Experience virtual sitar concert with Salem musician February 21

Join Salem musician J.J. Gregg for a virtual sitar concert via Zoom on 4 p.m. Sunday, February 21.

J.J. is a highly accomplished sitar player known for his lyrical and meditative style of performing with more than a decade of hands-on training in India. He immerses western experimental and jazz music into the traditional world of the sitar.  

While he has experience with other instruments, from the piano and French horn to bass, drums and guitar, J.J.’s passion lies with mastering the sitar. It is a love and devotion he developed over many return trips to study sitar in India, which is where he met his guru, Ustad Usman Khan.

While difficult to learn, it’s very rewarding over the long haul, said J.J. 

Different from a guitar, the sitar’s primary purpose is to play melodies and provide support rhythm for those melodies. As an instrument, the sitar has evolved alongside South Asian classical music, and playing that classical music on a sitar feels like a perfect match, said J.J. It offers great a scope for improvisation, which is one of his favorite aspects of performing. He also appreciates the opportunity to take his audience on a journey. 

J.J.’s latest album, in delicate balance, documents the arc of an inspired performance at Salem’s Indigo Yoga Studio, and features renditions of Raag Yaman, Raag Kirwani and Raag Bhairavi. It provides a rich, transformative soundtrack for your imagination.

Interested in learning sitar? J.J. teaches virtual sitar and voice lessons. J.J. can be reached at charukeshi.roopak@gmail.com.

Preview his music here: soundcloud.com/jjgregg then tune in to the concert 4 p.m. Feb. 21 at https://bit.ly/3qiMxEi.