Ragini Festival comes to Queens with a celebration of contemporary Indo-Caribbean sounds. Featuring pop mixed with strains of Indian classical music, chutney and island sonic culture in a mashup of sets, this event features seminal Bollywood tunes by singer Ben Parag followed by an inter-cultural percussion mashup of steel and leather- materials of the Afro/Indo Trinidadian rhythm culture. The show culminates in a convergence of island culture with all its diasporic echoes and conversations that unite and honor shared histories.
Artist Bios:
Trio 1:
- Ben Parag (lead)
New York native and fluent Hindi speaker, Ben trained in classical music under the tutelage of gurus Kinnar and Payal Seen. Raised in a family of Guyanese musical talent, Ben started singing at a young age. For Dil Hai Hindustani, Ben traveled to India for the first time to perform in front of a panel of renowned judges: Bollywood director Karan Johar, Indian playback singer, Shalmali Kholgade, Indian rapper, Badshah, and singer/composer, Shekhar Ravjiani, frequently earning standing ovations.Karan Johar commented that not only was Ben his favorite contestant, but he sang the song “Mitwa” from the film Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, “better than the original singer,” attributing Ben’s ability of keeping his Caribbean roots close, even while seeking global appeal.
Trio 2:
- Josanne Francis(lead)
Born and raised in the twin-island Republic of Trinidad & Tobago, Josanne Francis is an internationally known steelpan performer and music educator. Her music delivers that special 'extra' that separates her from even the greats, and catapults listeners into a unique and exceptional place. With hands that seem to float like the wings of a butterfly with a 'wand-like' touch, her music is not devoid of power when needed. Ms. Francis' music blends together and draws influences from traditional Calypso music, Jazz, Indian, Funk, Rock and Classical music- a unique mix which is not typical for the instrument. Josanne has performed at venues such as the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, and Strathmore Music Center; and has appeared as a guest artist at festivals and universities across the United States and internationally, including the San Juan Conservatory of Music, San Juan Puerto Rico; the Caramoor Jazz Festival, NY.; and the Port-au-Prince International Jazz Festival, Haiti. Josanne was recently one of 6 Artists in Residence at Strathmore for the 2017-2018 season. She currently serves as the Executive Director of the Cultural Academy for Excellence, Inc. and runs her very own educational steelpan program Steel on Wheels.
Levi Ali:
Born to a reggae household in the deserts of Arizona and now based in Boston, Trinidadian-American Levi Ali always had an interest in the percussive arts. He began as a metal drummer before developing an interest in music from around the world. A self taught musician, he has studied darbuka, Indian tabla, Trinidadian tassa, Punjabi dhol, Persian daff, kanjira, chimta, djembe, and davul. He is a member of Indian electronic duo The Shadow Notes, indie rock outfit Satellite Sound, Near East activist folk collective Club Mediterranean and bellydance music group Ensemble Davuli. He also plays every Wednesday in the house band at Electric Haze in Worcester, MA
Trio 3:
- Fijiana (lead)
Pallaví aka Fijiana is an embodiment of the vibrant multicultural landscape of Fiji and the Bay Area.Her sound is as eclectic as her multiple identities, moving from jazz-influenced rap to modern pop and diving into genres like Indo-Afro beat to represent her dualistic cultural identity. She speaks on political issues, spiritual learnings, and romantic experiences but there is one thing everything has in common: everything is rooted in real emotions and experiences. Fijiana can be heard in STARZ’ Blindspotting (‘Droptop Shawty’), has been featured in outlets such as Rolling Stone India, Vogue India, KQED, and Brown Girl Magazine, and the music video for “Identity” was an official selection of the South Asian Film Festival of America.
- Raat Ki Rani: DJ
Name: Roshni Samlal (DJ Raat Ki Rani)
Pronouns: She/her/they
Bio: Roshni Samlal is a New York-based tabla player and DJ who has studied within the Farrukhabad, Benares and Punjab gharanas or schools of Indian classical percussion. Roshni is now a prolific local teacher and performer, both in traditional, soloist repertoire, as a classical accompanist(Pt. Krishna Bhatt, Steve Gorn, Sobroto Roy Chowdhury) as well as within a variety of jazz, experimental and chamber ensembles(In D Ensemble, Arkinetics, Orakel.) Roshni also explores electronic production as a narratorial context for tabla solos, incorporating poetry and sound collages that speak to topics of indentureship, post-colonial Caribbean identity, migration. She is the curator and producer of the Ragini Festival which focuses on spotlighting the work of artists engaged in traditional folk and innovative arts within the further reaches of the South Asian diaspora, focusing on Indo-Caribbean heritage. Roshni crafts DJ sets influenced by her Indo-Caribbean diaspora heritage, experiences as a working-class, brown immigrant during the 90’s, focusing on Asian Underground music, Global Club, soca and chutney.
Mash up: Musicians all jam together
Vendors:
Island Pops- Caribbean flavored ice-cream and desserts - 347-365-6737
Trini Street Food Truck: https://www.instagram.com/trinistreetfoodny -
Trinciti Roti Shop - Indo-Trinidadian street food: doubles - (718) 641-3636
El Dorado Rum(would rum mixed drinks be ok? From a 300 year old distillery based in Demerara, Guyana) If not, can partner with a local, Queens based bar to serve Caribbean beer like Carib or Red Stripe https://theeldoradorum.com/
NewsPaper Outreach:
Caribbean Life
Indo-Caribbean Alliance
Brown Girl Magazine
Queens Daily Eagle
Kajal Magazine
Partners/Sponsors:
- Caribbean Equality Project(Cross Promo)
- Jahajee Sisters (Cross Promo)
- Jamaica Center for the Arts** still need to inquire
- Blindian Project (Cross Promo)