Jas Ahluwalia

Jas Ahluwalia was born in North America and from a very early age was deeply attracted to the unique sounds and rhythms of the tabla. He grew up in a family where music was an integral part of life. Jas has vivid memories of some of the greatest South Asian artists visiting the house, often just to relax from their busy North American touring schedules. World renowned artists like Medhi Hassan, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Salamat Ali, Dhaler Mehndi and Hans Raj Hans and many more were all part of the extended family. From the time that he has a conscious memory, Jas remembers playing the tabla. His parents encouraged him by leaving tablas in various parts of the house and at the age of two he could be heard mimicking complex tabla rhythms. An important part of his musical influences has been playing with Kirtan, the singing of Sikh sacred texts. Consequently to this day, playing the tabla remains a deeply spiritual experience for him. His fondest memory is of Ustad Tari Khan, who was like an uncle and provided him with the greatest inspiration. From the first moment when he heard Ustad Tari Khan play, the sound and intricacies captivated him. Since the age of nine, he has been a disciple of the world renowned Ustad Tari Khan. Remarkably, Jas has learnt the tabla in the traditional Ustad/Shagird relationship which entails a deep bond between the teacher and the disciple. Entrenched in the classical mode of training, he is utterly conversant in a variety of genres including instrumental, vocal, ghazal, qawwali, classical and modern dance, Punjabi bhangra, jazz, asian underground and kirtan. He is frequently invited to participate in studio recordings as well as live performances. Jas' recent performances include collaborations with Bombay Dub Orchestra, Dr. Das and Ramjac of Asian Dub Foundation, Taal Dance Collective, grammy-nominated Jazz Pianist Rob Mullins, and Sarah Ingraham's world fusion project. His latest studio collaborations include those with famed Punjabi producer Sangtar and Bollywood playback singer Sonu Nigam.