Founded in 2013 and taking on various configurations over the years, RAJAS brings together stellar improvisers at the confluence of multiple musical approaches. "Rajas" is a Sanskrit word for the human quality that compels us toward action, creation, and change.
Described as “unlike any other on the scene” (New York Times), and having “wedded beauty by courting chaos, with the methods of loose-knit latter-day jazz at the service of a recognizably South-Asian melody and pulse” (Financial Times), the ensemble explores expansive resonances among South Asian music, jazz and creative music, and other improvisational forms.
While primarily working with Rajna's original compositions as points of departure, the music is born from a collaborative process centering mutuality and multiplicity. The ensemble's debut album, Of Agency and Abstraction (Biophilia Records, 2019), received much critical acclaim, and their newest album, Apertures, is out now (Ropeadope, 2023).
RAJAS has performed in prominent New York venues such as the Jazz Gallery, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Lincoln Center Atrium, and Roulette Intermedium.
Evan Runyon is a multi-instrumentalist and composer with a repertoire spanning six centuries, active in traditional and modern media across manifold genres. He is a member of L'histoire ensemble Exceptet and double bass quartet Large Furniture; has performed and/or recorded with Klangforum Wien, Talea Ensemble, The Knights, International Contemporary Ensemble, Metropolis Ensemble, Ludovico Ensemble and Ensemble Signal; Raphael Saadiq, Wye Oak, Emily Wells, Thundercat and Slipknot…
Wilden Dannenberg is a multifaceted musician committed to engaging listeners in a range of musical styles and experiences. With a firm foundation in the repertoire of early to contemporary works, Wilden is regularly engaged as a hornist, conductor, arranger and organist. Recent highlights include the premiere of Silver, Blue, a Carnegie Hall commissioned quintet for Horn and Strings by TJ Cole, multiple collaborations as a conductor and performer with composer Tania León, and a performance of Schumann’s Konzertstücke for Four Horns and Orchestra. A South Georgia native, Wilden holds degrees from Florida State University and Stony Brook University, and is an alumnus of Ensemble Connect, a fellowship program of Carnegie Hall and the Juilliard School.
