User:Bmickler/sandbox

Praful  is a recent acid jazz mixture band that uses a multitude of instruments, from tenor and soprano saxophones to Indian bamboo flutes, pandeiros, Fender Rhodes and many other exotic instruments. Two of the CDs One Day Deep and Pyramid in Your Backyard have won many awards and worldwide recognition. "Sigh", included in the One Day Deep CD and as a single, had stayed in the Billboards for over 70 weeks.

A native German, Praful now lives near Amsterdam, Holland.

Early Life
Praful was born on January 1st, 1964 in [Düsseldorf], [Germany]. As a young child he learned the recorder, flute and electronic organ, switching to the saxophone at age 18. His first bands were
 * AKO High School BigBand
 * Main Squeeze BigBand ( trumpet player Till Broenner)
 * Circle Five

After school he traveled the world for a year, returning with a broadened horizon and the determination to make music the center of his life and creative expression.

Education & Travels
In 1987 he moved to [Holland] to study [Jazz] saxophone and flute at the Amsterdam School of Arts (Hilversum Conservatory, now AHK). There he was taught by Ferdinand Povel, Friederike Darius and Rob Madna.

During his time as a student at the conservatory Praful was involved in several bands including:
 * Good Move
 * Praful & Alchemy
 * and Coco, his first experiment with Jazz Fusion and Latin Music

After receiving his Conservatory degree in 1992 he spent 6 months in India in the Ashram of the enlightened teacher Osho, meditating and learning the Indian [Bansuri].