Jai Uttal - ROUGH AROUND THE EDGES

My guest today is Jai Uttal! Jai Uttal is a grammy nominee, kirtan artist, multi-instrumentalist, and ecstatic vocalist. He is considered a pioneer in the world music community with his combined influences from India and American rock and jazz. Jai has been leading, teaching, and performing World Music and kirtan—the ancient yoga of chanting or singing to God—around the world for close to 50 years, creating a safe environment for people to open their hearts and voices. He grew up in New York City and lived in a home filled with music. Jai began studying classical piano at the age of seven, and later learned to play old-time banjo, harmonica, and guitar. At age 17, he heard Indian music for the first time, and two years later moved to California and studied under the famous sarod player, Ali Akbar Khan. Jai later began taking regular pilgrimages to India, living among the wandering street musicians of Bengal, and singing with the kirtan wallahs in the temple of his guru, Neem Karoli Baba. Jai has emerged as a leading influence in the Bhakti tradition. He considers bhakti to be the core of his musical and spiritual life. MORE INFO (and events!): https://jaiuttal.com/ ----------- ABOUT YOUR HOST: Porter Singer is music-maker, podcaster and emotional guide. More info: https://portersinger.com/ ------------- MUSIC CREDITS: INTRO: "Don't Worry, Be Happy (Instrumental)" by Porter Singer and Songs of Eden; OUTRO: "If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out (Instrumental) by Porter Singer and Songs of Eden ------------ COMPANIES WE LOVE EARTH BREEZE LAUNDRY SHEETS ~ These Earth-friendly dehydrated laundry sheets will leave your clothes super clean, without the waste of bulky plastic containers. The referral money we get from YOU clicking on that link and ordering will help sustain this podcast AND help care for our beautiful Earth. Thank you in advance! Click to purchase: https://www.earthbreeze.com/?rfsn=6157640.8b8358 SAGE MOON: I highly recommend their "Inner Child and Beyond" Deck! If you've been wanting to heal your relationship, with, well, everything and everyone, I cannot speak highly enough of this deck, with its beautiful imagery and wise soothing prompts. https://sagemoon.com/?rfsn=1754610.9fe2b6 BANDZOOGLE WEBSITES ~ We have been using this website provider since the early 2000s. It is so easy to use and customize, and super efficient for selling your music and/or services. Best of all, it's super affordable! More info on Bandzoogle: https://bandzoogle.com/?memref=rd890 If you'd like to leave us a tip--wow, really?!--you can do so by visiting the following sites/apps. @portersinger on Venmo @SirgunKaurK on PayPal