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Surrender, Mortality and why Sound Remains w/ Rez Abbasi

Guitarist, composer and educator Rez Abbasi joins T L Mazumdar for a conversation that begins with music but doesn’t end there. Born in Karachi and raised in California, NYC-based guitarist Rez Abbasi has long been a bridge between worlds: jazz, South Asian and urban traditions, intellect and instinct, virtuosic precision and play.  A teacher at the New School in New York, apart from being a touring and recording artist, he is known for a sound that is as fearless as it is fluid, garnering him a brand of quiet, irrefutable respect amongst peers and audiences alike that is rare in the current music industry.  His latest album Sound Remains, dedicated to his late mother, becomes the quiet centrepiece of this exchange.  We talk about what happens when music begins to outgrow technique and extrinsic goals, when surrender starts to feel more powerful than control.   We touch on how ‘jazz’, in its modern form, has grown increasingly slick, and how that polish both reveals and conceals something about the times we live in.    Mentoring comes up as well. Not as a profession, but as a practice in awareness, a way of transmitting freedom rather than formulas.   As the dialogue deepens, it becomes less about the conventional mechanics of music and more about what keeps us playing at all.    Rez speaks of loss and of finding presence inside it. I share how the the loss of my father last year, and recent health-scare of my mother, peeled away my tolerance for pretense in an industry  and lifestyle in a world where so many of us still feel pressured to play along with very questionable rules. What emerges is not grief alone, but a quiet clarity about why we keep returning to sound after the noise fades.   (This is the official edited release of our exchange. The uncut version lives inside the community.) Complete Episode [https://www.holisticpianoacademy.com/fp/podcast-taping] https://www.reztone.com/ [https://www.soumikdatta.com/] https://findtl.com [https://findtl.com/] Join the first cohort of my Artist Mastermind and get your first month free.  https://holisticmusicianacademy.com/page/group-coaching [https://holisticmusicianacademy.com/page/group-coaching] Courses: https://holisticmusicianacademy.com/page/courses [https://holisticmusicianacademy.com/page/courses] 1:1 Mentoring:  https://holisticmusicianacademy.com/page/1-on-1-mentorship [https://holisticmusicianacademy.com/page/1-on-1-mentorship]   Music and Audio Production: www.everynowheremusic.com [http://www.everynowheremusic.com/] Episode Notes / Text : www.tlwrites.com [http://www.tlwrites.com/]

Why Artists Stay in Unstable Systems (Even When It Hurts)

You play the gig. You get the praise.   Then silence.   You send the pitch. No reply.   Then—out of nowhere—a playlist bite. Enough to keep you hooked. Not enough to feel whole. This episode is about a subtle but powerful loop most artists find themselves in without even realizing it:   **Intermittent reinforcement**—a reward system rooted in the nervous system, mirrored in the music industry, and normalized in relationships, rehearsal rooms, and even digital platforms.   In this solo episode, I explore: – What intermittent reinforcement actually is (beyond pop psych)   – How it shows up in artist careers through gigs, praise, playlists, and power dynamics   – Why our nervous systems get addicted to “maybe”   – How scenes like *Whiplash* aren’t just cinema—they’re memory   – And what a healthier, rhythm-based alternative could look like This one’s personal. For every artist who’s confused their grind for devotion.   For every creator who's stayed too long because something *almost* happened once.   📝 Join the Free Training:   → https://holisticmusicianacademy.com/page/artist-mindmap [https://holisticmusicianacademy.com/page/artist-mindmap]   📖 Read the full blog post (with academic references):   👉 https://holisticmusicianacademy.com/blog/artists-and-intermittent-reinforcement [https://holisticmusicianacademy.com/blog/artists-and-intermittent-reinforcement]   🎓 Explore coaching + courses for independent artists:   👉 holisticmusicianacademy.com [https://holisticmusicianacademy.com/] ––– 🧭 Work with me:   → C.I.A.R. self-paced course: https://holisticmusicianacademy.com/page/ciar   → HMA group coaching & 1:1 mentorships https://holisticmusicianacademy.com/page/coaching [https://holisticmusicianacademy.com/page/coaching]   📲 Connect:   IG: @everynowheremusic   YT: Tapasya Loading   Podcast archive: https://www.tapasyaloading.com/ [https://www.tapasyaloading.com/]

