What's Your Sound? A Masterclass with the Arun Ramamurthy Trio

The Arun Ramamurthy Trio are running a free jazz masterclass at Music House on Monday 19 October, from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm. It's a three-hour session that works through live demonstrations and conversation, so you'll be watching them play as much as listening to them talk. The focus is on the foundations of Indian raga music and where it intersects with jazz, and the trio will be breaking down how those two worlds meet in practice.

The trio is led by violinist Arun Ramamurthy, with Sameer Gupta on drums and Damon Banks on electric bass. They blend the traditions of South Indian Carnatic music with the creative freedom of jazz, improvisation and original composition. It's a sound that sits right at the crossing of those two styles, and they've taken it to some heavy-hitting stages along the way: Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center and Bimhuis in Amsterdam are all on their list.

Because it's a masterclass rather than a gig, it's a chance to get a look at how they actually build their music from the ground up. They'll be demonstrating the basics of raga and then showing how that fits into a jazz context, with the conversation filling in the gaps. If you're a musician, you're encouraged to bring your instrument along, so you can follow what they're doing in real time rather than just watching from the side. There are refreshments served afterwards, which is a good excuse to stick around and chat with the other people there.

One thing to keep in mind: places are limited to 15 participants and they're allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, so if you want in, you'll need to move quickly. The masterclass is free, it runs from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm at Music House, St. Marks House, 1 Saint Mark's Avenue, Leeds LS2 9BN.