MUMBAI: Five time grammy award winning musician Victor Wooten will be on a four city concert-cum-workshop tour in India during 4 and 8 April, 2010.

The innovative bassist will be touring as a part of fund-raising project by Chennai based Swarnabhoomi Academy of Music (SAM) - an ambitious project of guitarist Prasanna (composer of Oscar winning documentary Smile Pinky). In addition to the performing, the celebrated bassist will also conduct bass workshops for music enthusiasts in Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore and Mumbai.

For those who don't know, Swarnabhoomi Academy of Music (SAM) will be the first ever professional college of music in India to offer a range of programs in contemporary music that includes Rock, Jazz, Classical and World music and will include world renowned musicians as its faculties. With courses in Voice, Guitar, Piano, Bass, Drums and Indian Percussion performance as its focus, SAM will commence its first six month diploma certificate program in July 2010.

Arguably, Wooten is one of world's most well known bass guitarist and member of the Grammy-winning super group B?©la Fleck & The Flecktones. He has performed with artists such as Dave Mathews Band, Branford Marsalis, Chick Corea, Dave Matthews, Prince and Bobby Mc Ferrin among others. On his India tour, Wooten will be performing with guitarist Prasanna, S. Karthik (ghatam) and Bangalore Amrit (kanjira).

This is not the first time that SAM has organized such a workshop. In August 2009, they conducted a residential workshop for musicians where jazz guitarists David Gilmore, bassist Mike Pope and drummer Rodney Holmes taught budding musicians finer nuances of the art and also gave some inspiring performances.

Concert/workshop schedule

4 April, Sun Chennai Sir Mutha Venkatasubba Rao Concert Hall

5 April, Mon Bangalore Cathedral High School Auditorium

7 April, Wed Kolkata G D Birla Sabhaghar

8 April, Thurs Mumbai Sri Shanmukhananda Chandrasekarendra Saraswathi Auditorium

For info on passes, visit www.indianstage.in