Awards/Honours :

• 2016 - Awarded Level 5 Diploma PRSSV (Performance) from Pandit Ram Sahai Sangeet Vidyalaya, London.
• 2009 - Tibet2Timbuk2 wins Music Tibet Best Fusion (Daway Wola)
• 2008 - Tibet2Timbuk2 wins QSong BEMAC Best World Music Song (Crane Song)
• 2000 - Awarded Brisbane Lord Mayor's Performing Arts Fellowship for study in India
• 1999 - Awarded Professional Development Grant in Music by Arts Queensland for study in India
• 1997 - Initiated as Gandabandhan disciple of Pt. Kanthe Maharaj/Pt. Ashutosh Bhattacharya Baj (style) of Benares Gharana (tradition)

Major Concerts/Events :

• Mar 2019 - Organised and performed in Sangeet Mela 2019
• Dec 2018 - Woodford 2018 with Pt Sukhdev Mishra (violin), Soumya Chakraverty (sarod), Saikat Bhattacharya (sitar), Vinod Prasanna (bansuri), Bart Stenhouse, and Tibet2Timbuk2.
• Oct 2018 - Accompanied Smt Anupama Bhagwat at QLD Multicultural Centre.
• Jun 2018 - Tibetan Book of the Dead, performed by Laurie Anderson, Tenzin Choegyal, Michael Askill, Cye Wood and Shen Flindell at Gold Coast Home of the Arts.
• Apr 2018 - 1000 Stories at Brisbane Powerhouse, performed by Tibet2Timbuk2 with live art by Michael Leunig
• Dec 2017 - Woodford 2017 with Taro, Saikat, Namita, Tenzin, and Tabla Tarrango!
• Nov 2017 - Accompanied Kathak Guru Smt Prerana Deshpande, performed with Tibet2Timbuk2 at Dhaka International Folk Festival.
• Sep 2017 - Organised and performed in Sangeet Mela 2017.
• May 2017 - Accompanied Pt Sugato Nag on regional tour around Brisbane.
• Dec 2016 - Accompanied Supriyo Dutta (vocal) and Sangeet Mishra at Woodford.
• Sep 2016 - Organised and performed in Sangeet Mela 2016.
• June 2016 - Accompanied Pt Kushal Das (sitar), Pt O S Arun (Carnatic devotional vocal), Sri Sangeet Mishra (sarangi)
• Feb/Mar 2016 - Performances in Varanasi: Tabla solo for Sangeet Sabha Kashi in home of Late Pt Kishan Maharaj; joined as second tabla in ensemble accompanying Kathak dancer Smt Malti Shyam at Ashu Babu Memorial Concert.
• Sep 2015 - Organised and performed in Sangeet Mela 2015.
• Dec 2014 - Performed at Woodford Folk Festival with Pt Santosh and Sangeet Mishra
• Sep 2014 - Organised and performed in Sangeet Mela 2014, inaugural all-day North Indian classical music and dance festival in Brisbane
• Dec 2013 - Performed at Woodford Folk Festival with Sangeet Mishra (sarangi)
• May 2013 - Encounters: India Festival, with Pt Ritwik Sanyal (Dhrupad)
• Jan/Feb 2013 - United Nations of Indian Classical Music concerts in Mullumbimby and Brisbane - major concert featuring dance, vocal and instrumental performances. Pilot programme for later annual Sangeet Mela Brisbane.
• Dec 2012 - Performed at Woodford Festival with Pt Rabindra Narayan Goswami and Sri Vinod Prasanna
• Sep 2011 - Indian Classics Tokyo 2011 major Indian classical concert
  - 14th and final Gifu Sangeet Mela - accompanied Taro Terahara and Koki Yoshida (sitar)
• Aug 2011 - Second Japan tour with Tenzin Choegyal and Taro Terahara
• Oct/Nov 2010 - "Snow Lion" Japan tour with Tenzin Choegyal and Taro Terahara
• Feb 2010 - Accompanied Jai Uttal in Byron Bay
• Jan 2010 - Accompanied Taro Terahara at The Japan Foundation, Delhi
• Oct 2009 - Brisbane region concerts with Debapriya-Samanwaya
    - Two concerts accompanying sarod master Steve Oda in Tokyo
    - Gifu Sangeet Mela - accompanied Daikichi Yoshida, Tenzin Choegyal and Carlos Guerra.
    - Namaste India Festival (Tokyo) - with Tenzin Choegyal
• Apr/May 2009 - National tour with Sangeet Mishra and Taro Terahara
• Oct 2008 - Gifu Sangeet Mela - accompanied Koki Yoshida and Daikichi Yoshida.
• 2007/08 - Accompanied Taro Terahara as featured artists at Woodford Folk Festival, including New Year's Eve midnight concert.
• Mar 2007 - Performed on the first night of the 3rd Annual Ashu Babu Memorial Concert in Varanasi with bansuri player, Taro Terahara.
• 2006/07 - Accompanied Taro Terahara as featured artists at Woodford Folk Festival, including New Year's Dawn Hilltop Concert.
• Oct 2006 - Gifu Sangeet Mela - accompanied Tadao Ishihama (sitar) and Carlos Guerra (bansuri)
• May 2006 - Accompanied classical vocalist Raka Mukherjee for 8 concerts in her first Australian tour
• Mar 2006 - Opened the second night of the 2nd Annual Ashu Babu Memorial Concert in Varanasi with sitar player, Yasuhiro Minamizawa. Other performers included Padma Shri Madhup Mudgal and Ustad Shujaat Husein Khan.
• Mar 2005 - Performed as part of the inaugural Late Pt. Ashutosh Bhattacharya ("Ashu Babu") Memorial Concert in Tulsi Ghat, Varanasi, with santoor player, Setsuo "Jimi" Miyashita. Other performers included Padma Bhushan Pt. Debu Chaudhury.
• Oct 2004 - Gifu Sangeet Mela - accompanied Keiku (vocal) and performed tabla solo in memory of recently departed Guru-ji
• Jun 2000 - Artistic director of (and performer in) "Ragas & Rhythms" at Brisbane City Hall, including the best of Brisbane's Indian music performers
• 1998/1999 - Twice artistic director and programmer of 4EB EthnoSuperLounge world music chill zone at 4ZZZ Market Day alternative music festival.

