CHARU SURI BIO
The first Indian born jazz composer to premier work at Carnegie Hall, Charu Suri was
born in Madurai in South India and has been playing the piano since the age of five and
performing since the age of nine. She won an international piano competition at the age
of 15.
Her recently released “Book of Ragas” is a completely original sound in jazz, using a jazz
trio with a Sufi singer, which six-time Grammy award winner, Arturo O’Farrill, has
described as “singular.” The “New American Songbook” that is a nod to the more classic
sound in jazz was released in a double bill at Weill Recital Hall on Dec. 20th, 2019.
Her piece for chamber orchestra, The Shield of Achilles, was performed by the Princeton
University Chamber Ensemble. As part of an atelier workshop with Toni Morrison at
Princeton, two of her original pieces were performed by a chamber ensemble, along with
cellist Yo Yo Ma and double bass player, Edgar Meyer.
The band consists of Charu Suri on the piano, Justin Lee on the double bass, Jay
O’Brien on the drums and the vocal talents of Sufi singer Umer Piracha and Songbook
vocalist Danielle Erin Rhodes. Formed in the spring of 2018, the ensemble has received
praise from jazz critics and audience members for renditions of standards and original
music.
Suri’s debut album, Lollipops for Breakfast, launched in November 2018 and won a
Global Music Award. The Book of Ragas recently snagged two Global Music Awards.
Suri was invited to join the Recording Academy (Grammys) as a voting member. The
Book of Ragas was on the ballot for the 63rd GRAMMY awards and drew praise from
many voting members.
She and her band return to Carnegie Hall on July 3, 2021 and will release three new
albums in 2021 including a New Age album scored for Indian santoor, piano and Sufi
vocals.
@CharuSuriMusic (Instagram/ Twitter)
@CharuSuriTrio (Facebook)
