Sun Gate: A Live Performance CD A New Sound Combining Several Disciplines of Asian Music and Jazz Fusion Silk Sound is an Asian-American Jazz ensemble and is produced by Silk Screen. A compilation of traditional and modern music, Silk Sound brings a new sound to the music scene. Ancient erhu and tabla sounds blend harmoniously with modern jazz saxophone, guitar and vibraphone. The first public performance of Silk Sound was on January, 2014, during Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto's inaugural celebration. The premier concert was held on February, 2014, with additional concerts throughout the year. SUN GATE features the first live performance of the group. The group currently consists of six musicians. Internationally renowned percussionist Samir Chatterjee's achievements include a performance at the 2007 Nobel Prize Award Ceremony in Oslo, Norway, hundreds of concert, festival, and radio performances and faculty appointments at several prestigious universities. Mimi Jong has played the erhu since age 11, and has created Jasmine Dynasty to teach children in Western Pennsylvania about traditional Chinese music and dance. Mimi Jong and Jeff Berman (who plays the vibraphone and mountain dulcimer) both perform in AppalAsia, an Appalachian-Asian fusion ensemble. Mr. Berman's compositions were featured in the Oscar-nominated documentary In Our Water. Recipient of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust's Create Achievement Award, Saxophonist Ben Opie has played with a number of popular bands and orchestrates the Braxton Plays Pittsburgh Plays Braxton festival. Guitarist Chris Parker plays for the City Dwelling Nature Seeks, but has performed with many other local musicians and Good Brother Earl. String bassist Matt Booth is an enthusiastic music educator and performer. He is a member of several musical groups. Musician Bios Pandit Samir Chatterjee -Tabla Tabla prodigy Samir Chatterjee hails from India, but currently resides in the New York/New Jersey area. His compositions are widely revered in India, having been featured on television, radio, festivals, and at the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony in Oslo, Norway. He has paired with musical legends such as sitarist Pt. Ravi Shankar, slide guitarist Pt. Debashish Bhattacharya, jazz pianist and composer Myra Melford, sufi-rock singer Salman Ahmad and The Boston Philharmonic. He is a member of the jazz trio SYNC, the quintet Inner Diaspora and composes and directs "Nacho Nacho - Gypsy Storytelling". Mr. Chatterjee is a faculty member of the Manhattan School of Music, Yale University and the University of Pittsburgh, among several others. Numbering among his other musical pursuits are A Study of Tabla, which offers a comprehensive guide to the history and art of tabla playing and Music of India, a guide to India's intricate musical history. Mr. Chatterjee also founded Chhandayan, which aims to promote and preserve India's music and culture. Jeff Berman - Dulcimer and Vibraphone A New Yorker by birth, percussionist and mountain dulcimer player Jeff Berman currently resides in Pittsburgh. His musical repertoire includes collaborations with the Asian-Appalachian fusion band AppalAsia, Irish folk singer Susan McKeown, banjo-player Tony Trischka and Tibetan vocalist Pasang Dolma. Mr. Berman's compositions were featured in the Oscar-nominated documentary In Our Water. For the past six years he has educated students at the elementary, high school and college-level about his craft. Mimi Jong - Erhu Erhu virtuoso Mimi Jong has been a staple of Pittsburgh's Asian music scene for many years. A native of Indonesia, she currently resides in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She has been playing the erhu, a two-stringed bowed instrument found in classical Chinese music, since she was 11 years old. Her performances have taken her to Germany, Spain, Indonesia, China and a host of other countries. She has performed with Blue Pipa, an ensemble led by pipa virtuoso Min Xiao Fen; Karen Han, a fellow erhu virtuoso; the poet/activist Huang Xiang; members of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra; and collaborated with the Mary Miller Dance Company in the production The Gathering of Women. Counted among Ms. Jong's many accomplishments are AppalAsia, an Asian-Appalachian fusion band she cofounded with Jeff Berman. The group uses erhu, dulcimer and banjo to facilitate cultural bonding and appreciation between two vastly dissimilar regions. Ms. Jong also co-founded Jasmine Dynasty, which educates Western Pennsylvanian students about classical Chinese music and dancing. Ben Opie - Saxophone Like many of Silk Sound's performers, saxophonist Ben Opie has been influential in a number of bands, schools and regions. A recipient of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust's Creative Achievement Award, he is currently a lecturer of Music Technology at Carnegie Mellon University, with a previous appointment at the Pittsburgh High School for the Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA). When not teaching, Mr. Opie performs in the Thoth Trio, an acoustic jazz band named for the ancient Egyptian god of arts; Opek, based on the music of famous jazz pianist Sun Ra; and Flexure, a jazz sextet. He has collaborated with the David Throckmorton Group, and played with Morphic Resonance and Coal Train. Mr. Opie also coordinates the Braxton Plays Pittsburgh Plays Braxton music festival, which showcases several concerts and collaborative performances by acclaimed pianist, flautist, composer, saxophonist and philosopher Anthony Braxton. Chris Parker - Guitar and Drums Guitarist and drummer Chris Parker currently works in the Pittsburgh area as the guitarist for Flexure, a jazz sextet, and as a guitarist and drummer for the folk group City Dwelling Nature Seekers. His repertoire includes past performances with The Clarks, Opek and Good Brother Earl. Matt Booth - Bass Matt Booth grew up in Northern Virginia and moved to Pittsburgh in 2005 to study music at Duquesne University. After graduating, he continued living in the area and has been active as a music educator and performer. Matt is a member of the Americana band City Dwelling Nature Seekers, the David Lynch/Angelo Badalamenti tribute act Silencio, the tango group Cuidado, and has also done freelance work accompanying singer-songwriters and jazz musicians. In 2012, Booth cofounded the Space Exchange, a weekly live music series at the Thunderbird Cafe. Playlist 1.Noble (Vaishnava Jan): This is a variation of the song (prayer) Vaishnav Jan. It was a favorite of Mahatma Gandhi. The text enumerates the virtues of a noble person. The original melody and rhythm is straightforward but this performance explores a bit more on both aspects. 2.Slake (Desh): Slake is a refreshing piece with a dualism of satisfaction and longing. It is centered on a monsoon Raga named Desh symbolizing relief and release (after the summer heat), romance and growth (cultivation). It is set to fast tintaal, a rhythmic cycle of 16 beats divided 4/4/4/4. 3.Sun Gate: As the last stop for travelers exiting ancient China onto the Silk Road, Sun Gate was one of the two gates of the westernmost frontier, fortified by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty around 100 BC. The Eighth Century poet Wang Wei of the Tang Dynasty wrote a farewell poem to his friend, which became a well-know song. The current melody is based on a late Qing Dynasty (1644-1912) tune, originally played on guqin, a seven-string zither. 4.Bilawal : Based on a major raga in the Indian melodic system, it portrays the energy of the late morning sun; that of rejuvenation and exploration. The rhythmic feel of five corresponds with Jhaptaal in the Indian tala system. The melody is oriental and universal at the same time. The mode is similar to the Ionian scale, with a variation on the seventh note. 5.Drunken Ecstasy: This guqin (ancient zither) piece was believed to have been composed by Ruan Ji (210-263) from the Three Kingdoms Period. It reflects the discontent of intellectuals, who lived in a period of political power struggles, corruptions, conflicts between the haves and have-nots, and upheavals in the society. They took comfort in wine and music 6.To-I-Light (Marwa): This piece has a contemplative mood, reflections on the day as it winds up. It is based on Raga Marwa The meter of the piece is a deceptive interpretation of regular four, which doesn't feel like one.