Blind music foundation to visit South Shields as part of 15th anniversary tour

The Baluji Music Foundation was founded by blind Indian multi-instrumentalist and composer Baluji Shrivastav OBE and Linda Shanson in 2008.

It is an arts charity programming and promoting events featuring blind and partially sighted musicians and advancing access to musical and artistic experiences for blind and partially sighted people.

Its showcase project is the Inner Vision Orchestra of professional blind musicians which performs nationally and internationally and has released music on Arc/Naxos. 

For Baluji Shrivastav to be such an accomplished and respected musician is a minor miracle. Blinded as a child, Baluji was not afforded the privileges of the guru-shishya (master-disciple) system by which most Indian musicians inherit their knowledge, as his blindness prevented him from carrying out certain duties upon which the system is based.

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Instead Baluji is largely self-taught, excelling in sitar, surbahar, dilruba, pakhavaj and tabla, but possessing a seemingly innate ability to play almost any instrument.

Baluji has released several albums of Indian classical music and Indian world music fusion, and has accompanied such major stars as Coldplay, Massive Attack, Annie Lennox and Noel Gallagher.

Baluji said: "Jazz Orient is coming to South Shields at Customs House. We will soothe you with sitar, or wow you with tabla rhythms and woo you with sweet vocals. Don't miss it!"

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Vocalist and percussionist Linda Shanovitch said: "Jazz like Indian music includes a lot of improvisation so there is a freedom in it that Baluji enjoys and every performance is different.

"The audience plays a big part in how the performance develops as the artists respond to the feeling the audience gives. So come along and join us for this special evening which will be unique to South Shields!" 

The performance will take place at The Customs House, South Shields on Sunday, 25 June. To find out more or to book tickets visit https://www.customshouse.co.uk/music/baluji-shrivastav-obe-and-jazz-orient/