About the Pi Weblog

Earlier this year we had the opportunity to meet Rafiq Bhatia. A student and musician at Oberlin, Rafiq helped us to develop our on-line presence through Facebook and MySpace, among other things. We were so impressed with Rafiq and his musical pursuits that we have asked him to be our Blogs editor-at-large. You can learn more about Rafiq and his music here:

• www.rafiqbhatia.com
• myspace.com/rafiqbhatiamusic

Below you’ll find Rafiq’s bio. We hope you enjoy his posts.

Rafiq Bhatia is a 22-year old East-African Indian American guitarist/composer seeking to synthesize a genre-bending musical lexicon informed by the traditions of his transmigratory heritage. A first-generation American, Bhatia is currently completing an interdisciplinary honors degree in economics and cognitive science at Oberlin College. He is also associated with the world-renowned Oberlin Conservatory, where his concept quickly caught the attention of prolific drummer Billy Hart (Herbie Hancock, Miles Davis). Besides apprenticing under Hart and Cleveland-based drummer Paul Samuels (Greg Osby), Bhatia is the artist-in-residence at The Feve, an Oberlin mainstay, where his group has attracted a loyal fan-base and critical acclaim for their weekly performances. He also frequently returns to New York, performing with the Rafiq Bhatia Collective and studying with Downbeat magazine’s “Rising Star Jazz Pianist/Composer” Vijay Iyer.

“A contemporary mind with the true potential of the future, Rafiq Bhatia is definitely an artist to look forward to hearing.”
--Billy Hart, legendary jazz drummer