Fusion's brave new champion

Music is his soul. And doing something new his passion. When both met, the outcome was an unorthodox convergence - Carnatic music on Mandolin. When he first played his mesmerising music on this fast instrument, the classical fraternity sat up and took note. Today, he is taking the fusion music road. U. Shrinivas recalls the beginning and talks about his new ventures to Saptarshi Bhattacharya.

HE IS a household name in the Carnatic music milieu. Over the years, U. Shrinivas has carved out a niche for himself as having the rare distinction of being a die-hard classical instrumentalist with a variation that goes well with all styles of music. Adapting the fast-paced stringed instrument to the slow and demanding notes of Indian classical music was no mean task. Yet, he did it in style.

``I took up the mandolin at the age of six and my first guide was my father U. Sathyanarayana. Later, I was also trained by the renowned vocalist R. Subburaju,'' Shrinivas says.

Popularising Carnatic music worldwide is one of his goals. Concerting around the world, he has met and performed with renowned musicians of the West, often of distinctively different styles. Dream, an album in which Shrinivas performed alongside Michael Brook on the guitar and Nigel Kennedy on the violin, sold well. His performance with the Brazilian musician Nana Vasconcelos was also received well among music lovers.``Music should not be restrictive. There should be a conscious effort to do new things, always,'' he says. This search for the new and different has brought him closer to Fusion, a form of music which still remains a grey area.

As they say, music should flow from the heart and transcend all barriers. Fusion is one such area of music which knows no barriers. ``Though I am oriented more towards classical music right from childhood, I always wanted to experiment with newer forms of music,'' says Shrinivas. After the West Berlin Jazzfest in 1986 where he got noticed worldwide as a child prodigy, there was no looking back. Opportunities came and he went on grabbing each, playing his heart out.

A few weeks ago, Sahavaadhan, a jugalbandi of two alien stringed instruments featuring Shrinivas with Ustad Sultan Khan on the Sarangi, was released. Recalling the events during recording of the album at the Sathyasai Chandrasekara studios, he says the whole of the recording was over in a single take. ``It is my first jugalbandi album. It's a great experience and both of us played with full freedom and vigour and spontaneity.''

About Ustad Sultan Khan, he only had words of reverence. ``It is hard to find such great souls, he is so kind hearted, humble and simple. All I have is respect for him,'' he adds. And where did the inspiration come from? ``Well, Khan-saab inspired me a lot. I can't imagine how fast he plays and picks up the tempo and mood. He always plays with enthusiasm,'' Shrinivas replies.

So what is in store for music buffs in the coming months? Quite a lot. Mandolin Shrinivas, as he is more popularly known, has teamed up with John McLaughlin, the guitar virtuoso of Shakti fame, and promises to roll out a few albums of fusion music. One, named Believer, was released last year. The next is likely to be released shortly, with the compilation of the pieces played by the two maestros in Mumbai sometime ago. The name too is chosen to match the event - Saturday Night In Mumbai. Another album is being planned for release around Christmas this year. The name is not yet final for this one.

Yet another feather in his cap is his forthcoming venture with Michael Nyman, a music conductor. Michael won the Oscar for his composition for the film `Piano'. This venture, the Mandolin maestro says, would fully focus on bringing together Western and Indian classical music on a single platform.

``I am happy that a lot of young talent is coming up in the field of music. There should be more opportunities created to encourage the youngsters,'' Shrinivas adds.

Currently on a Jazz tour with Shakti, he is taking the new genre music through the portals of 20 Jazz-loving cities of the U.S., Canada, Europe and Japan. Today (on July 15), he performs at the Royal Festival Hall, London, along with Zakir Hussain, Selva Ganesh, John McLaughlin and the accompanying band. The tour ends mid-August with performances at Miazaki, Tokyo and Chiba in Japan.

U. SHRINIVAS

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