Indian sarod maestro to play East End jazz festival

The London Jazz Festival has a rising new star to bring a little eastern charm to the bill.

Soumik Datta fuses the intricate sounds of the Indian sarod – a 19-stringed lute –with hard beats and a contemporary soundtrack.

His combination of classical Indian melodies with urban thrashes have won him an abundance of praise and turned him into one of the new poster boys of south Asian-influenced music.

Trained by the legendary Sarod maestro Pandit Buddhadev Das Gupta, his background is classical but he his talents have been enlisted far and wide.

Beyonce Knowles and comedian Bill Bailey are just two of the names he has collaborated with.

His set at Rich Mix in Bethnal Green on Tuesday is not to be missed.

See richmix.org.uk