PORT TOWNSEND — The Richard Russell Group will present “One World Music” at 4 p.m. Saturday.
The world fusion concert will be at Unity Center of Port Townsend, 3918 San Juan Ave.
Tickets are $28 online at https://bit.ly/3GCeNir or $33 at the door by cash, check, PayPal or Zelle.
The Seattle-based ensemble is composed of Richard Russell, Nancy Rumbel, Matt Weiss, Anil Prasad and Port Townsend-based Celtic harpist David Michael.
The ensemble formed in 2018 to explore what they call One World Music, a fusion of Eastern and Western music played on acoustic instruments.
The group draws from Indian raga, jazz, ambient and Western classical musical styles played in an improvisational style.
Russell, the group’s leader, plays the sarod, a 25-string, fretless plucked instrument from India. He also is adept at Indian vocal styles, a skilled keyboardist and a composer.
Russell is a disciple of Indian maestro Ali Akbar Khan, having studied Indian classical music for more than 40 years.
Rumbel is a Grammy award-winning woodwind master and composer. She is known internationally for her oboe and English horn playing as well as for her skills on ocarina.
Prasad plays tabla, a two-piece hand drum used in North Indian classical music. Prasad studied with Indian drummer Zakir Hussain and also has a background in Western drumming.
Weiss, a cellist who is equally proficient on violin and viola, plays a wide range of genres, including Western, classical, jazz, pop, sacred, secular and Eastern. He performs regularly in the Seattle area and also conducts the Octava Chamber Orchestra.
Michael is an international performer, recording artist, composer, teacher and multi-instrumentalist who has worked with Russell on and off for 50 years.
Michael has lived in Port Townsend since 1990 and has produced 26 CDs of original music, from World Fusion works to ambient relaxation music.
