The World's Music at Oxford: Tommy Khosla and Jawari

Tommy Khosla is a sitarist and composer. Devon-raised and London-based, Khosla learned from local sitarist Ricky Romain and is now continuing his training with Anoushka Shankar. Featured recently in Songlines magazine, Khosla’s debut LP Vignettes was released to critical acclaim, receiving airtime on the BBC Asian Network. Winning the UK Awards for Young Musicians at age 17, he has since gone on to develop a contemporary voice in music. Taking inspiration from neo-jazz, lo-fi and electronic music, Khosla is challenging stereotypes about the musical space sitar can be played in.

The culmination of this most recent musical development can be seen in Jawari, a collective formed in 2022. The core members include Latin grammy awardee Gregorio Merchán on percussion, Taylor Frost on guitar and cello, Billie Sophoclides on saxophone and Tommy Khosla on sitar. Drawing on the eclectic musical backgrounds of its members, which include merengue, jazz and Indian Classical Music to name a few, Jawari's sound is a unique statement in the current indo-jazz scene.

Following multiple sell-out gigs in London last year, the band is currently working towards their debut album which will be recorded in July.

The event is free and open to all but make sure to get a seat by registering for a ticket at: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/tommy-khosla-jawari-tickets-645377400177.

Find out more about the event and The World's Music at Oxford on https://fb.me/e/3DOijaTAp or https://theworldsmusicatoxford.com/.

About The World’s Music at Oxford

The World's Music at Oxford is a project run and supported by St John's College at the University of Oxford, which blends research into global musics with live performance. Our concerts are open to all students of the University and members of the general public. We also stream all of our events online for our audiences outside of Oxford.

The project, created in 2016, is run by postgraduate students researching a wide range of global musics. It aims to provide a platform for voices and musical styles rarely heard in Oxford and to build new links between the University and the general public.

Our events showcase renowned performers from the UK and abroad. During the performances, the musicians also explain the characteristics and contexts of the works they perform.

The World's Music at Oxford is generously supported by St John's College. We are also grateful to the AHRC-TORCH Graduate Fund, the St John's College MCR, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the Oxford University Music Faculty for previous support.