Jagadeesh M.R – Self taught guitar player, composer and founder of MoonArra, Jagadeesh is an experienced guitarist performing with pop, rock, jazz and fusion ensembles for three decades. From a young age, Jagadeesh was exposed to Indian Classical sounds at home. Playing both nylon classical guitar and electric steel string guitar, Jagadeesh, apart from his band MoonArra, Jagadeesh has collaborated and performed with International musicians and musicians in India such as : Pianist Norbert Kael & Percussionist Tamas Siska from Hungary, Aion Quartet Switzerland, Saxophone players Phil Scarff USA and Peter Natterer from Austria, Flautist Leszek Wisniowski from Poland, Moroccan artist Gnawa Mal-em-Abdellah, Israeli Jazz Band Katamon Cherry, Malaysia based drummer Lewis Pragasam and Asiabeat, Indonesian drummer Gilang Ramadhan, santoor maestro Pt. Tarun Bhattacharya and his ensemble,Carnatic vocalist Ramamani, ghatam vidwan virtuoso Smt. Sukanya Ramagopal, Australia based guitarist Tommy Smith, Khanjira Vidwan Amrit, flautists Pt. Milind Date and Vidwan Ravichandra Kollur,percussionist Muthu Kumar, jazz guitarist Gerard Machado, Goa based percussionist William D'Souza, Carlos Gonsalves amongst others. Jagadeesh also performed with sax payer Ian Ballamy and drummer Thomas Stronen as part of Prakash Sontakke's Global Music Festival. His interest in flamenco music led him to Spain where he spent a month understanding and soaking in the music. Jagadeesh also developed an interest in playing the Oud after a trip to Cairo, Egypt. As Head of Events at Radio Indigo (till 2008) Jagadeesh was instrumental in conceptualising a number of international quality concert events, reviving and putting together what is arguably Bangalore's finest and one of India's best Jazz Festivals - The Indigo & Blues Festival in 2007 - and in 2009 a 3 Day Jazz Festival at the UB City for the Bengaluru Habba.
Jagadeesh continues to network with musicians both locally and internationally as part of his events interest. Jagadeesh currently is Director Culture & International Relations at The Bangalore School of Music.
Jagadeesh, is also International Jury since the past 5 years on 7VJC Jazz Club, a global not-for-profit institution based in Milan, Italy. https://7virtualjazzclub.net/
Jagadeesh is an official artist endorsing Godin Guitars Canada. https://godinguitars.com/artists
Jagadeesh has been recently appointed as India Regional Director of IMMSANE, a International Music Media and Sound Arts Network in Education based in Zurich, Switzerland. https://www.immsane.com/
Madhuri Jagadeesh– A Masters in World Literature, singer songwriter and co founder of MoonArra, Madhuri’s vocals has influences from all over the world, but rooted in India. She began singing in school operettas and small musical productions since she was eight years old. She’s also been singing professionally since she was eighteen. She’s always loved the open sound of jazz and finds it the most inclusive form of music and a universal mode of communication. Madhuri has found a niche in world music and is constantly looking to expand the scope and possibilities of this genre with new influences and sounds from around the world as she travels. Her other interests include fine arts, performing arts, applied arts and she's been in the field of training, learning and development as a consultant and has conducted developmental programmes in corporates, corporations, organisations and institutions. She has an understanding of Indian Classical and Western Classical Music and uses both in her exploration of jazz and world music. A vocalist and songwriter, composer and pioneer of the Indian Opera, Madhuri has conceived and created significant concert productions for MoonArra such as Operaaga, Raagas Round Midnight, Women Aah Men, The Cosmic Tree. The second edition of Operaaga was also successfully produced in Italy (Milan and Bologna June 2023) in collaboration with Italian musician Nicola Baroni and his ensemble.
Madhuri was also recently featured in an interview with Swedish based musician Biggi Vinkeloe in the first edition of Turnaround Magazine, run by Washington based jazz musician Amy Bormet and her foundation Washington Women in Jazz. The edition also featured an interview with jazz icon Dee Dee Bridgewater. Madhuri was also featured on Joan Cartwright’s Women in Jazz Global radio podcast for women who perform and compose their own music and presented two of her compositions.
