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"Study of jazz music will reveal American history"

R. Sairam

It reflects social, cultural situations over the years: research scholar "Jazz means different things to different people. It is no longer associated only with America as bands have come up in Japan, Africa, Europe and India"

Nicolas Higgins. — Photo: K. Ganesan.

MADURAI : Nicolas Higgins, a research scholar in ethnomusicology in Columbia University in the United States, is here for an investigation. He describes ethnomusicology (study of music in its cultural context, cultural musicology) as an "intersection of music and anthropology" and is currently studying Tamil in the American Institute of Indian Studies in Madurai.

Speaking about the history of jazz, Nicolas says the history of America can be learnt, studying jazz music's history because it reflects the historical, social and cultural situations that have prevailed over the years in the country.

Terming jazz as American music, he says it has primarily come from the Afro-American community and thus reflects the racist history of America to a large extent. It has soon become a popular music across the globe.

"Jazz means different things to different people. It is no longer associated only with America as jazz bands have come up in Japan, Africa, Europe and also in India, in Mumbai and Chennai," says Nicolas.

Jazz is not confined just to music; it is associated with politics and power too. Duke Ellington, one of the most important Afro-American jazz composers of all times, made a strong political statement with regard to his community's rights. During the year 1943 when the World War II was at its peak, and members of the Afro-American community were dying in the battlefields of Germany, Duke Ellington, while he was performing at Carnegie Hall in New York, a hall considered as one of the most important places of European Classic Music, spoke against the denial of rights to his community.

His father, Jon B. Higgins, a pop jazz singer, was also prolific in Carnatic music and fondly known as `Higgins Bhagavathar,' says Nicolas, who spent a year in Chennai when he was six years old. He learnt Carnatic music from internationally acclaimed flutist the late T. Viswanathan, who taught at the Weslayan University, U.S.A. Now, he is pursuing Carnatic music under Rama Ravi in Chennai and doing research in Carnatic music as part of his doctoral thesis.

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