Panelist- GRAND ADDA: CREATIVITY with Akram Khan & Kishon Khan, hosted by Leesa Gazi
Lokkhi Terra performance on Sunday 24th February 7.30pm
Kishon Khan is a Bangladeshi born British jazz pianist, composer, arranger and music producer. Khan trained in classical piano from a very young age and formed his first Jazz band while at University. He travelled to Cuba in his 20′s and inspired by the music he studied there he set up his Afro-Cuban funk jazz band- Motimba in 1999. His keen interest in music of his origins began when he spent a year in Bangladesh after graduation, traveling months on end with the Bauls and spending most of his time making friends with grass root musicians in the slum areas (Bostis) of Dhaka city. His periodic travel to Latin America and South Africa further added to his musical versatality is reflected in the diversity of his works/collaborations. He is regarded as one of the most versatile pianists on the scene today-sessioning across genres whilst also being at the heart of some of London’s most critically acclaimed bands. In 2009, his score in the film ‘The Last Thakur’, won a Grand Jury award for Best Music at the South Asian International Film Festival in New York. Kishon has performed in most mainstream venues stretching from Ronnie Scotts to the House of Commons, from Queen Elizabeth Hall to the Barbican and in Festivals ranging from Glastonbury to Womad as well as headlining some of the ‘London Calling’ Olympic festivals in 2012.