Free Planet Radio’s 25th Anniversary and New Album Release Concert

Asheville’s highly acclaimed global-jazz duo, Free Planet Radio, return to AyurPrana Listening Room on the evening of Saturday, October 10th, 2026, to celebrate 25 years of making music together and the release of their sixth full length album as Free Planet Radio. An impressive array of guest artists will join them throughout the evening, including Jake Wolf, Adam Maalouf, Aparna Keshaviah, Casey Driessen, Jane Kramer, Lillie Syracuse, and the Asheville Rhythm Drummers.

Free Planet Radio is a dynamic and genre-defying band that blends elements of jazz, world music, and improvisation into an enthralling musical experience. The duo is comprised of world-renowned musicians, River Guerguerian on an extensive array of global percussion instruments including Middle Eastern frame drums and doumbek, the Indian kanjira, African djembe, and Western drum set; and Chris Rosser exploring melody on guitar, piano, melodica, seventeen-stringed Indian dotar, Turkish çümbüs and oud. They are known for their rich and textured soundscapes, intricate rhythms, and virtuosic instrumentation. Their music transports listeners on a captivating musical journey, “exploring the infinite and seamless relationships between musical cultures through the universal language of sound.”

Performing mostly original compositions, even while playing extremely complex melodies and time signatures, the duo always maintains a sense of accessibility, spontaneity, and easy engagement with the audience. They have performed with jazz singer Lizz Wright, poet Robert Bly, Turkish instrumentalist Omar Faruk Tekbilek, bluegrass violinist Casey Driessen, flute virtuoso Rhonda Larson, Armenian singer Mariam Matossian, and Persian violinist Farzad Farhangi. In 2014, Free Planet Radio was awarded a prestigious grant from Chamber Music America commissioning performances of a new set of works with the Opal String Quartet. In 2016, the trio travelled to the People's Republic of China for a 20-city tour of their finest concert halls.

Whether you have been listening to Free Planet Radio for twenty-five years or if you just recently learned about them and are thirsty to absorb the well of inspiration that is their ever-expanding musical catalog, you will surely want to be at AyurPrana Listening Room on October 10th for this panoply of musical genius.