Rajamani - Texas Gypsy Fire

Oliver Rajamani represents the multicultural musical landscape of modern Texas. He is distinguished for redefining Romani(Gypsy) music by taking it back to its original roots in India, the historic homeland of the Romani people. He is also recognized for blending Indian and Romani music with Texas country and blues. Rajamani’s music is a sound that is at once foreign and familiar resonating in a deep place within its listeners. Rajamani is the 2014 nominee of the prestigious German world music award in the European Charts, an Austin World Music award winner and a nominee of the 2008 US Artist Award. In addition to his successful solo career, Rajamani has performed and recorded with international artists including Willie Nelson, Gypsy Kings, Edie Brickell, Eric Johnson,Glen Velez, Joel Guzman, Cindy CashDollar, Dotschy Reinhardt of the Django Reinhardt family, Jeronimo Maya, L. Shankar, Tomasa La Macanita, Paravai Muniamma. Rajamani’s music has been featured in many movies, including Turk Pipkin’s Nobelity. He has provided musical accompaniment to great poets and storytellers such as Coleman Barks, Robert Bly, David Whyte, Neomi Shihab and renowned German children author Paul Maar. Rajamani’s unique musical sound and original compositions are drawn from the historic ‘Romani trail’ and the lonestar state of Texas. From India’s melismatic folk and spiritual chants, strings and drumming, the raw Arabic tones of the oud, the spirited torch of traditional Gypsy flamenco, to the country and blues of Texas, Rajamani masterfully creates with no trace of boarders yet paying homage to tradition. His lyrics come from exotic tongues of India as well as English and Spanish.

This program is funded in part by the City of Austin cultural arts division.