I'm dancing at the feet of my lord, all is bliss all is bliss!

I would still like to believe that this was a typical habit of all the children back in the late 80s, to go through their dad's things when nobody's watching. Today when I look back, those episodes seem quite amusing dipped in sheer innocence. With no intention to come across something dramatic, there used to be this surge of excitement to know more about your father; and it rarely mattered if that something made any sense even. My father was an advertising professional and his study although impeccably tidy was quite a potpourri of sorts; filled with books, fancy magazines, newspaper cuttings, stencil drawings, long calligraphy pens, paper samples, colour bottles, paint brushes, music cassettes, old photographs, post-its, a magnifier lens in a leather pouch and a world of random things. Going through his desk was was like peeping through his thought bubble and wondering the endless possibilities that one can create by mixing any of the three things together. And so I used to sit and wonder, each thought happily spiralling into another, innocent imaginings I would say but like in a children's fairy tale there used to be a villanous thought buster as well - my dad's visiting card!

The designations mentioned on all the other visiting cards lying on the desk always made sense to me but not his. Unlike a Marketing Director or a General Manager or a Chairman his visiting card mentioned his designation as a Creative Director. And I was always puzzled what does this really mean. Like, what does he do at work the whole day that keeps him busy through the week and mostly weekends as well. Now if you ever happen to read the technical definition of creativity, it states creativity as a process of producing something that is both original and worthwhile. What is produced can come in many forms and is not specifically singled out in a subject or area. Obviously a young mind of mine then was in the midst of utter befuddlement. So I started having my own ideas about 'creativity' and about 'creative people'.

Shakti at a live performance

For me, being 'creative' was about doing something your way, starting a new trend and being recognised for it. And with that definition a lot of iconic people started featuring in my list. The list was quite a long one as it included all the names that I had come across while going through my dad's desk - Satyajit Ray, Kahlil Gibran, Ravi Shankar, V S Gaitonde, Kumar Gandharva, Bach, Edward De Bono, P L Deshpande and many more. But to be honest, these were mere names; I didn't know who they were nor did I know what did they really do. But as is the case ever so often, there was an exception. In this list of creative people, there also featured a music cassette and I exactly knew why was it on the list. I used to play this cassette endlessly on the loop and gather such joy every time I heard it. The sound of the bow instrument especially gave me goose bumps as a kid. And I was dead sure these musicians were super super creative. To my luck, I was not proven wrong, the album was a concert recording of an Indo-Western music group and I later found out the four group members were mavericks in the music world. The group was Shakti and the members of course were John McLaughlin, Zakir Hussain, Vikku Vinayakam and the one to whose music I was hypnotically attracted to, the ever-so innovative, the creative mastermind, L Shankar.

L Shankar

Laxminarayana Shankar was born to be a musician; not because he was the youngest of the six children in a family completely devoted to music for generations, but because of the sheer inquisitiveness that he had about music. The unquenched thirst to do something new, breaking the strict barriers of traditional music yet staying true to the discipline that offered him the platform to innovate, compulsively collaborate and daring to create something so unique that by the time you fathom, all you remember is his genius. 

A violinist, singer, composer and producer, L Shankar has worn many hats in his career of over 40 years and has managed to sell over 10 million album copies. An acclaimed master of improvisational music, he is a rare virtuoso who embraced distinct genres making his music a conflux of Indian music and World music with a blend of pop, rock and contemporary jazz. In one of his interviews, he was quoted saying, 'I would like to bring the East and the West together. That, I think is my role'. 

L Shankar's father V Laxminarayana Iyer was one of the most celebrated violinists of his times and his mother was a singer and a Veena player. So it was not a surprise that Shankar's musical training started from the age of two and he gave his first public performance just five years later.  His elder siblings are musicians as well including two world renowned violinists, Dr. L Subramaniam and late L Vaidyanathan. As a child, Shankar's training was not restricted to a specific idiom of music as his father was open to all kinds of music - Carnatic Classical, Hindustani Classical and other western musical styles. This surely laid the foundation stone for Shankar to combine the musical traditions of Southern India with world influences in violin and vocals both. Interestingly, Shankar not only managed to blend various musical styles but also bridge diverse cultures through his extensive collaborations with musical giants across the world.

