Sumkali is a diverse music group made up of members from North and South India and the American Midwest. Through their diverse backgrounds they have been able to craft music with a global appeal that goes beyond just fusing genres together. "To my ears, the local group Sumkali plays fusion that works. Their music is a thrilling meld of Indian classical music, American jazz, and more." -San Slomovits, Founder of award winning music group Gemini With professionally crafted performances sprinkled with a heavy dose of improvisation and positive energy, Sumkali brings audiences to their feet by skillfully playing to the energy of the crowd and shaping the music differently every time they play. It is never the same show twice, but it is always great! "...It was a very healing and powerful experience that left me filled with emotion." -Aurore Adamkiewicz N.D. Sumkali is also dedicated to education. Through workshops, lessons and master classes, they have taught about the rich tradition of Indian music as well as the importance of celebrating our diversity and coming together to create something positive in the world. They have conducted these classes and workshops at state, national and international conferences, major universities, and public and private schools. "I Loved the Indian music. They have a lot of talent. I love how they explained everything so we could understand it." -Manchester Village Newspaper Sumkali is made up of seasoned professionals that take the business of making music very seriously. They are prompt, courteous and very easy to work with. Sumkali practices excellent communication, both on stage and off, whether it is crafting a musical arrangement, or arranging a craft table, the members of Sumkali are not afraid to work to make the music AND the event work for everyone. "Members of Sumkali volunteered their time to help with the sound, setup, and food for our event. Not only are they talented musicians, they are incredibly beautiful human beings. I am forever grateful and honored to call them my friends." ~ Atmaram Chaitanya - Director of Kashi Navyas Community Center "Our music is a direct reflection of the people in the group. We celebrate our common ground as humans and come up with music that appeals to our heart and soul." -John Churchville, Founding Member About Tihai: Recorded at Crestland Studios in Ann Arbor, Michigan from August 2014-June 2015. Recording, Engineering Editing and Mixing: John Churchville (with lots of input from the band members!). Our setup was a Mac Mini computer (OS 10.9), ProTools 10, a Digidesign DIGI003 Rack and ISK Mics. We also utilized Dropbox to share tracks from the studios of Scott Brady, Dave Sharp, and Dan Ripke, all of which use Apple’s Logic Pro. Assistant Engineers: Lucas Atkinsmith, Scott Brady, Anoop Gopal, Dan Ripke, Dave Sharp and Rosemary Sunshine Churchville. Mastering: Ryan Staples at Overtone Studios, Chicago Illinois. C.D. Cover art: “Lightness” is an original painting by Oregon based artist Brin Levinson. Check out his amazing artwork at brinlevinson.com Tihai is a term in Indian music which describes the playing of a rhythmic phrase three times in order to mark a significant change in the music. This makes it a perfect fit for the title of our third album. Our first album “Mandali” (2010) and second album “Chalo” (2013) can be found at our website: sumkali.com. Thank you for listening and enjoy!