Pt.Vyas

Infobox musical artist
Name = Anand Vyas
Background = group_or_band
Origin = New York, New York, USA
Genre = Folk
Classical
Years_active = 2002–present
Label = Nada Brahma
URL = [http://www.anandvyas.org/ Official website]

Past_members = Justin Benigno
Joe Leone
Count Kellam

Anand Vyas (born May 21, 1976 in New York, United States) is an American born artist. He is Ustad Sultan Khan's only disciple who plays the Sitar rather than the Sarangi of his illustrious Guru. His Ghanda-Bandhan (the traditional teacher-disciple ceremony) was held at the Poonam Palace Hotel in Ahmedabad India. There were many world renowned musicians at this ceremony including Ustad Fazal Quereshi (UstadZakir Hussein's brother), Ustad Kadar Khan, and Pt. Nandan Mehtha among others

Playing Style

What separates Anand's playing from other player's of his generation is his amazing clarity of tone and the very heavy gauge string that he uses to employ a very full sound on the sitar. The usage of such a heavy string has been used by two notable Sitar heavyweights, Ustad Rais Khan and Pandit [Nikhil Bannerjee] Anand very sparingly uses the drone strings on his sitar, feeling it takes away from the clarity of each note treating the sitar like any other single note instrument such as a flute. Using the drones if, and only if, it serves a musical purpose for the piece of music being played. The result is a sound that is unmistakable and often times more accessible to Western Audiences. The downside of such a heavy gauge string is; chronic hand and arm pains. The upside - a very full rich sitar sound. His first recording was in 1996 on Athens, Georgia 2004 Singer Songwriter of the Year [http://www.countkellam.org/anandvyas.html Count Kellam's] 's album "If Sounds Were Blu". The track that Vyas is on is a very long 30 minute "hidden" track (track #32). Kellam is best known for his work with singer song-writer Bain Mattox. Vyas has also played with guitarist Joe Leone of Trinket fame. Leone was found by REM's Michael Stipe. He is a multi-instrumentalist, writer, painter, and musicologist.

External links

* [http://www.anandvyas.org Official website]

* [http://www.auburn.edu/isa/cultural/cultural.htm Press Release of recent Auburn University Concert]

* Press Release of recent Auburn University Concert [http://www.auburn.edu/isa/cultural/cultural.htm]