Aakash Mittal with Rafiq Bhatia

Rafiq Bhatia

CLICK HERE TO BUY TICKETS FOR THIS SHOW!

7 & 9pm :: Aakash Mittal with Rafiq Bhatia :: $12

Aakash Mittal - Hailed as a "talented young player" with "the skills to go far" by Westword (Denver), Aakash Mittal has been making a name for himself at home and abroad.  His debut CD "Possible Beginnings" has been acclaimed as "...simply brilliant." (Colorado Music Buzz) and "an amzing lineup of all original music." (Scene Magazine) Mittal has also been praised for having "...the same inventiveness [as author Peter Lavezzoli]..." by Hindustan Times (Kilkata, India). This stems from his approach to composition and improvisation where Mittal seeks to create music that relates to his divere background of both American and East Indian heritage, drawing inspiration as much from straight-ahead jazz and the avant-garde as from musical traditions of India and modern grooves

Rafiq Bhatia (pronounced rah-FEEK BAH-tia) is a composer, guitarist, bandleader, and arts entrepreneur. A first-generation American born to immigrants of East-African Indian descent, Bhatia refracts the music of his transmigratory heritage into a singular sonic language for creative improvisation. His ensemble, *The Rafiq Bhatia Collective*, has toured extensively across the eastern and midwestern United States, and was recently featured as a Critic's Pick by *The Boston Globe*. Bhatia's debut album--featuring *The Rafiq Bhatia* *Collective* alongside legendary drummer Billy Hart, groundbreaking pianist and composer Vijay Iyer, and *International Contemporary Ensemble* members Claire Chase and Peter Evans--will be released this fall.

Bhatia graduates this year from Oberlin College, where his concept quickly caught the attention of renowned jazz drummer Billy Hart, who decided to include Bhatia in his new project, *The Billy Hart Laboratory*. Additionally, Bhatia co-leads the New York-based ensemble *Chrysalis*, is a member of *The Nina Moffitt Quintet*, and has performed in ensembles led by percussionist Jamey Haddad and drummer Paul Samuels.