delightfully indiscernible and shine individually. Their debut album on SPINSTER records, Nakshatra, the Sanskrit word for constellation, is a profound exploration of this dance between a collective and singular sound, bursting with energy, playfulness, and a cosmic gravitas.
As a duo they have been artists-in-residence at Avaloch Farm Music Institute and Next Stage Arts Project, and have performed at Ragas Live Festival, The Jazz Gallery, Bang on a Can, Benque Cultural Center, Sri Ramanjaneya Sangeetha Sabha, and Lyric Chamber Society of NY. Varying colors, shapes, and sounds emerge from the ensemble with their esteemed collaborators, who have included cellists Marika Hughes and Jake Charkey, percussionists Dan Kurfirst and Rich Stein, bassists Damon Banks and Rashaan Carter and guitarist Shane Parish. Basu and Ramamurthy are married and live in Brooklyn, NY with their two young children.
The Jazz Gallery
“A gentle life fo dignity and grace” is a benefit collaboration with Morley and Chris Bruce to raise funds for the Elijah McClain Family Fund.