Deepak Ram
Deepak Ram — From Durban to the World: The B&W Music and MELT 2000 Years
“Philosophically speaking, my breath which sustains my life is going through a piece of bamboo which is purely organic, and something beautiful comes up.” Deepak Ram
Born in Lenasia, a coloured township two kilometres from Soweto, South Africa in 1960, Deepak grew up with the sounds of Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Ravi Shankar and Hindi film music playing in the family home. His musical career began with his formal training in bansuri (Indian flute) and tabla under the tuition of Jeram Bhana in August 1975, at Tolstoy Farm.
At the age of 17, he made his first trip to India and spent a short period studying with the flute-maker, Shri Suryakant V. Limaye, and flautist, Pandit Vijay Raghav Rao. In 1981, he continued his studies in Bombay, where he became the disciple of the world-celebrated flautist, Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, whilst simultaneously studying music theory with Pandit Rajaram Shukla and tabla under Shri Yashwant Padhye. Deepak has had the distinction of accompanying Pandit Chaurasia in concert - in Geneva and Lausanne in 1987 and in London in 1996/97 - and continues to train with him from time to time.
When Suryakant Limaye died in 1986, he left Deepak a box of his hand-made flutes, but it was five years before he was able to return to India to collect them. "The flutes are priceless," says Deepak. "Many people think that to make a flute, you simply take a piece of bamboo and drill six holes in it. It is far more complicated than that. The Indian bamboo flute is actually very similar to the kind of instrument that was used in the Baroque era - the time of Bach. No machine-made, or manufactured flute can ever compare in quality, or richness of sound with a flute made by a master craftsman."
As a teenager, Deepak played concerts with Vevek (sitar) and Rabin (sarod) and in 1985 he began working as a professional musician, performing in concerts and conducting classes and workshops at Universities and Community Centres throughout South Africa. Influenced by his brothers Rabindrath and Vevekanand, also musicians, he developed an early interest in jazz and its improvisational nature and gradually, created his own unique style in which a deep vein of Indian classical tradition runs along side layers of Western influences. This led to a number of collaborations with jazz pianist Melvin Peters, as well as the pianist and composer Darius Brubeck.
In 1993 Ram and Brubeck recorded a live album together for MELT2000 (then B&W Music) named Gathering Forces II(BW046) which also features Airto Moreira. In the same year, Deepak joined the seminal South African three-piece orchestra, 'Tananas', and recorded an album, Orchestra Mundo.
A musical scholar, Deepak lectured full-time for four years at the University of Durban-Westville and during this period he composed and arranged many works based on elements of Indian music for all kinds of Western music ensembles, from classical quartets to jazz groups. He has composed a Suite Of Six Ragas for a Western flute and string trio and arranged a traditional Hindu hymn for The Natal Philharmonic Orchestra. In 1996, Deepak Ram was awarded a Masters degree in Composition from Rhodes University, SA, for his thesis, 'Exploring Syncretism Between Indian And Western Music Through Composition'. He has published an instructional booklet, 'Harmonium Made Easy' and contributed a chapter, 'Introduction To North Indian Music', to the Oxford University Press publication, 'Rock Classic Connection'.
Deepak’s solo work with MELT has resulted in the recording of two magnificent solo albums. Flute for Thought (BW104) is a therapeutic and meditative album, which mixes his phenomenal flute playing, tabla, djembe and kora with modern basslines and beats. Although primarily Indian in character this featured a series of pieces that hinted at a ‘Fourth World’ synthesis, and earned him a nomination for two SAMA awards.
"...this blends hypnotic ambient themes, shifting-sand rhythms and solo traditional pieces for a gently seductive listen that begs repeated plays." Jazzwise
The revival of interest in Asian music, particularly the fusion of classical and modern, applauds Deepak’s latest release Searching for Satyam (BW2137) - which gently blends the dulcet tones of classical Indian flute playing with the sounds of South African jazz, forming a rich cultural tapestry of musical influences. Highly acoustic, it features a global cast which include flamenco guitarist Eduardo Niebla, drummer Patrick Heral from France, tabla player Sarathi Mukherjee from Calcutta, Viennese bassist Achim Tang and vocalist Olive Simpson. ‘Searching for Satyam’ was awarded ‘Best Instrumental Album” at SAMA 2000.
A defining moment in this collaboration came on 23 October 1997, when Deepak performed at the Fin de Siècle Festival in Nantes, France — a week-long showcase of MELT 2000 artists presented by Robert Trunz. The concert, recorded at Église St Georges des Batignolles, was filmed by Dick Jewell and released as the DVD
Deepak Ram — Live in Nantes (MELT 2000 MZADV014).
Performing with Manjith Singh Rasiya (tabla) and Kirtida Ram (tanpura), Deepak presented three extended ragas: Durga, Darbari, and Sarasvati — meditative explorations that reveal his mastery of tone and breath. The concert’s recording by Richard Edwards (on Nagra D) and post-production by Chris Lewis remain among MELT 2000’s most pristine live documents.
Performing with Manjith Singh Rasiya (tabla) and Kirtida Ram (tanpura), Deepak presented three extended ragas: Durga, Darbari, and Sarasvati — meditative explorations that reveal his mastery of tone and breath. The concert’s crystalline recording by Richard Edwards (on Nagra D) and post-production by Chris Lewis remain among MELT 2000’s most pristine live documents.
In the liner notes, Robert Trunz recalls:“My heart warms from the blissful memories every time I hear this truly unique performance.”
Beyond the label, Deepak’s versatility has led him to collaborations with artists across genres:
Darius Brubeck, Melvin Peters, Bheki Mseleku, Dhafer Youssef, and the iconic South African band Tananas. He has performed alongside Sibongile Khumalo and Cécile Kayirebwa at the Robben Island Millennium Concert hosted by Nelson Mandela and President Thabo Mbeki. His bansuri has also found a place on Hollywood and international film soundtracks, including
The Fast and the Furious, The Matrix, Stealth, and the Indian feature Maya — extending the reach of his sound far beyond the concert stage.