Susheela Raman in Chennai
 Susheela Raman was born in London in 1973. Her parents are from Tiruvaiyaru in Tamil Nadu's Thanjavur, where the banks of the Cauvery still reverberate with the soulful music of saint-composer Tyagaraja. Little wonder then that Susheela has taken world music by storm.
She will perform with her group, live in Chennai on Sunday, February 20th, 2005, at the YMCA grounds in Nandanam in a show organised by British Council and Prakriti Foundation. Passes for the performance will be available at the BC, Landmark and Amethyst.
Susheela comes to Chennai with her regular band which includes London-born table player Aref Durvesh, Cameroonian bassist Hilaire Penda, percussionist Djanuno Dabo from Guinea Bissau and London-based Sam Mills on the guitar.
Susheela and her parents stayed in the UK until she was four years old and they then went to live in Australia where Susheela remained until she was in her twenties.
As a child her house was full of Carnatic music and Vedic chanting and Susheela's parents taught her the rudiments of Carnatic music, eager to impart their home culture to their daughter. Susheela began singing and playing the violin, giving local community performances from the age of eight.
As a teenager, Susheela was drawn to other music traditions, soul, blues, jazz and so on, being particularly impressed by Black American singers such as Aretha Franklin and Billie Holliday and performers like Jimi Hendrix. She says "growing up with Indian music gave me a special way to hear music from all over the world and fire my own music creativity. I am still learning about my musical heritage and am inspired by the great composers... tevarams as well as folk music and cinema, where influences have always been mixed. India has always been a land of creative assimilation and is a musical superpower. The band and I are truly thrilled to have the opportunity to come and play here."
Susheela soon began to experiment, backed with her training in western and Indian music.
Moving to London in 1997 she joined forces with producer and guitarist Sam Mills and together they have made three albums for the American label Narada. Salt Rain in 2001 was short-listed for the prestigious Mercury Music Prize and Susheela also won the BBC World music award for best newcomer. Love Trap which drew inspiration equally from Tamil tevarams and Ethiopian funk followed in 2003. 'Music for Crocodiles' partly recorded in Chennai and due for release this autumn is Susheela's third and most recent album.
Susheela's band members
All these musicians have been working with Susheela for several years.
Aref Durvesh
Born in London, Aref Durvesh is the son of Abdul Qadir Durvesh, a superb Shehnai player from Gujarat. Learning classical music from his father, Aref decided to concentrate on the tabla. He has developed his own London sound, incorporating influences from drum and bass, hip hop and club culture in general. Aref uses sound technology to create a powerful live sound and has played with many musicians including Sting, Nitin Sawhney, Jeff Beck, John Mclaughlin and many others.
Hilaire Penda
Hilaire is a virtuoso bass player originally from Cameroon, West Africa and now settled in London. He has played with African greats such as Salif Keita and has also worked with Trilok Gurtu. He also has his own group.
Djanuno Dabo
Djanuno Dabo is from Guineau Bissau in west Africa and now lives in Paris. He has played with singers such as Caesaria Evora and Angelique Kidjo. He lays down a great groove but also writes beautiful songs which, recorded with the group Tama, have won him a large audience and a devoted following in his home country and abroad.
Sam Mills
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K J Yesudas
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Sam Mills has worked as a guitarist/producer with singers such as Paban Das Baul, Susana Baca, Yungchen Lamu, Shruti Sadolikar, Eletheria Arvanitaki and Tama. His work with Bengal singer Paban Das Baul has been especially well received in Bangladesh. He has produced all three of Susheela's albums.
Recent Collaborations
Susheela and Sam have recently been in Chennai filming and recording with musicians like Paul Jacob, Veena Devi, violinist Embar S. Kannan, Mandolinist Raju Srinivas, Ousephachan, percussionist K V Balu and
'Ghatam' Karthick.
She was also filming in Thiruvaiyar where her parents come from and where she had been studying Tevarams. Her film made by French-German TV ARTE also features encounters with K J Yesudas and Tappatam drummers.
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