After completing his BS in Physics in India, he moved to the US in 1969 and earned a Ph.D in Ethnomusicology from Wesleyan University in Connecticut. It was during this phase when he spent most of his time combining music styles of the East and the West. And it was here where he met John McLaughlin who was then studying the ancient Indian instrument Veena. They both took an instant liking to each other and decided to form a group, Shakti roping in Vikku Vinayakam and Zakir Hussian on Ghtam and Tabla respectively. Their first performance was held at South Hampton College on July 5, 1975. The recording of this concert was later released as their debut album in 1976. And since then, the group went to produce some of the most striking sounds in Indo-Western fusion for audiences world over. Shakti released two other albums in later years, Natural Elements and A Handful of Beauty. But with each member getting busy with their own exhaustive tours and schedules, the group dissolved by 1978. Interestingly though, each of these musicians stayed close to the musical style that had been pioneered during the 'Shakti' days.  According to Shankar, 'such experimentation and experience are more in depth than any college, unless you are studying in guru-shishya paramara, on a one-to-one basis.  

Double Violin

I have been listening to Shankar for years now, and whenever I do, there is this feeling that tells me he must be quite a dreamer. But then someone has said it quite rightly, those who dream, seek! Shankar's ultimate foray into musical innovation and experimentation has been the invention of the ten-string double-necked stereophonic violin. This instrument was conceptualised and designed by Shankar and built by guitar builder Ken Parker. The most distinguishing feature of the double violin is that it gives a single player the five and a half octave range of a full string orchestra, including double-bass, cello, viola and violin. The instrument in more ways gave Shankar greater flexibility as an instrumentalist. He introduced the unique sound of this instrument on his first solo album, Touch Me There in 1980. In the late 70s, Frank Zappa had replaced Jean Luc Ponty with Shankar on the electric violin for a short period but this stint had paid off Shankar quite well. Impressed with his talent, Frank Zappa produced and contributed lyrics for Touch Me There.

After the success of his debut album, Shankar continued to impress audiences and critics alike with his unmistakable sound through various albums and concerts. This also includes the 1996 Grammy nominated album Raga Aberi with his own Indian group featuring Zakir Hussain and Vikku Vinayakam. Over the years, he has literally perfomed alongside the who's who of the music industry - Peter Gabriel, Yoko Ono, Elton John, Eric Clapton, Phill Collins, Bruce Springsteen, Van Morrison, Sting among the wide array of pop stars; Ravi Shankar, Palghat Mani, Jan Garbarek, A R Rahman, Trilok Gurtu and many others from the World and Indian music genre. The list of collaborations and performances by Shankar is quite endless but what really makes his music stand apart from the rest is his philosophical approach to music. In one of his interviews, he said ' We should never be so busy that we cannot pray, dance, write, sing or do whatever we are destined to do.' In recent years, Shankar has been performing and touring extensively with Gingger Shankar and has been receiving rave reviews for the same. 

I just hope we all get to listen to more of his music in coming years as we come across musicians like him quite rarely and far between.

Trilok Gurtu - Spellbound

It’s really hard to fathom what goes on in the mind of a master percussionist and serial collaborator like Trilok Gurtu. With a career that spans across decades, Gurtu has experimented with numerous sounds and styles in what we call World Music today. Gaining critical acclaim in the late 80s for setting ground for Contemporary Asian music, his music has simply grown from strength to strength since. From Indian to Jazz to African, Gurtu has interwoven various genres and worked with some of the biggest names in the circuit whilst adding that touch to each performance making it his own.

Cut to May 2013, and he’s back with his latest offering, Spellbound - in other words, a musical expression dedicated to trumpeter Don Cherry; someone who was his mentor and a dear friend as well. The album takes you through a few originals and pieces by Cherry, Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis as interpreted by an all-star brass cast along with some foot-tapping rhythms on the drums.

