Faryad

Arshad Syed is a disciple of the great santoor maestro Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma, and has been performing on the santoor in the U.S. and abroad. The santoor has been gaining in popularity in classical Indian music due to Shiv Kumar Sharma’s immense contribution, and Arshad is keeping up the tradition with his dedication and well-rounded playing. Arshad brings to the santoor his formidable training and experience as a tabla player, developing his own style of santoor playing. His performances on the santoor are marked by his tremendous control over rhythm and layakari, and being an accomplished tabla player has helped him achieve the same finesse and dexterity on the santoor.

Arshad Syed first distinguished himself as a tabla player and percussionist, having studied since childhood from the legendary Ustad Alla Rakha. In addition, he has collaborated with many western musicians. Amongst his accomplished works are the Diga Rhythm Band, with Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart, the Rhythm Experience with Zakir Hussain, as well as fusion works with bands like Ancient Future and Flamenco guitarists in Spain.

Arshad then embarked on a new sadhna, taking up the santoor and seeking guidance from Shivji, from whom he received wonderful support and encouragement. With this support and teaching, Arshad Syed is fast emerging as an accomplished santoor player, and also has his own band, Feelings, which features his santoor and performs light classical and fusion music based on ragas.

Livermore native Jim Hurley began his music education in local public schools. He later studied violin with Dr. Madeline Schatz, a student of Jascha Heifetz, and earned his B.A. Music from Humboldt State University in 1981.

He has performed with Queen Ida's Grammy-winning Bon Temps Zydeco Band, Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra with Jon Anderson from Yes, Dan Hicks, Al Stewart, Josh Groban, Smokey Robinson, Stanley Jordan, Zhao Hui, the Waybacks, Tempest, and Ancient Future.

He has appeared on Saturday Night Live, at the New Orleans and Monterey jazz festivals, the Philadelphia, Winnipeg and Strawberry folk festivals, a few stadiums, some european castles, and numerous other venues, large and small, in 15 countries. His playing is featured on many dozens of recordings.

He performs locally with his original jazz quartet, Night Harvest; also with American Idol alumnus Wolf Hamlin and The Front Porch Drifters, featuring winemaker Karl Wente. Night Harvest re-brands as The Surly Jackasses to back singer/songwriter Suzanna Spring. The combined Las Positas College orchestra, jazz band and dance department performed Hurley's Modern American Nutcracker for their 2013 Holiday concert. Jim collaborated in October 2014 with alumni of Rod Stewart, Jefferson Starship and The Tubes as Whograss, for a unique show at S.F.'s Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival.

Jim also serves as Artistic Director and instructor for Music Pathways, a non-profit music education foundation, affiliated with Livermore Valley Education Foundation.

I offer private guitar, ukulele, and bass guitar lessons at Bananas At Large or online . I have been teaching for over 20 years and love to work with kids and adults, from beginner through advanced. I will discuss with you your musical goals and streamline a learning program just for you. Below is some information about me.

A full-time musician since 1995, Richard shares his expertise of all aspects of guitar techniques with students beginning to advanced. He has performed extensively, locally and internationally, and is an established studio player and music producer. His education includes music composition and technology degrees from UC San Diego, and a certificate from Berklee College of Music in Boston.

As a music producer, he has recorded albums for labels including Universal, Hearts of Space, Sony Music, and City of Tribes. Being well versed in Indian, Latin, and African styles, Richard specializes in fusing traditional melodic forms with modern grooves and instrumentation. His album credits include the groups Shabaz, Georges Lammam, and Riffat Sultana (available on iTunes) who have been reviewed with stars by Billboard. His music has also been featured on NPR, as well as in Rhythm and Folk Roots magazines. He has worked with artists including Quincy Jones, Narada Michael Walden, Richard Bona, and Cheb Khaled, and has performed at venues such as the Greek Theatre LA, Montreal Jazz Festival, LA’s Grand Performances, and “We are the Future” in Rome. Richard’s solo performances display a rich tapestry of sound and influences, playing a mix of pop, international, Latin, light jazz, and classic rock styles.