My piece on Jazz for NxG

Jazz and India
ANIL SRINIVASAN



There seems to be something indelibly linking both jazz and India. Whether it is the evidence of jazz concerts in Calcutta from the 30s and 40s or the love and affection most jazz greats had for Indian music and musicians, there seems to be a spiritual connection. John Coltrane was moved enough to name his son "Ravi" (after Ravi Shankar). However, where is jazz in India now? Does it restrict itself to niche audiences and only the elite? Does it ever have a chance of hitting a more mainstream crowd?



To start with, the use of jazz progressions, ragtime blues and the like was made familiar to the Indian ear in the film music of the 40's and the 50s (try listening to the improvisations in "Mera Naam Chin Chin Choo" or even the treatment of the cello in "Waqt ne Kiya"). Even in more obviously jazz-intensive pieces in contemporary cinema (try "Vennila Vennila" from Iruvar), we find the evidence of free-form, improvisational progressions. Clearly, the aural cavities are not unfamiliar with more popular jazz ideas. From S D Burman to A R Rahman, we are able to see jazz's subtle influence. The famous trio of Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy seem to show even more obvious jazz leanings, considering Loy Mendonsa' obvious interest for, and cultivation of, a taste for jazz. Most tracks from Dil Chahta Hai have a clever idea imported from the world of jazz, if you listen closely enough. There are more dissonances in chord progressions, and every song has a rhythm that incorporates a syncopated beat-pattern, both tell-tale signs!



Louis Banks was recently nominated for the Grammy award for two collaborative jazz albums. The first one ":Miles from India" is a Miles Davis tribute, and has used the talents of many musicians, including John McLaughlin, U Srinivas and Zakir Hussain. "Floating Point" featuring Louis with John McLaughlin is the other Grammy nominee. Having developed a keen ear for the blues and jazz, Louis Banks has evolved a very distinctive style over the years. The pioneering work of John McLaughlin in creating the Mahavishnu Orchestra, and subsequently "Shakti" as a collaborative ensemble that consists of guitar-led jazz improvisation with a heavy infusion of classical Indian music is another big development in the India-Jazz scenario. John McLaughlin's ability to spot talent in the rarest of places, and his instinct in continuously pushing the envelope forward has recently seen the additions of musicians such as Dominic Miller, Pete Lockett and even Shankar Mahadevan. The staples of the Shakti quartet continue to be U Srinivas and Selvaganesh in addition to Zakir Hussain. U Srinivas' collaboration with artists such as Michael Brook and Michael Neyman have also found critical acclaim.



Musicians such as Karl Peters and his brother, our very own Keith Peters have had the distinction of accompanying many senior musicians from both the classical and jazz formats. Among the younger generation of musicians to emerge from India in the jazz realm are pianists Madhav Chari (arguably, the list should include Vijay Iyer, an Indian-American settled in New York), drummers Adrian D'Souza and Ranjit Barot (the latter being known more for his film work). As a tradition, jazz finds itself loved in certain niches – Goa and Bombay in the West and Calcutta in the East.



With recent developments in dedicated venues for jazz performance ("The Blue Frog" in Mumbai, for instance), the appreciation for this form is beginning to witness a resurgence. However, mainstream acceptance or even awareness is still low, a direct consequence of a lack of information. Jazz is not native to the subcontinent, but the emotional moorings that underlie its origins do share certain similarities with some of our musical traditions. Jazz started as the music of the common man in economically weakened conditions, and as a form of free expression. It was an alternative to the mainstream, the established European musical aesthetic that was in vogue in the Americas of the early 20th century. Many folk traditions and street music traditions in India have similar moorings.



Over time, jazz acquired polish and more "sophistication", having found an unusual home in the night clubs and lounges of New York and Chicago. In so doing, it gained upper society acceptance and patronage, but also lost its more populist mission. Folk music forms and even certain forms of classical music have suffered similar fates in India, a subcontinent gripped by 'cinema fever', the most prevalent form of entertainment today. The lack of awareness has defined jazz to be too niche in India to warrant the interest of mainstream record-labels and some of the best jazz musicians have to collaborate with either their film or overseas counterparts to push their agendas forward.



In a world that is getting to know divisiveness and segregation, jazz is perhaps even more important than ever before. Jazz is a pure language, a highly evolved expression of the soul. Its power to free the conscious mind from constraints of classification and judgment make it an effective tool against terror and strife. Its magic will always endure.

Courtesy : NxG, The Hindu