A little shocked at first to see Gurtu going back to doing improvised music, but it’s simply inspiring to listen to jazz presented in a form which is devoid of any boundary or style. With every note on this album you can sense the emotion that goes with it. Featuring an array of trumpeters like Nils Petter Molvaer from Norway, Paolo Fresu from Italy, Ibrahim Maalouf from Lebanon, from America Matthias Schriefl and the classical trumpeter Matthias Höfs from Germany and Hasan Gözetlik from Turkey; superbly talented trumpeters all, their participation also showcases Gurtu's astute talent to shortlist the right artist for the right material. All in all, Spellbound is a must have in your music collection if you are an admirer of world music.

When asked about this album, Gurtu promptly replied saying that the idea behind this album was to present a message, which is spiritual and the one that emphasizes the musical experience. Grab a copy today, and let the music do the rest.

Shad Bashay Ishq Khush Sauday Mast - Graeme Revell & Roger Mason feat. Nusrat Fateh Ali

One of those rare compositions that wont just stop growing on you. Rumi's ecstatic poetry blended with subtle notes and the intoxicating voice of Nusrat Fateh Ali.

The first time I heard this track, it reminded me of Passion by Peter Gabriel feat. Nusrat Fateh Ali and Baaba Maal. But having said that the similarities cease to continue as the track progresses and reaches a crescendo. 

Dont Go Back To Sleep (reprise) is truly original in its sound taking you back to the times when everything around us was not as pacy as it is today. 

A rare album, Vision II - Spirit of Rumi by Australian Composer and Keyboardist Graeme Revell along with Roger Mason was produced in 1997. Nusrat Fateh Ali features as a Guest Artist on the album and has rendered three songs including this one. Other artists featured on this album include an Israeli vocalist Noa and singer Lori Carson.

You can listen to the track here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2HQlO5icEU

A brief history about Indo-Western Fusion

If you go back to a dictionary or dictionary.com, fusion is explained as the act or process of fusing; the state of being fused. But we’re talking about music here and when its about music there are no set rules or straight definitions. Everything here is and can be viewed with your own perspective because it’s this perspective that makes each musical piece so different, so unique from the others. The artist’s personal touch is of supreme importance in music. We could talk about how artists have helped develop Hindustani Classical music through the ages but today let’s stick to fusion; and how western influence has added a new leaf to this music: the indo-western fusion.

The Beginning and Early Success:

Ravi Shankar

Like in other genres of music, fusion is not a very old trend in Indian music. It is said to have begun with Ali Akbar Khan's sarod performance in the United States in 1955. Indian fusion music came into being with collaborations with Rock n Roll music in the 1960s and 1970s. Limited to Europe and North America in its nascent age, the Indian fusion music scene then was run by one central figure, sitar maestro Ravi Shankar.

In the years to follow, Ravi Shankar began experimenting by fusing jazz with Indian traditions along with Bud Shank and others. The popularity of this genre was pretty instantaneous and hit quite a high with his performances along with Allah Rakha at musical extravaganzas like the Woodstock Festival and the Monterey Pop Festival in the 1960s.

New Experiments:

Soon the trend was imitated, developed and refurbished by many popular European and American music exponents including John McLauhghlin. During this time, Ravi’s nephew Ananda Shankar too hit the top charts with his Indo-western compositions. Tracks like Jungle Symphony and Streets of Calcutta are popular even today. 

Ravi Shankar with George Harrison

In 1965, Ravi Shankar’s most famous disciple, George Harrison played the song, ‘Norwegian wood’ on the Sitar for their album Rubber Soul and this created ripples of popularity across the globe helping Indian Music gain further attractiveness in the international music circuit. Another famous Jazz expert, Miles Davis recorded and performed extensively with the likes of Khalil Bal Krishna, Bihari Sharma, and Badal Roy. Some other prominent Western artists like the Grateful Dead, Incredible String Band, the Rolling Stones, the Move and Traffic soon integrated Indian influences and instruments and developed the trend of fusion.

