Avataar (band)
{{Short description|Canadian jazz ensemble}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Avataar
| image =
| caption =
| landscape =
| alias =
| origin = Toronto, Canada
| genre = Jazz
| years_active = 2015–present
| label = InSound Records
| associated_acts =
| website =
| current_members = *Sundar Viswanathan
- Michael Occhipinti
- Justin Gray
- Ravi Naimpally
- Max Senitt
- Felicity Williams
- Laura Swankey
| past_members =
- Rich Brown
- Giampaolo Scatozza
- Robi Botos
- Suba Sankaran
- George Koller
- Todd Pentney
- Aaron Lightstone
- Tyler Emond
}}
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.Holly Gordon, [https://www.cbc.ca/music/junos/news/here-are-all-the-2022-juno-award-winners-1.6453668 "Here are all the 2022 Juno Award winners"]. CBC Music, May 14, 2022. Worldview was also earmarked by CJRT-FM as one of the 25 best jazz albums of 2021.{{Cite web |date=2021-12-16 |title=Year in review: 25 of the best jazz albums of 2021 |url=https://jazz.fm/best-jazz-albums-2021/ |access-date=2022-05-27 |website=JAZZ.FM91 |language=en-CA}}
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.Mary Katherine Keown, [https://www.thesudburystar.com/2016/03/20/q-and-a-with-sudburys-sundar-viswanathan "Q and A with Sudbury's Sundar Viswanathan"]. Sudbury Star, March 20, 2016. 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.Justin Skinner, [https://www.toronto.com/news/jaffa-road-creates-music-that-reflects-diversity-of-toronto/article_cc15e68d-a09d-5e99-9924-8d739031fe8d.html "Jaffa Road creates music that reflects diversity of Toronto"]. Toronto.com, May 27, 2012.
The group's debut album Petal was released in 2016.{{Cite web |date=February 12, 2016|title=Avataar: Petal album review @ All About Jazz |url=https://www.allaboutjazz.com/petal-avataar-insound-records-review-by-james-nadal |website=All About Jazz |language=en}}
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.[https://www.revelstokemountaineer.com/the-jazz-club-returns-for-another-season/ "The Jazz Club returns for another season"]. Revelstoke Mountaineer, October 1, 2019.