Melodic Intersect Eastern Visions

Eastern Visions is the first album released by tabla player Enayet Hossain, jazz pianist Greg Hatza and sitarist Anjan Chattopdhyay. Based on Indian classical music, Indian folk music and jazz, the sound is unique and displays the virtuosity of each instrumentalist. A native of Reading, Pennsylvania, Greg Hatza's musical instincts came to him as early and as naturally as the ability to walk, and he was picking out blues and boogie woogie tunes on the piano around age four before starting formal lessons shortly thereafter. The Hammond B-3 became his life's obsession as a teenager, when a friend turned him on to records by Jimmy Smith, Jimmy McGriff, Ray Charles, and Johnny Hammond Smith. His first professional gig on the instrument came when he was 16, with the Frankie Scott Trio, where he played around small towns in central Pennsylvania. In the late Sixties, Baltimore was still an "organ" town and had its share of great players. It was here that Greg really got a chance to hone his jazz organ skills by playing with the best musicians in town. Also, Lenny's club was a great stopping point for a lot of the national jazz artists who came to Baltimore to perform. It was here that Greg met his mentor Jimmy Smith. Jimmy and Greg closed down the club one night, playing 'til three in the morning. Jimmy later advised Greg on his newly to be recorded albums. He also met, and got to play in jam sessions, with such personalities as Kenny Burrell, Groove Holmes, Damita Joe, Philly Joe Jones, Roland Kirk, Les McCann, James Moody, and Sonny Stitt. Sitar maestro Anjan Chattopadhyay was born in a family of culture and aristocracy, in Calcutta. He was brought up in an environment of soft, sweet and serene Indian Classical Music. His elder brother Pandit Gourishankar Chattopadhyay is an eminent surbahar and sitar player belongs to Senia Gharana. His initial training in sitar could make an indelible impression on Anjan's mind about the depth of instrument in sound and melody. Simultaneously, he was having initial vocal training from his elder sister. Anjan started to feel the fragrance and the pulsation of life in music. He became more committed to his music and the advancement in sitar playing started rigorously under the tough guidance of his brother. As the days passed on, Anjan's love for music grew more and more and he started feeling the cry of his heart for plunging into the deep vast ocean of Music. To know and to get the ideas of rhythmic part of Music he became disciple of the Tabla wizard Ustad Shaukat Ali Khan. For advancement in the stream of Sitar Instrument he became a student of world famous Sitarist Surasree Kalyani Roy, one of the senior most students of Aftaab-e-Sitar Ustad Vilayat Hussain Khan, the trendsetter of modern days' sitar playing. To grasp the serene and sublime mood of music, Anjan felt his sitar must sing like a vocalist. Therefore he started taking lessons in vocal music under the tutelage of Shree Muktipada Dutta, a representative of Agra gharana. That is the way Anjan reached the root of music for picking up the precious gems. Enayet Hossain was born into a musical family, his grandfather,the late great Ustad Kader Buksh was acknowledged as one of India's foremost musicologist/musician. Enayet learned the tabla from his father, Ustad Hamid Hossain, a very well-known Indian music teacher and musician based in the United States. Enayet was born in Bangladesh and raised in the United States and represents a new breed of musicians who received their musical training outside of India. Enayet is a versatile performer of tabla,he is at ease with accompaniment with North Indian classical music, instrumental music, light and semi classical music including thumri, ghazal, dadra etc... as well as giving solo performances. Enayet has 14 compact disc recordings available where he is featured.