Another major influence during mid-1970s was The Mahavishnu Orchestra of John McLaughlin. It was during this time that he joined forces with L. Shankar, Zakir Hussain and Vikku Vinayakam to form the group ‘Shakti’. Their albums, A Handful of Beauty and Natural Elements are still available under the popular section in music stores.

Beginning of the downhill:

The Indian fusion trend was growing and the coming years saw many more successful collaborations from Indian and Western traditions like Jan Garbarek (Sax), Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Philip Glass, Sultan Khan, Marco Guinar (Spanish guitar), Vishwa Mohan Bhatt (Mohan Veena),  Ry Cooder and more. Some of them also went on to win few of the most prestigious music awards in the world. But suddenly it was felt, this wasn’t going anywhere; there was a certain lax of novelty here.

Though dust began settling over the Indian fusion craze among mainstream audiences by the late 1980s, diehard fans and immigrants continued the fusion movement. One of the chief reasons for this was the per se monotony of this genre.

Trilok Gurtu at a live performance

Efforts to revive the same were duly undertaken no doubt. Like, Trilok Gurtu launched his first solo recording ‘Usfret’ in 1987 featuring artists like Don Cherry, L Shankar, Pat Metheny, Shobha Gurtu and more. The album in more ways than one launched the new sound of the Indo-Western fusion. This eventually gave way to Indian-British artists like Talvin Singh, Nitin Sawhney to fuse Indian and Western traditions to establish the Asian Underground in the early 1990s. Advanced technologies in sound, new recording techniques giving way to new and never-heard-before sounds were the chief elements in this movement.

These musical movements helped introduce World Music as a musical genre in itself, gain extreme popularity in a relatively small amount of time, so much so that it seems today this kind of music was always present in our lives. I would like to talk in detail about the rise and success of World Music but not here, maybe in another post.

Prem Joshua - a fine artist and one of my favorites

Born in Germany, Prem Joshua began learning the flute at the age of five, becoming a fine flautist while still a child. As a teenager he was soon performing in various Rock, Jazz and Fusion bands as a flute and saxophone player, always searching for new ways of expressing and expanding his music.

He remembers vividly hearing Indian music for the first time, age 16 - a crackly vinyl record of a sitar performance by Ravi Shankar: “I had never heard anything like this before,” Joshua recalls. “This was beyond my musical grasp and experience but was something of such immense beauty and depth. It felt unfamiliar and mysterious - yet at the same time like a remembrance of something I knew very well.” 

Thus it was, that in the late seventies, at the age of 18, he left home, he left high school, ended all his career plans, and traveled instead, overland from Europe to India - following the irresistable attraction and pull that the East had now cast over him.On his subsequent overland trips to the East he traveled extensively throughout countries like Greece, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan. And in each place he became deeply involved with the indigenous folk music he found there, playing live with and learning from, local musicians everywhere. 

“I loved the roots of this music and felt an immediate connection that I missed so much in Central European music,” he recalls. And this coming home to India was only the “outer” part of his journey. On his travels he came across the enlightened mystic, Osho. In the presence of this man with a long white beard, eyes as deep as the ocean and a strong sense of humor, he came in touch with the art of the “inner music” - Silence.

A multi-instrumentalist and composer Prem Joshua today has explored and created a new synthesis in music beyond the borders of East and West. His creative and musical blend has brought him recognition by critics, music lovers and the press throughout the East and West. He was hailed as the bestselling World Music artist in India and the daily newspaper ‘The Times of India’ has lauded him as the new ‘Guru of Fusion’.

I had the pleasure of listening to him live many a times and every time I’ve seen him perform, he seems immersed in his music and there’s a certain kind of mystery to him. I have tried to capture the same whilst he was performing at Blue Frog in February 2008.

One of my favorites from that evening…

The subject tonight is Love
And for tomorrow night as well,
As a matter of fact I know of no better topic
For us to discuss Until we all Die!

- Hafiz