"ANCIENT GROOVES is a world class world music ensemble made up of Musicians with hands
on experience learning, researching, performing and transcending the knowledge of their instruments
and combining them in ways never imagined. Where musicians transform the sounds, traditions and
cultures of ancient instruments to create something new and ancient at the same time."
SOUTH PASADENA MUSIC CENTER AND CONSERVATORY
"Ancient Grooves is a uniquely versatile ensemble of master musicians
performing on musical instruments from around the world."
SOUTH PASADENA STAR NEWS
"Ancient Grooves is a uniquely versatile ensemble of master musicians performing on
musical instruments from around the world. The magic of the ensemble comes from the
dazzling expertise and knowledge of its world acclaimed musicians. Each member brings
to the ensemble an amazing array of skills, rare and exotic instruments, historic
knowledge, musicianship and their personal stories and love of indigenous music to the
concert stage."
OJAI WORLD MUSIC FESTIVAL
"Ancient Grooves, performing new concepts of old music from Africa,
the Mediterranean and the Americas. And they've got a ton of experience to back it up."
METALJAZZ.COM
"The musicians compose, arrange and perform their own unique compositions combining
different sounds and instruments from many diverse cultures. With exotic, rare and unique
cultural instruments are played during each concert. The magic of Ancient Grooves comes
from the dazzling expertise and knowledge of its world renowned musicians."
SAN PEDRO CALENDAR
"Ancient Grooves entertained and educated more than 700 grade school children who took
Friday in the Ojai World Music Festival at Libbey Bowl."
VENTURA COUNTY STAR
"While he has devoted much of his life to learning indigenous music Garcia also revels
in playing the new and unexpected…..Garcia's musical vocabulary not only spans centuries
and cultures it's also spontaneous."
DEUTSCHE WELLE
GERMANYS INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTER
"Christopher Garcia is one of those musicians who always seems to be on stage when amazing
things are happening. In addition to teaching all over the world, he's played with a jaw-dropping
who's-who of musical luminaries....Although he's a phenomenal drummer, he may be best known
as a master of Vedic percussion techniques and, specifically, the tabla."
LONG BEACH POST
"We hear a variety of percussion, including instruments from Mexico and MesoAmerica. They sing
and throb to the pulse of a single person, Christopher Garcia. He produces an extraordinary array
of sound and rhythms, effortlessly weaving in and out of familiar Indian patterns to those of Mexico
and Mexoamerica .......but we know we are not in India.
SRUTI MAGAZINE
INDIAS PREMIER MAGAZINE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
"Christopher Garcia is a most uncommon percussionist. He’s an ace trap drum player; known for precise
execution of difficult time signatures at blazing tempos; and he’s a hand percussionist with a deep
background in Indian and Latin American music. No mere timekeeper, he always seems to elevate
whatever musical situation he finds himself in. ”
PASADENA WEEKLY
"Like Yo Yo Ma has done for the cello by placing it in various genres of music and experimenting and collaborating with musicians of different styles around the world, pipa virtuoso Ma Jie has done the same for her traditional Chinese instrument. She grew up in a small town by the Silk Road in China. The pipa, or four-stringed lute, is considered one of China’s oldest instruments dating back to the second century B.C. She studied music at a young age and studied with several masters of the pipa. She graduated from Tianjin Conservatory of Music, one of China’s most prestigious music academies. Though steeped in tradition, Jie had an adventurous ear, listening to various genres of music from folk to rock, country and western. That ear would lead her to the U.S. where she currently lives and performs. "
INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER
on experience learning, researching, performing and transcending the knowledge of their instruments
and combining them in ways never imagined. Where musicians transform the sounds, traditions and
cultures of ancient instruments to create something new and ancient at the same time."
SOUTH PASADENA MUSIC CENTER AND CONSERVATORY
"Ancient Grooves is a uniquely versatile ensemble of master musicians
performing on musical instruments from around the world."
SOUTH PASADENA STAR NEWS
"Ancient Grooves is a uniquely versatile ensemble of master musicians performing on
musical instruments from around the world. The magic of the ensemble comes from the
dazzling expertise and knowledge of its world acclaimed musicians. Each member brings
to the ensemble an amazing array of skills, rare and exotic instruments, historic
knowledge, musicianship and their personal stories and love of indigenous music to the
concert stage."
OJAI WORLD MUSIC FESTIVAL
"Ancient Grooves, performing new concepts of old music from Africa,
the Mediterranean and the Americas. And they've got a ton of experience to back it up."
METALJAZZ.COM
"The musicians compose, arrange and perform their own unique compositions combining
different sounds and instruments from many diverse cultures. With exotic, rare and unique
cultural instruments are played during each concert. The magic of Ancient Grooves comes
from the dazzling expertise and knowledge of its world renowned musicians."
SAN PEDRO CALENDAR
"Ancient Grooves entertained and educated more than 700 grade school children who took
Friday in the Ojai World Music Festival at Libbey Bowl."
VENTURA COUNTY STAR
"While he has devoted much of his life to learning indigenous music Garcia also revels
in playing the new and unexpected…..Garcia's musical vocabulary not only spans centuries
and cultures it's also spontaneous."
DEUTSCHE WELLE
GERMANYS INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTER
"Christopher Garcia is one of those musicians who always seems to be on stage when amazing
things are happening. In addition to teaching all over the world, he's played with a jaw-dropping
who's-who of musical luminaries....Although he's a phenomenal drummer, he may be best known
as a master of Vedic percussion techniques and, specifically, the tabla."
LONG BEACH POST
"We hear a variety of percussion, including instruments from Mexico and MesoAmerica. They sing
and throb to the pulse of a single person, Christopher Garcia. He produces an extraordinary array
of sound and rhythms, effortlessly weaving in and out of familiar Indian patterns to those of Mexico
and Mexoamerica .......but we know we are not in India.
SRUTI MAGAZINE
INDIAS PREMIER MAGAZINE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
"Christopher Garcia is a most uncommon percussionist. He’s an ace trap drum player; known for precise
execution of difficult time signatures at blazing tempos; and he’s a hand percussionist with a deep
background in Indian and Latin American music. No mere timekeeper, he always seems to elevate
whatever musical situation he finds himself in. ”
PASADENA WEEKLY
"Like Yo Yo Ma has done for the cello by placing it in various genres of music and experimenting and collaborating with musicians of different styles around the world, pipa virtuoso Ma Jie has done the same for her traditional Chinese instrument. She grew up in a small town by the Silk Road in China. The pipa, or four-stringed lute, is considered one of China’s oldest instruments dating back to the second century B.C. She studied music at a young age and studied with several masters of the pipa. She graduated from Tianjin Conservatory of Music, one of China’s most prestigious music academies. Though steeped in tradition, Jie had an adventurous ear, listening to various genres of music from folk to rock, country and western. That ear would lead her to the U.S. where she currently lives and performs. "
INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER