Background

Ravish Momin is an Indian-born drummer, electronic music producer and educator residing in New York City.  Momin studied privately with US Jazz master-drummer Andrew Cyrille while he worked as an engineer in New York City in the late 1990s.  A Structural/Civil Engineer by training, he quit his engineering practice in 2003 to become a professional musician. He has worked as a sideman with a wide array of musicians including pop star Shakira and US Jazz legend Kalaparush Maurice McIntyre (AACM/Chicago.)  In the past, he also led ‘Turning Jewels Into Water’ (with Haitian electronic music pioneer Val Jeanty) and Tarana, a global-Jazz trio, on international and domestic stages.

His current projects include duos with dragonchild (DA Mekonnen of Debo Band) and Faraway Ghost (Iranian singer/songwriter Kamyar Arsani.) As Sunken Cages, Momin plays electronic drums. While rooted in Indian and Black Music traditions, he is also influenced by the street sounds of underground dance music from Sao Paolo to Durban to Mumbai.

He is signed to OnTheCorner Records (UK) and Akuphone Records (France.)

He has done remixes for Depeche Mode, global electronic music producers Batida (Portugal), Babani Sound System (Mauritius) and Guedra Guedra (Morocco).

His recent performance highlights include the Words/Beat/ Life Festival (Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage (US)), Big Ears Festival (US), LeGuessWho? Festival (NL), Positive Futures Festival (AT),  Lincoln Center Outdoors Festival (NYC, US), Slingshot Festival (US) and Festival Congedi (IT)

He is also the recipient of grants from New Music USA, The Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation, NYC Arts In Education Roundtable, Arts International, Meet The Composer and NYSCA (New York State Council of the Arts)

Sunken Cages

Momin started working under the moniker Sunken Cages in 2019, in order to showcase his unique production style which involves layering live-loops and manipulating them in real-time to blur the lines between composition and improvisation. While rooted in Indian folk and Black Music traditions, Momin is also influenced by the street sounds of South African G’com, Angolan Kuduro and Egyptian Mahraganat.

Other Projects

Momin most recently led the live electronic music duo Turning Jewels Into Water with Haitian electronic music pioneer Val Jeanty.  In the past, he led the Global/Jazz shape-shifting band Tarana whose line-ups had included violinist Jason Kao Hwang, oudist/bassist Shanir Blumenkranz, trombonist Rick Parker, singer Areni Agbabian and many others over the years.  Tarana performed on international stages for over 14 years and recorded several albums to critical acclaim. 

Side Person
In the past has performed with US Jazz luminaries such as saxophonists Sabir Mateen and Peter Epstein, guitarist Brad Shepik, bassists Wilber Morris and William Parker, violinists Billy Bang and Sam Bardfeld, drummer Susie Ibarra, trumpeters Roy Campbell and Raphe Malik, and pianist Ursel Schlicht.  He has also worked with Hip-Hop artist Oktopus (Dalek/MRC Riddims) and the rock band Fulton Lights.  In addition to OnTheCorner Records, he has recorded for Astral Spirits, Babani, C.I.M.P, CleanFeed, Delmark, NuBop, Entropy Stereo, BlueRegard, Plasma Torus, and FPE Records.

Teaching

While not on tour, Momin works as a teaching-artist across New York and New Jersey.  He has been committed to working with public school students for the past 16 years. He covers a wide range of subjects such as snare drumming, hand percussion and electronic music production. He has also been giving university level workshops and masterclasses on the ‘intersection of technology, improvisation and global rhythms’ at institutions around the globe.

