Quadrature is a musical powerhouse that ventures into uncharted territories at the intersection of raga, rock, and jazz. Quadrature features the mesmerizing sitar and effects of Neel Murgai, alongside the innovative Firebird trumpet and effects of Indofunk Satish, the rhythmic brilliance of Tripp Dudley on drum set, and the deep grooves of Damon Banks on bass.
Emerging from the legendary Brooklyn Raga Massive (BRM) jam sessions, Quadrature began their journey with fully improvised sets rooted in ragas, captivating audiences on the streets of Brooklyn. In 2023, they were artists in residence at David Rockefeller Creative Arts Center at The Pocantico Center, where they further developed their sound and arrangements. They have performed at Globalfest at Lincoln Center, Ragas Live Festival at Pioneer Works, Levitt Pavilion, Brooklyn Conservatory of Music, DromNYC and more. Inspired by their name, which derives from mathematics and astronomy, Quadrature delves into experimental realms of black hole blues and intricate melodies to create a distinctive sound for this time and space.
Brooklyn Raga Massive
Brooklyn Raga Massive has been hailed as “Leaders of the Raga Renaissance” by the New Yorker and praised by The New York Times for “preserving the past while blurring genres in an inventive spirit”. BRM is an adventurous nonprofit musicians' collective dedicated to raga and raga inspired music. For 12 years they have fostered collaboration and cultural exchange through their iconic concerts, jam sessions, educational initiatives and one-of-a-kind albums.
Neel Murgai, Sitar, Effects, Vocals
Neel Murgai is a sitarist, overtone singer, daf player, composer and teacher from Brooklyn, NY. He is a co-founder and co-artistic director of the South Asian music collective, Brooklyn Raga Massive. Neel has studied sitar for over 25 years from Pundit Krishna Bhatt. Overtone singing Neel learned from Batuvshin of the Buriyat performance group Uragsha and from Timothy Hill of the Harmonic Choir. He is a graduate of Goddard College's MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts program. His 2020 release “Reorientation” features his compositions with Neel Murgai Ensemble as well as recent experiments in overtone singing and looping.
Indofunk Satish, Firebird Trumpet, Effects
Indofunk Satish is a vetran of the New York City improvised music scene. Beginning with his eponymous band Indofunk in the early 2000s, he has brought a unique style of Indian classical/jazz/funk fusion to every project he has played in, including rock (Bruce Springsteen, Jesse Malin), jazz, electronic, and world music (The Master Musicians of Jajouka, Brooklyn Raga Massive). Satish plays a unique trumpet called the Firebird, which has a half-length trombone slide in addition to the normal 3 valves. The slide allows him to accurately reproduce traditional South Indian (Carnatic) gamakas, or melodic ornaments.
Tripp Dudley, Drumset
Tripp Dudley is a drummer, tabla player and percussionist based out of Brooklyn, NY. His deep groove and virtuosity across multiple instruments have paved the way for his many journeys around the world with many different musicians. At the age of 10 he started playing guitar, and not long after that he began playing classical percussion with his school band. He soon learned how to play drum set and then started the all day playing sessions that would fill his life for many years to come. At 20 Tripp began attending Berklee College of Music, specializing in drum set performance and frame drums. He quickly started studying Indian rhythmic systems which began a very big part of his future path through music. At 22 he started playing tabla and went on to learn from tabla maestro Pandit Sameer Chatterjee.
Damon Banks, Electric Bass, Effects
Born and raised in The Bronx New York, Bassist Damon Banks is a "world musician" in the truest sense of the word. He attended Fisk University, and upon graduation decided to pursue a career in music. Since that time, he has performed with and/or recorded with some of the music industry’s brightest stars and forward leaning artists including: Peter Gabriel, Stevie Wonder, George Benson, Angelique Kidjo, Hassan Hakmoun, Loose Ends, The Neville Brothers and Arto Lindsay among others. He has played on several soundtracks and jingles, and has written & produced a wide range of music in his career. His ability to creatively adapt, and remain open-minded, has led him into countless collaborations with genre- bending, musical trendsetters worldwide.