COMPOSER • PIANIST
Narotam Horn is a composer and pianist based in London. His music brings features of western jazz and classical music together with the devotional folk music of west bengal.
Narotam Horn
No Mud, No Lotus
Out digitally 10 April 2026 via iXi Records
About
No Mud, No Lotus is the debut solo piano album from pianist and composer Narotam Horn, produced with support from the PRS Foundation Open Fund. Bringing together contemporary classical structures, jazz harmony, and the melodic intimacy of traditional Bengali folk song, the album draws inspiration from Thích Nhất Hạnh’s book No Mud, No Lotus, exploring its themes of beauty, suffering, surrender, and transformation through music.
The title track, Pankajā (पङ्कजा) is a Sanskrit word that encapsulates the spirit of the album. It means both “lotus” and “born from the mud”:
panka — mud, mire
ja — born
Even within the Sanskrit definition of the lotus are connotations of resilience, growth, and transformation in the face of suffering and imperfection. This idea sits at the heart of No Mud, No Lotus: a celebration of surrender, and of being shaped by what we move through.
Each piece is a playful study in harmonic symmetry, unfolding through interweaving patterns that feel at once meditative and alive, inviting a deeper listen.
No Mud, No Lotus was released digitally on 10 April 2026 via iXi Records.
Bio
Narotam Horn is a composer, pianist, and improviser whose music is infused with the devotional spirit and storytelling of bhajan melodies from Bengali folk traditions.
Growing up between cultures, with religious parents who were devotees of the Hare Krishna movement, Narotam was immersed in the devotional music of West Bengal from an early age, while also undergoing rigorous training in classical piano and composition.
A graduate of the Purcell School, where he studied composition under Dai Fujikura, and Goldsmiths University (MMus, Distinction), where he studied with Roger Redgate, Narotam’s music is shaped by both spiritual and technical disciplines. These foundations have grounded his practice and helped cultivate a distinctive musical language that bridges spirituality, contemporary composition, and jazz improvisation.
His works have been performed at some of the U.K.’s most prestigious venues, including the National Gallery, the Serpentine Gallery, Cadogan Hall and Wigmore Hall. In March 2026, his new string quartet was premiered at the New World Centre, Miami Beach with members of the New World Symphony and kirtan singer Vishvambhar Sheth.