This new cooperative quartet combines elements of North Indian classical music with jazz. Its members have worked with Miles Davis, Ornette Coleman, Dizzy Gillespie, Wycliffe Gordon, Ravi Coltrane, and many other of the most famous names in jazz. The repertory of Dharma Jazz includes traditional Indian ragas, original compositions by the group members, and jazz classics such as "Maiden Voyage," "Naima," and "Impressions." The sound of the group is unique because of the instrumentation—two melody instruments (guitar and keyboard) and two percussionists. The resulting sound has a spaciousness, an airiness, that captivates its audiences. Performance will be interspersed with discussion, as the musicians elaborate on the imaginative process of weaving jazz technique, improvisation, and Eastern musical traditions.

You can enjoy video and audio of Dharma Jazz in action at Dharmajazz.org.

Vic Juris is an acclaimed jazz guitarist who has played with the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, Phil Woods, Jimmy Smith, Sarah Vaughan, Chico Hamilton, Mel Torme, Eddie Jefferson and Nancy Wilson. During the 1980s, Juris started performing frequently in Europe with Michel Legrand, Richie Cole, Bireli LaGrene, Gary Peacock, and many others. He has been a member of the David Liebman group, which has recorded 10 CDs and traveled throughout Europe, Japan, Israel, and the United States, since 1991. Juris' own band has recorded several CDs and he has released numerous solo CDs, including "Songbook," "Music of Alec Wilder," "Blue Horizon," and "A Second Look." Juris is a leading jazz educator and has written two books published by Mel Bay, Vic Juris Inside/Outside: Original Play-Along Modern Jazz Guitar Solos and Modern Chords:Advanced Harmony for Guitar. He teaches at Rutgers University, The New School, and Lehigh University.

Karttikeya is a musician of many instruments and a composer in many styles. He plays the South Indian Naal drum, djembe and a plethora of percussion, in addition to the acoustic and electronic drum set in a variety of settings, including rock, jazz, funk, country, and blues. After graduating from the Berklee College of Music with a B.A. in Music Production and Engineering, Karttikeya immersed himself in Hindu sadhana, living and studying for many years at the feet of Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami. The past few years have found him playing alongside esteemed artists such as Badal Roy, Perry Robinson, Dave Stringer, Wynne Paris, Suzin Green, and many more. Karttikeya strives to blend the best of East and West into each of his projects.

Dr. Lewis Porter is a jazz pianist, author, and educator. He is Professor of Music at Rutgers University in Newark, where he is the founding Director of the Master's Program in Jazz History and Research. He is the author or coauthor of six books, including the acclaimed study John Coltrane: His Life and Music. He has written numerous articles and liner notes, and edits a book series and a scholarly journal. He has performed recently with such artists as Wycliffe Gordon, Ravi Coltrane, Dave Liebman, and Jeff Coffin. His latest CD, recorded live at Siena Jazz, is Italian Encounter. Jazz Times recently described Porter as "a helluva pianist."

Badal Roy is the foremost exponent of tabla in jazz music. Born in India, he arrived in New York in 1968 with a pair of tablas and eight dollars in his pocket. He soon received an invitation to record with John McLaughlin and Miles Davis successively. Badal went on to record on Miles Davis's albums On the Corner, Big Fun, Agartha, Pangaea, and others. He was one of the first Indian musicians to effectively meld Indian music and instruments with jazz and funk. He has played with artists as diverse as P-Funk, Herbie Mann, Dave Liebman, Don Cherry, Pharaoh Sanders, Dizzy Gillespie, Lonnie Liston Smith, Andreas Vollenweider, and Yoko Ono. He has been an integral part of Ornette Coleman's Prime Time since 1988 and is presently collaborating with Brazil's Duofel, an instrumental guitar duo. Badal is also a key member of Michael Wolff's Impure Thoughts and part of the Miles Davis alumni group Children On The Corner.