From a young age Pritam has been studying traditional Indian Classical Music under the disciplined guidance of his Guru Sri Ajit Singh Mutlashi.
Through rigorous training Pritam excelled in vocals and tabla, at the tender age of thirteen recorded his fisrt album “Mai Gur Charni Chit Laiye” a collection of devotional songs available on vinyl. He has gone on to record over fifty albums of diverse musical styles including African, Brazilian, Egyptian, Latin, Moroccan, western Jazz as well as westernised Asian pop and Bhangra.
Pritam’s versatility and experience has led to collaborations with a varied spectrum of art forms to dance and theatre (including the Royal Shakespeare Company). This has allowed him to cross boudaries with other musical traditions. His accompniament with Opera is a prime example.
He has received numerous accolades in recognition of his work. Best Musician 1986/7 and a special award in 2000 for his “contribution to Indian classical music in Britain”. He has attained a 1st class Masters Degree with Honours in Indian percussion and has accomplished a 1st class Bachelors Degree in Indian Classical vocal. He has a Post Graduate Degree in Philosophy from the University of Birmingham.
Pritam has done numerous recordings around the world for radio and television and has composed and recorded music for film scores, the most prominent being “In the Wild” starring Goldie Hawn.
Pritam toured extensively with sitar maestro Pandit Shalil Shankar, the most senior and renowned disciple of legendary Ravi Shankar. As an ambassador of Indian classical music Pritam not only performs in major concert halls but feels it his duty to educate and expose this art and culture to the young generation in academic institutes giving workshops and lecture demonstrations. Pritam continues to work closely with the education authorities and arts organisations in England as a consultant, teacher of Indian music. He is highly regarded for his work with special needs children. He runs regular classes all over Europe. A uniquely presented tabla manual, created by Pritam, is available for self tuition, coinciding with the National Curriculum.
Pritam has had the honour of performing at some of the worlds most prestigious music festivals including Glastonbury, Womad, Jazz Baltica and most notably at the century old Harbalb Sangeet Samelan in Jallandhar, India where he performed tabla solo. Pritam was recognised and grouped in the same category as the other great Indian classical musicians. It is an honour for Pritam to be the first foreign-born musician to perform at the Harbalb Sangeet Samelan in 1993 and in 1996.
“Pritam Rhythm Tribe” is his latest venture. The band is a unique blend of rhythm styles and sounds from around the world. The setup includes Indian, African, Latin, Egyptian and western drums. It has been described as the cutting edge sound for the Millennium by critics and musicians alike. The band has represented the City of Birmingham internationally on numerous occasions.
