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Many moods, one voice

Global Conversation became the talk of the town!

PHOTO S. R. RAGHUNATHAN

SPLENDID TEAMWORK Global Conversation in full flow

After a three-day break during which The Hindu Friday Review November Fest featured vibrant discussions between artistes and art lovers, the concerts took centre-stage again on Thursday with "Global Conversation", a world music ensemble steered by violinist Kala Ramnath and saxophonist George Brooks.

Blending Jazz and Hindustani music, the musicians could be seen having a ball. Besides Kala and Brooks, the ensemble featured Kai Eckhart (bass guitar), Satyajit Talwalkar (tabla), Mukul Dongre (drums) and Rinku Rajput (keyboard).

They launched without preamble into the music as the curtain opened, beginning with a soft, alaap-style saxophone introduction, followed by Kala's violin. Gentle beginnings gradually launching into virtuoso displays by the members individually and together became the pattern of the evening. Another attractive element that established itself in this first piece, a composition of Brooks named "McCoy" — created as a tribute to the famous Jazz artiste — was Eckhart's raga-style playing on the fretless electric bass. The fretless version, he later explained, was more conducive to blend jazz with Hindustani music, and his gliding meends and other gamakas were pleasing. Unlike Brooks, who trained in Hindustani vocal under Pandit Pran Nath, Eckhart has no formal training in Indian music, though he works with a number of musicians.

Emotive playing

Among the compositions played, Brooks' "Frame Master", based on raga Puriya Dhanashree and set in a Jazz mould, and Kala's in raga Maru Bihag, which she said is still unnamed, stood out. In Brooks' work, the melody came out in his own emotive playing and also in the way he accompanied Kala's high notes with the saxophone's low ones. His sombre evocation of the raga was embellished by low-key deep drumming by Mukul and keyboard chords by Rajput.

The sweetness of Maru Bihag found just the right vehicle in Kala's `singing violin', which went straight to the heart. Characterised by the gayaki ang, or vocal style of instrument playing that she inherited from her aunt and guru N. Rajam, her music was at once hauntingly moving and impressively skilful. At times, in the way she smoothly took over from the saxophone, extending the same note so that the changeover was unobtrusive, one was reminded of the sarangi, which loyally follows another voice. At others, her high-speed note patterns with subtle bowing were a delight.

Rajput, who stood in for the indisposed Harmeet Mansatta at short notice, kept a low profile until "Waltz for Lena", another Brooks' creation, in which he led into the piece. The audience was highly appreciative of his skills, even voicing a demand for a solo.

It is a pity that the group repeatedly asked for the volume to be pumped up, when there was no need to do so. Apart from distracting the audience, it sometimes led to an imbalance in the amplification. Nevertheless, Mukul, Satyajit and Eckhart wowed the crowd with their percussion display. Satyajit and Mukul were in home territory with their rendition of superfast bols and drumming. Mukul, with a wide range of cymbals and skins, revelled in both tone and rhythm, while Satyajit's flying fingers created resonant notes. The surprise package was Eckhart, who enunciated `konakkol' using unique syllables originating from the throat and lips and even English words.

A feature of fusion ventures is constant newness, not only because of the improvisatory nature of the music but also because the ensemble members often change, and each impacts the final result in a different way. This particular group was coming together for the first time. Yet the understanding between them was palpable, since they have worked in various combinations before. While Kala and Brooks have been exchanging musical ideas for some time in San Francisco, Brooks and Eckhart play together in another ensemble. Meanwhile, Satyajit and Mukul are both disciples of tabla guru Pandit Suresh Talwalkar, and as Hindustani musicians, have plenty of common ground with Kala.

Kala's composition "Latin Lilt" brought the evening to an end. The Conversation, though, has just begun.

ANJANA RAJAN

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