Event

Jasnam Daya Singh plays piano and leads PJCE in a performance of his Ekta: The Unity Project, an evening-length piece dedicated to cultivating a collective sense of belonging.

Singh’s Ekta: The Unity Project, commissioned by PJCE, is a multi-movement suite that incorporates a wide-range of tributaries of the jazz stylistic river—Brazilian choro and samba of Singh’s country of birth, expansive European jazz and classical styles, and high-energy straight-ahead jazz. The piece embodies Singh’s musical interests but also expresses personal truths drawn from his journey as an immigrant and eventual citizen of the United States, and his conversion to Sikhism.

About Jasnam Daya Singh: 

Born Weber Ribeiro Drummond in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1962, it was not until the mid-90’s that pianist/composer Weber adopted the stage name Weber Iago as a homage to the Roma people. Since he took Amrit (initiation in the Sikh Religion) in 2013, Iago has adopted the name Jasnam Daya Singh. 

Singh has spent all of his musical life researching different types of sounds, ultimately dedicating most of his endeavors to uniting elements of classical, jazz, and Brazilian music. In Brazil, he advanced his craft as a concert pianist as well as a composer, writing mostly piano and chamber music works. In the early 80’s he developed a strong interest in jazz which prompted his move to Los Angeles in 1987. Once in the US, Singh began working with notable musicians such as Moacir Santos, one of Brazil’s greatest composers and arrangers. 

Singh has participated as a pianist and bandleader in jazz festivals all over the world as well as shows and interviews in the most important jazz radio stations in the United States. Since 1991, he has made constant appearances at the Monterey Jazz Festival, among those are the one in 2005 with the Carla Bley Big Band, which featured Carla herself, Steve Swallow, and Billy Drummond and 2010 as part of the Hristo Vitchev Quartet.