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The power endures
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The concert, Remembering Shakti, was also marked by dazzling solos
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Photo: Sampath Kumar G.P.
The virtuoso performance, from individuals and the group, lasted two hours and left the audience hollering for more.
IT'S UNLIKELY that anyone who attended Remember Shakti's concert at the Palace Grounds on Republic Day expected to hear, on the strength of John McLaughlin's presence on stage, what would ordinarily be called jazz. But it's even unlikelier that a listener with such expectations would complain about the music served up.
Alongside McLaughlin on electric guitar were Zakir Hussain on an eclectic percussion outfit that included, besides tabla, drums, cymbals and bongo, U. Shrinivas on mandolin, V. Selvaganesh on kanjira, ghata and mridanga, and Shankar Mahadevan on vocals. While McLaughlin has an independent life in jazz (in fusion with rock, Brazilian music and other genres), the rest have lives of their own in Hindustani and/or Carnatic music. So well do they blend together that it's almost impossible to label their music. But since Hindustani and Carnatic are both narrowly defined by convention, while jazz was eclectic in its roots and has continued to blend with other musical idioms while maintaining its essential attribute of solo improvisation, this was jazz-fusion in its widest sense.
But whatever one calls it, was it good? And does it really matter what one calls it? It does, because if it was Indian classical music I have to throw up my hands and admit that I claim no competence to answer the first question. On the other hand, looking at it as jazz-fusion I can say that it was good, exciting, stimulating music.
Worst things first. Taking for example the opinion of my neighbour, an aficionado of Hindustani music, Mahadevan is "too gimmicky". He tries to impress by singing fast, not paying attention to the structural prerequisites such as the alapana. But this absence of Indian classical structure in a jazz fusion concert needn't bother us: Mahadevan's singing was good but for his apparent lack of breath control, the flow of his voice often being interrupted after just three words!
Sacrilege it may almost appear to be, but next on the list of bones to pick is Hussain's tendency to strike the drum and cymbals too hard with his drumstick. In all other respects he was brilliant, especially whenever he integrated his left-handed jazz drumming with his right-handed tabla work to produce a seamless rhythm with apparent ease. But particularly on the last number, "Niyati", described as a "feature for the drummers" and marked by long solos by him and Selvaganesh, he drowned out Selvaganesh's kanjira with his drum and cymbals when they played together. We had to wait for Selvaganesh's solo to feast ourselves on the brilliance of this worthy son of T.H. "Vikku" Vinayakram, a star of the original Shakti group.
Hussain was otherwise awe-inspiring, as were Selvaganesh, Shrinivas, and McLaughlin. Dazzling solos all round studded the performance, which consisted of eight numbers, starting with the short introductory "Karuna" and including "Five Peace Band" (pun intended in the original title!), "Giriraj Sudha", "Lotus Feet" and "Maya". The treats offered included, apart from the longer solos, exchanges of short solos between Hussain and Selvaganesh, between McLaughlin and Shrinivas, and a four-way interaction among Hussain, Selvaganesh, McLaughlin and Shrinivas. The virtuoso performance, from individuals and the group, lasted two hours and left the entire audience crying for more. Alas, in vain!
JAZZEBEL
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