Violet Samudra - Bliss Beyond (2005)

Violet Samudra is a fusion of passions from the East mixed with sounds from the West. Fronted by guitarist/composer Steve Booke, the band blends sounds from the Middle East and India to arrive at a very unique musical place. Steve Booke, known for film and television soundtrack work is a graduate of Berklee College of Music. He has appeared on countless recordings with noted musicians from around the world. Ray Ippolito, the groupÕs percussionist, has performed and/or recorded with such musical legends as Baba Olatunji, Eddie Henderson, Mark Whitfield, Frank Colon and Dr. John. Ray has shared the stage with Al DiMeola, Arif Sag, Mordy Ferber, Badal Roy just to name a few, in places all over the world such as Japan, Venezuela, India, Nepal and of course N.Y.C. Brandon Terzic, the multi-instrumentalist of the group playing Oud, Saz and Cumbus has studied under great names in world music such as David Fuzinski, Najib Shaheen and Bassam Saba. Tabla player Muthu Kumar, is a disciple of world renowned tabla player Ustad Zakir Hussain. His tabla work has appeared on countless award winning Bollywood films and he has played on over 50 CDs. Dave Eggar, who handles the cello parts for the group is a graduate of the Julliard School of Music. He has performed and recorded with Roger Daltrey, Sinead OÕConnor, Ornette Coleman, Bobby McFerrin and countless others.

The combination of these musicians, their training and influences make Violet Samudra a very unique, soulful and spiritaully healing musical experience. After hearing the music the listener will feel what few words can describe.

Steve Booke - Acoustic Guitar
Ray Ippolito - Percussion
Brandon Terzic - Oud, Saz, Cumbus
Cooper Ladnier - Violin
Dave Eggar - Cello
Muthu Kumar - Tabla
Suman Sridhar - Vocals