| Avataar | |
| Origin: | Toronto, Canada |
| Genre: | Jazz |
| Years Active: | 2015–present |
| Label: | InSound Records |
| Current Members: |
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| Past Members: |
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Avataar is a Canadian jazz ensemble from Toronto, Ontario, whose album Worldview won the Juno Award for Jazz Album of the Year – Group at the Juno Awards of 2022.[1] Worldview was also earmarked by CJRT-FM as one of the 25 best jazz albums of 2021.[2]
Led by saxophonist, flutist, composer and vocalist Sundar Viswanathan, the band performs a blend of jazz with world music and rock/pop styles such as Bossa Nova, Indian classical music, African, art rock, ambient music and gamelan.[3] Viswanathan, a native of Sudbury, Ontario, is currently a professor of music at York University in Toronto, and has also played with the world music combo Jaffa Road.[4]
The group's debut album Petal was released in 2016.[5]
Other members of the band are vocalist Felicity Williams, tabla player Ravi Naimpally, guitarist Michael Occhipinti, bassist Justin Gray and drummers Giampaolo Scatozza and Max Senitt.[6]