Northern Californian musicians Ross Hammond and Sameer Gupta have teamed up for a new album that’s getting a lot of positive notice. The due have released a record of improvisations for 12-string guitar and Tabla. “Upward” is the first album from the duo who have been playing music together for nearly 20 years.

In addition to being accomplished jazz improvisers, they both also recently went back and studied their own individual heritage music – North Indian Classic music for Gupta and Appalachian folk/blues for Hammond – and they’ve brought those new elements together in this new album. Today on Insight, we’ll talk with Gupta and Hammond about making “Upward” and we’ll hear a live performance in our studio.