Terry Riley, one of the founding fathers of minimalism, which spawned a sea change in contemporary music and hugely influenced jazz, is to tour in the UK and Ireland this autumn. Riley, who celebrated his 75th birthday earlier this summer, will perform with tabla player Talvin Singh and saxophonist George Brooks in October in a project entitled California Kirana – The West Coast Legacy of Pran Nath.

The American composer's 1964 work In C exerts an enduring influence on jazz and contemporary music. He was taught by Indian classical singer Pran Nath who also was a teacher of La Monte Young’s. Born in Lahore, Pran Nath explored the alap (improvised unaccompanied music within the raga) and slow tempi in his music. Moving to the United States in the 1970s he established the influential Kirana Center for Indian Classical Music in New York and his pupils apart from Riley and Young included Don Cherry, Lee Konitz and Jon Hassell.

Riley was influenced by Miles Davis’ 1959 album Kind of Blue, a path explored by Richard Williams in his book The Blue Moment last year. Riley in turn influenced a host of composers including Steve Reich, Philip Glass and John Adams, and on the new music of such groups as Kronos Quartet, the improvising trio The Necks and more recently, Portico Quartet.

Talvin Singh in the early-1990s was a key member of the Courtney Pine Band and went on to win the Mercury Prize in 1999 for his album OK. A significant figure in Asian Underground electronica, he closes the Brit Jazz Festival at Ronnie’s Scott’s club in London this coming Saturday.

Riley and Singh on the tour are joined by saxophonist George Brooks who has worked with Anthony Braxton and Zakir Hussain and the trio are to perform traditional ragas arranged for piano, voice, saxophone and percussion, focusing on some of Pran Nath’s favourite ragas from the Kirana tradition. They are also to play works from the duo repertoire including movements from Salome Dances For Peace and Ebony Horns plus solo works from each member of the trio.

The tour is promoted by the Asian Music Circuit and the dates are: St George’s, Bristol (28 October); An Tain theatre, Dundalk, Ireland (29 October); Elmwood Hall, Belfast – Belfast Festival at Queen’s (30 October); Turner Sims, Southampton (2 November); Kings Place, London – London International Festival of Exploratory Music (3 November); and RNCM, Manchester (5 November).

– Stephen Graham

For more go to www.amc.org.uk