Episode #8 Creating on the Edge: Veena Kulkarni-Rankin on Improvisation, Healing and Connection

In this episode, host Hava Gurevich speaks with pianist and improviser Veena Kulkarni-Rankin.A classically trained musician who discovered a love for improvisation and collaboration, Veena opens up about her journey, her genre-defying bands Kuwento Mizik and AgawDilim, and the healing power of music during her recent cancer treatment. Together, they explore the connection between music and visual art, improvisation as expression, and how creativity canbe a form of medicine.Links to Veena's Bands:1. AgawDilim-  website:https://www.agaw-dilim.com/link to single:https://open.spotify.com/track/0L1boxgBztztuyKaDvMQ8s?si=whR2JPhqTB-kxadogGNQrg2. link to Kuwento Mizik's album, Lua Nova: https://open.spotify.com/album/7MoH09QVID9kIzlEcUWPwe?si=8Cll_KHTSNyPi2xFP8BOfw&nd=1&dlsi=d44eef55d5b14476Veena’s background in classical piano and improvisationDescription of her bands:AgawDilim: Jazzy world music with Persian and jazz influencesKuwento Mizik: Story-driven salon-style concertsThe magic of collaboration with musicians from diverse traditionsComparing improvisational music to painting and other art formsThe emotional and spiritual nature of improvisation