This period of the year is known among music lovers as concert season in India. And it's not just music lovers, but also visiting musicians from the west who are currently playing at various venues in Mumbai and other metropolitan cities, who come to watch and get inspired.

At the recent ShivHari concert in Mumbai,  well-known drummer Sangoma Everett was seen in the audience - his band is curently on an India tour and they have recently performed at the Blue Frog.

With India slowly turning into a hub for international independent artistes, many well known names are visting India to learn about Indian music, collaborate with other musicians and of course, to perform in India.

Drummer Sangoma Everett writes a note on Radioandmusic.com on his Indian experience so far...

"I was motivated to come to India first because of my love and respect for M. Gandhi and second, because of the great master musician Zakir Hussain. I was very lucky during my short stay in Mumbai because Zakir performed at the Prithvi Theatre on saturday night and as always, it was unbelievable. First of all, to hear Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma and Zakir in an intimate setting with an Indian audience was worth millions to me. And I had the opportunity to also hear Ranjit Barot, Gino Banks and Navin Sharma for the first time.

Uprooting is something that's very complicated for most people, when we listen to - for example - Charlie Parker. It is hard to believe that he accomplished what he did without the internet or the real book. So today it is possible with the computer to investigate almost every culture without leaving home. I would like to come to India to study because I enjoy and I need personal contact with the people to fully understand the music and the culture. So for me visting India would be more about learning and exchanging than anything else.

We performed in Pondicherry and in Mumbai, there were mostly expats and tourists in Pondicherry, but I do not feel that we were performed at the right venue in Mumbai. when I return to Mumbai, I would like to perform at the Shanmukhananda Auditorium and the Prithvi Theatre - it's a place where people listen to the music and there is a real exchange with the audience.

I would love to do a project with Debi Prasad Ghosh and of course the great Zakir Hussain... so let's see what the future brings. I have the highest respect for Indian musicians and their music and I hope the world will open its arms and its ears to these great masters.

I think it is wonderful when musicians like Ravi Shankar, Zakir Hussain and A R Rahman are invited to work in the world over - after all, it's about learning, exchanging and growing.

About Sangoma Everett

Sangoma Everett started playing drums at the age of twelve and after his first successful experiences in hometown Virginia, he decided to leave for New-york with encouragement from his family, his teacher and friend Consuela Lee. There he teemed with bassist and composer Bill Lee and played with the Clifford Jordan Quartet during three years. Eventually, Everett became a known after he joined Barney Wilen and became a central element in the group together with Riccardo Del Fra, Philippe Petit and Alain Jean-Marie between 1986 and 1989. In the 90s he worked with Eddie Louiss and he lived in Switzerland for a few years.

In January 2001, he formed the Sangoma Everett Group with The Nomads of the Desert. Meanwhile Sangoma has played with - among the most famous musicians : Philippe Catherine, Dizzy Gillespie, Doudou Gouirand, Donald Harrison, Benny Golson, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Maurice Vander, Leon Thomas, Steve Lacy, Erik Truffaz, Tony Lakatos, Linda Hopkins, Jimmy Witherspoon and the DJ Laurent Garnier. He has also performed in many recording sessions a.o. with Barney Wilen, Claude Nougaro or Liz Mc Comb and Jeri Brown.

www.myspace.com/sangomaeverett