Artists and Trauma-Bonding

Art often emerges as a vital sanctuary for those navigating life's deepest fractures, offering a sense of connection and safety. Yet, this very refuge can unwittingly evolve into a subtle trap, where unprocessed wounds forge unbreakable ties that blur the line. As artists chase authenticity and belonging, they may find themselves ensnared in cycles of pain and relief that hinder true growth and joy.  Unprocessed trauma can distort the mind into mistaking familiar feelings (even if painful) for safety, and survival for intimacy.   Free Training: artistmindmap.com [https://holisticmusicianacademy.com/page/artist-mindmap]   Read the blog post. [https://holisticmusicianacademy.com/blog/artists-and-trauma-bonding]   Join the first cohort of my Artist Mastermind and get your first month free.  https://holisticmusicianacademy.com/page/group-coaching [https://holisticmusicianacademy.com/page/group-coaching]   Courses: https://holisticmusicianacademy.com/page/courses [https://holisticmusicianacademy.com/page/courses]   1:1 Mentoring:  https://holisticmusicianacademy.com/page/1-on-1-mentorship [https://holisticmusicianacademy.com/page/1-on-1-mentorship]

The Toll of Hustle Culture on Artists

In the fast-paced world of independent artistry, the concept of "hustle" has evolved from a symbol of self-reliance to a relentless pressure to produce and promote without pause. This episode delves into the historical roots and modern implications of hustle culture, revealing how it has shifted from a tool for liberation to a potential trap that can erode an artist's inner life and creative joy.  Free Training: artistmindmap.com [https://holisticmusicianacademy.com/page/artist-mindmap]   Read the blog post. [https://holisticmusicianacademy.com/blog/the-toll-of-hustle-culture-on-artists]   Join the first cohort of my Artist Mastermind and get your first month free.  https://holisticmusicianacademy.com/page/group-coaching [https://holisticmusicianacademy.com/page/group-coaching]   Courses: https://holisticmusicianacademy.com/page/courses [https://holisticmusicianacademy.com/page/courses]   1:1 Mentoring:  https://holisticmusicianacademy.com/page/1-on-1-mentorship [https://holisticmusicianacademy.com/page/1-on-1-mentorship]

Otherness, Art, and the The Myth of the ‘Professional Musician’ w/ Soumik Datta

Composer, sarodist, and cultural shapeshifter Soumik Datta joins T.L. Mazumdar for a conversation that goes far beyond the usual talk of craft and career. Born in Mumbai and raised in London, Soumik grew up between cultures, mentored by Pandit Buddhadev Das Gupta in Kolkata and later trained in composition at Trinity Laban.  Today, he stands as one of the rare contemporary artists bridging heritage and innovation with equal devotion. His work spans collaborations with Beyoncé, Anoushka Shankar, Nitin Sawhney, Akram Khan, and the BBC Singers, as well as large-scale projects through his own organisation, Soumik Datta Arts. But what makes his story compelling isn’t the résumé — it’s the restlessness underneath it. In this conversation, we revisit the early years and the quiet ways we both learned what it meant to be ‘othered’, long before we had the language for it. We talk about the invisible labour behind becoming a professional artist, the parts of the iceberg that rarely see daylight, and why the industry’s current definition of a “professional musician” might not be serving anyone — not the artist, not the audience, not the art. This is the official edited release of our exchange. The complete, unedited version — with all the silences, laughter, and contradictions intact — lives exclusively inside the community. https://www.soumikdatta.com/ [https://www.soumikdatta.com/] https://findtl.com [https://findtl.com] Complete Episode [https://www.holisticpianoacademy.com/fp/podcast-taping]