Performing Experience

DA Mekonnen, Val Jeanty, Shakira, Greg Heffernan, Skye Steele, Alex Otaola, Luis Trasto (Nueva Vidas), Iriada Noriega, Kalaparush Maurice McIntye, Sam Bardfeld, Sabir Mateen, Peter Epstein, Billy Bang, Jason Kao Hwang, Kamyar Arsani, Rick Parker, Fulton Lights, Is What?, Raphe Malik, Ursel Schlicht, Sunny Jain, William Connell, Akim Funk Buddha, Brandon Terzic, Jane Wang, Kevin Shea, Trina Basu, Brian Prunka, Tanya Kalmanovitch, Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz, Adam Lane, Jesse Dulman, Patricia Parker

Selected Festivals/Highlights (2000-2011)

The Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, Urbana, IL
w/Tarana (Trina Basu); Jan. 22, 2011

San Servolo Jazz Meeting, Venezia, Italy
w/Tarana (Greg Heffernan); Nov. 4, 2010

Festival De L’Outaouais Emergent, Hull, ON, Canada
w/Tarana (Greg Heffernan); Sept. 12, 2010

The Guelph Jazz Festival, Guelph, ON, Canada
w/Tarana (Greg Heffernan); Sept. 11, 2010

The Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh, PA (Sudden Sound Series)
w/Trio Tarana (Skye Steele, Greg Heffernan); June 25, 2010

New Music and Sound Summit, Austin, TX
w/Trio Tarana (Skye Steele, Henna Chou); June 19, 2010

Aguascalientes Music Festival, Aguascalientes, Mexico
w/Trio Tarana (Skye Steele, Greg Heffernan); May 8, 2010

Creative Soundspace Festival, The Outpost Space, Albuquerque, NM
w/Trio Tarana (Skye Steele, Greg Heffernan); April 1, 2010

NBC/Rockefeller Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony
w/Shakira; November 17, 2009

Performance on “The Rachel Ray Show” (ABC)
w/Shakira; November 17, 2009

Performance on “The View” (ABC)
w/Shakira; November 16, 2009

The Yardbird Suite, Edmonton, Canada
w/Trio Tarana (Skye Steele, Greg Heffernan); October 31, 2009

JazzLent Stage, JazzLent, 2009, Maribor, Slovenia
w/Trio Tarana (Skye Steele, Greg Heffernan); June 28, 2009

Cantos Music Foundation, Calgary Jazz Festival, 2009, Canada
w/Trio Tarana (Skye Steele, Greg Heffernan); June 23, 2009

Plazuela Miguel Auza, Cultural Festival Zacatecas, 2009, Mexico
w/Trio Tarana (Skye Steele, Greg Heffernan); Apr. 11, 2009

Qingdao Concert Hall, Qingdao, China
w/Trio Tarana (Skye Steele, Peter Scherr); Nov. 27, 2008

AACM Concert Series, New York City, NY
w/Kalaparush Ahra Difda Ensemble (Will Conell, Michael Logan); Nov. 14, 2008

Arab American National Museum, Dearborn, MI
w/Trio Tarana (Sam Bardfeld, Brandon Terzic); Oct. 30, 2008

Ironworks (presented by Coastal Jazz & Blues Society) Vancouver, Canada
w/Trio Tarana (Sam Bardfeld, Brandon Terzic); Oct. 11, 2008

Jazz Ao Centro Festival, Coimbra, Portugal
w/Trio Tarana (Sam Bardfeld, Brandon Terzic); June 13, 2008

Jazz Nos Capuchos Festival, Almada, Portugal
w/Trio Tarana (Sam Bardfeld, Brandon Terzic); June 12, 2008

Tobacco Factory Theatre, Bristol, UK
w/Trio Tarana (Skye Steele, Brandon Terzic); April 13, 2008

The Bluecoat, Liverpool, UK
w/Trio Tarana (Skye Steele, Brandon Terzic); April 9, 2008

The Yardbird Suite, Edmonton, AB, Canada
w/Trio Tarana (Skye Steele, Brandon Terzic); Dec. 7, 2007

Queens Museum of Art
w/Trio Tarana (Sam Bardfeld, Brandon Terzic); June 10, 2007

Documenta XII, Kassel, Germany
w/Ursel Schlicht, Jamie Baum, Thomson Kneeland, Vladiswar Nadishana, David Kuckhermann, et al; May 21- May 28, 2007

Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, MI
w/Trio Tarana (Sam Bardfeld, Brandon Terzic); Mar. 16, 2007

Leonardo Da Vinci Center: Mira et Saputo Theater, Montreal, Canada
w/Trio Tarana (Sam Bardfeld, Brandon Terzic); Feb. 24, 2007

The Rotunda @ The University of Pennsylvania, Philadalphia, PA
w/Trio Tarana (Sam Bardfeld, Brandon Terzic); Jan 18, 2007

Mediawave Festival, Gyor, Hungary
w/Trio Tarana (Jason Kao Hwang, Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz); May 1, 2006

Tel Aviv Jazz Festival, Tel Aviv, Israel
w/Kalaparush Maurice McIntyre, Jesse Dulman; Feb. 18, 2006

Magazine Feature: “Indians in NY” by Antonio Branco, in Jazz.pt; Nov. 2005

New Music Circle: Christman Studios, St. Louis, MO
w/Trio Tarana (Jason Kao Hwang, Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz); Sept. 2, 2005

Smithsonian Museum’s Freer Gallery: Meyer Auditorium, Washington, DC
w/Trio Tarana (Jason Kao Hwang, Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz); July 21, 2005

Jazzin’ Tondela, Portugal
w/Trio Tarana (Jason Kao Hwang, Ken Filiano); June 11, 2005

Radio Interview for KZSU (90.1 FM, Stanford, CA); May 13, 2005

Rubin Museum of Art Concert Series, NYC
w/Trio Tarana (Jason Kao Hwang, Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz); April 8, Nov. 18, 2005

Sons D’Hiver Festival, Paris, France
w/Kalaparush Maurice McIntyre, Adam Lane, Jesse Dulman; Feb. 11, 2005

6th Taipei Arts Festival, Taiwan
w/Trio Tarana (Jason Kao Hwang, Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz);Oct. 29, 30 2004

9th Annual Chicago Asian American Jazz Festival
w/Trio Tarana (Jason Kao Hwang, Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz); Oct. 16, 2004

Guelph Jazz Festival, Canada
w/Ursel Schlicht’s Ex Tempore; Sept. 11, 2004

Detroit Institute of the Arts
w/Kalaparush Maurice McIntyre, Adam Lane, Jesse Dulman; July 16, 2004

Vision Festival 9,NYC
w/SabirMateen, Raphe Malik, Jane Wang, Raymond King; May 29, 2004

Erie Art Museum Concert Series, Erie, PA
w/Kalaparush Maurice McIntyre, Jesse Dulman; Sept. 6, 2003

Guelph Jazz Festival, Canada
w/Kalaparush Maurice McIntyre, Jesse Dulman; Sept. 5, 2003

Chicago Jazz Festival
w/Kalaparush Maurice McIntyre, Jesse Dulman; August 29, 2003

Kerava Jazz Festival, Finland
w/Kalaparush Maurice McIntyre, Jesse Dulman; June 7, 2003

Era Jazzu, Tour of Poland
w/Kalaparush Maurice McIntyre, Jesse Dulman; March 3-6, 2003

Documenta XI, Kassel, Germany
w/Ursel Schlicht, Tomas Ulrich, Jamie Baum, Hakim Ludin, et al; Aug. 28- Sept. 5, 2002

Vision Festival 7, NYC
w/Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre Trio; May 25, 2002

CUNY: Elebash Recital Hall
w/Susie Ibarra; March 2, 2002

Kala Ghoda Arts Festival, Mumbai, India
w/Trio Dissolve; Feb. 17, 2002

East West Encounter, Bangalore, India
w/Trio Dissolve; Feb. 16, 2002

Austin Center for the Arts, Trinity College, Hartford, CT
w/ Susie Ibarra; December 1, 2000

Omiya (Japan)-Pittsburgh (US) Cultural Exchange Tour
w/Lee Robinson; Nov. 2-Nov. 12, 2000