Recordings :

• 2019 - Tibet2Timbuk2 CD "Apo Gaga - Little Boy" - release imminent...
• 2018 - Tibet2Timbuk2 EP "Gone Beyond" - pre-cursor to album to be released in 2019.
• 2016 - Spirit of Bhakti CD "Open Door", with singer-songwriter Radha Bornstein and Indian vocalist Menaka Visvanathan Thomas.
• 2011 - Indian classical CD "Deep" with bansuri player Taro Terahara.
• 2008 - Tibetan fusion CD "Music is Life" by band Tibet2Timbuk2, collaborating with Tibetan singer Tenzin Choegyal and singer-guitarist Marcello Milani
• 2006 - Indian classical CD Rei-Mei with santoor-player Setsuo "Jimi" Miyashita
• 2000 - Produced compilation CD "EthnoSuperLounge Live! - Jay Asu Babu" featuring recordings from 1998-2000
• 2000 - Indian classical CD with sitar player Matthew Weekes

Guest recordings:

• 2019 - guest recording with Menaka Thomas on her CD "My Eyes Can See"
• 2015 - guest recording with SpiritSong on their CD "Mantra Immersion"
• 2014 - guest recording with Tenzin Choegyal for "Heart Strings" CD
• 2003 - guest recording with Sipa Baled Clone in Osaka, Japan
• 2002 - "Worldly Women" compilation CD
• 2001 - "Many Beads on One String" Woodford Folk Festival Folkloric Stage live compilation CD, with vocalist Sulagna Basu
• pre-2000 - guest appearances on CDs by Zimbira, Powderfinger, Toothfaeries, Soolaba, Pari, Memory Loss, et al

