Shweta Jhaveri is one of the most celebrated singers of her generation performing North Indian Classical Vocal music. Her specialty is the Khayal, an elegant and technically demanding style of Indian classical music. It is through this unique song form that her innovative artistry and remarkable vocal technique has made her an enduring favorite among audiences in India and abroad. She also sings bhajan, thumri and tappa styles with ease and precision.

"Jhaveri's voice is intoxicating as it bends through contortions of quarter tone glissandos while never losing sight of the melody." Pulse

Born and raised in Ahmedabad (Gujarat), India, Shweta is the first female vocalist to represent the state of Gujarat on an international level in the field of vocal Classical Indian music. At the age of 6, she began training under the guidance of the late Pandit Vilasrao Khandekar and for eight years performed and studied with the world renowned vocalist, Pandit Jasraj. She holds a bachelors degree in Literature and a masters in Music Composition.

In 1985, at the age of nineteen, Shweta made her debut outside of India traveling to Great Britain and the United States. She has since become a frequently invited artist to the United States and Canada where she performs annually. In addition to her popularity among North American audiences, Shweta has also developed a strong musical following in Europe, Asia and the Middle East.


Shweta was the 1991 recipient of the prestigious Netragaonkar award from Pune. She is also the first Indian classical vocalist to publicly perform with westerners and musicians outside of the Indian classical tradition. In India she has also performed on film and television soundtracks. She has three albums of classical music to her name including 1995's stunning In Various Moods. For her latest recording, Shweta teamed up with producer Lee Townsend for a non-traditional recording project. Anahita is "East meets West" at it's uncontrived best. The album features six of Shweta's original compositions and with a band of San Francisco's finest, including Will Bernard (guitar), Jenny Scheinman (violin), Bill Douglass (bass) and Jim Kassis (drums & percussion).

Anahita has been described as "Beyond beautiful.... creative music making of the highest order, not so much crossing musical and cultural borders as blurring them altogether." (Billboard)

 

LOS ANGELES TIMES
Jhaveri Concert a Tapestry of Global Sound World Music
Monday, September 24, 2001
Review By Don Heckman

Indian singer Shweta Jhaveri's concert at the Skirball Center on Friday was an impressive transformation of the concept of world music fusion. There have been plenty of shotgun marriages between Indian classical music and American pop and jazz in the past, but Jhaveri opted instead for a musical love affair, for a coming together without precondition.

The program was largely devoted to selections from Jhaveri's new album, "Anahita," performed with the same musical associates: Jenny Scheinman, violin, Will Bernard, guitar, Bill Douglass, bass, and Jim Kassis, drums. The pieces, all originals were largely in the khayal style - somewhat lighter and more romantic than the more austere dhrupad.

However, by including what was essentially a Western ensemble, accompanying for the most part in groove-tinged 4/4 rather than the more complex Indian talas, or rhythm sequences, the music emerged as a seamless tapestry.

Above it, floating with extraordinary ease, Jhaveri's brilliant vocalizing was a mesmerizing musical presence. She opened up her virtuosity in the program's second half, her precise musical lines escalating through a maze of melismas.

Scheinman's violin added long, sweeping counter melodies, while Bernard, Douglass and Kassis provided buoyant support via rhythm energized by the propulsive feeling of jazz swing.