Brief History :

• 1972 - born in Canberra
• 1973-76 & 84-86 - lived in England, otherwise in Australia
• 1986 - began studies in jazz piano
• 1989 - began studies in guitar
• 1993 - started learning percussion, firstly Samba, then Ghanaian drumming
• 1994 - began studies in Tabla, firstly under Sri Debu Bhattacharya in Melbourne, then under his father, Pt. Ashutosh Bhattacharya in Varanasi
• 1994-95 - first trip to India (4 months)
• 1995-96 - began performing in Brisbane with bands Bubada Dubada, Anahata, Soolaba, Elevation
• 1996-97 - second trip to India (9 months); initiated as gandabandhan disciple of Pt. Kaviraj Ashutosh Bhattacharya
• 1997-99 - created EthnoSuperLounge with regular concerts, also performed with Indian vocalists Sulagna Basu and Vijaya Visvanathan and bands Bubada Dubada, Dharma Bums, et al
• 1999 - third trip to India (3 months), with the support of Arts Queensland Professional Development Grant
• 1999-2000 - continued EthnoSuperLounge and other projects, recorded Indian classical CD with sitar player Matthew Weekes, compiled "EthnoSuperLounge Live! - Jay Asu Babu" CD
• 2000-2001 - fourth trip to India (10 months), with the support of the Brisbane Lord Mayor's Performing Arts Fellowship
• 2001-2002 - continued EthnoSuperLounge and other projects in Australia
• 2002 - moved to Kyoto, Japan; performed Indian classical music in Buddhist temples and didj-drum fusion in Osaka nightclubs
• 2003 - fifth trip to India (only 3 weeks)
• 2003-2004 - sixth trip to India (10 months); Guru-ji passed away
• 2004 - toured Japan and Australia; successful home concert series in Australia, IndoJazz4tet and Japan launch of EthnoSuperLounge - listen here
• 2004-2005 - seventh trip to India (3 months); performed in "Ashu Babu Memorial Concert"
• 2005 - after 3 months in Japan, returned to live in Australia (half the year anyway)
• 2006 - eighth trip to India (3 months); performed in "Ashu Babu Memorial Concert", receiving good press reviews
• 2006 - ten week tour of Japan: 15 concerts including Gifu Sangeet Mela; release of Rei-Mei santoor-tabla CD
• 2006 - six months in Australia, including concert tours with Raka Mukherjee (May) and Taro Terahara (December)
• 2007 - ninth trip to India (3 months): lessons with Govinda Chakraborty at Kathak Kendra in Delhi
• 2007 - three month tour of Japan: 22 concerts from Niigata to Kyushu
• 2007-08 - re-established in Australia, started more intensive tabla teaching including many kids' classes, recorded Tibet2Timbuk2's "Music is Life" CD
• 2008 - three month tour of Japan: 25 concerts from Niigata to Kyushu
• 2009 - tenth trip to India (2 months): lessons with Govinda Chakraborty at Kathak Kendra in Delhi
• 2009 - 6 week tour of Japan: 18 concerts mainly around Tokyo, including 8 with Tenzin Choegyal on his first tour of Japan (blogs: 1, 2, 3, 4)
• 2009-10 - eleventh trip to India (2 months): lessons with Govinda Chakraborty in Delhi and first lessons with Pt Nayan Ghosh
• 2010-12 - annual trips to India and Japan
• 2013 - daughter Saraswati Grace Flindell born, short trip to Japan late in the year
• 2014 - two trips to India plus a brief trip to Japan, lessons with Pt Suresh Talwalkar and Sri Hari Om Hari, started annual Sangeet Mela 2014, inaugural all-day North Indian classical music and dance festival in Brisbane