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A cult called fusion
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Fusion music means different things to various people but it is here to stay. RONITA TORCATO details Durga Jasraj's plans to popularise this genre.
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A well deserved awards...Louis Banks.
CLASSICAL purists may throw up their hands in horror, but there have always been musicians, at least in recent memory, who have sworn by the inter-mingling of various kinds of music to create a new genre, which may be called World or fusion music. Think fusion, and think of the jazz great Miles Davis who was galvanised into creating the strand known as jazz-rock after seeing the musically ignorant multitudes at rock shows. "But they don't know anything about real music and they attend shows like these in droves!" was the incredulous thought that crossed his mind on attending his first rock concert. This was around the time audiences were thinning at jazz concerts. Miles knew what he had to do. If you can't beat 'em, ... So, he drew on all kinds of things from rock, for instance he took the pulsating beats and wove them into jazz riffs to create a new sound — that of jazz rock.
Moving on, think of the late Beatle George Harrison while his guitar gently wept alongside Ravi Shankar's sitar and the late Yehudi Menuhin's mellow violin; think of Ustad Alla Rakha, who jammed with the drummer Buddy Rich, and his son Zakir Hussain who took his tabla in an altogether new direction with bands like Shanti, Shakti and John McLaughlin. Think too of Louis Banks' Indo-jazz-fusion band Silk set up with Shankar Mahadevan, Sivamani and Karl Peters.
Art and Artistes, a fairly new Mumbai-based association with a large (sponsorship) clout floated by impressario Durga Jasraj recently honoured Louis Banks with the first ever Radiant Award for lifetime achievement in fusion music. Designed exclusively for the path-breakers and trendsetters in fusion music, the award will be presented annually in the country's metros. At Mumbai's Rang Bhavan, usually a popular venue for rock concerts and the annual Jazz Yatra, Banks and his faithful, French beret-clad bass guitarist Karl Peters performed with percussionist Sivamani, post-intermission.
The first half of the evening was taken up by the talented Niladri Kumar and his band. The judges Shankar Mahadevan, pianist Lalit Pandit, one half of the Jatin-Lalit duo and composer Salim Merchant who, belying his choice of musical expression, looks like a hard rock musician, chose Banks as winner. The lissom Durga Jasraj, whose father is the illustrious Pandit Jasraj, had managed to rope in myriad sponsors, notably heavyweights like Taj Mahal Tea, the Bank of Baroda and the little-known Samat Bank.
Getting sponsors seems to have been a cakewalk for the lady since "a sponsor usually looks at two things: The credibility of the event and the credibility of the event managers. I guess it's never easy, but I can thank God it has been good for us." She has also tied up with the Sardar Sarovar Groups' Hotel Marine Plaza to host a monthly Cult Fusion event at Geoffrey's, the popular Brit-style pub.
Durga Jasraj, accompanying her father Pt. Jasraj.
She tells us little about the programme lined up for the coming months. "We are working towards forming a club called the Cult Fusion club which would travel all over India." How did the idea for the Radiant Award and Cult fusion come about? Apparently, it was felt that "if we can present Indian Music to the younger generation in a modern way, they could relate to it better. From there on, we developed it further to set up the first award for Fusion music called the Radiant award. We have now set our sights on holding a summer as well as winter jam."
Art and Artistes, in the past two and a half years has organised various events including music albums and TV serials, even a football match! Now, why hasn't the lady tried to commemorate the World Cup? She's got big dreams. "Given an opportunity, I would love to do this prestigious event in the future."
As for Cult Fusion, down the line, say the next decade, she'd love to orchestrate "a prestigious festival to honour the contribution made by the legends of fusion music through the radiant Award." For now, Durga Jasraj intends making Cult Fusion a bi-annual festival in different parts of India.
Next stop Bangalore. "We are hoping to get Shankar Mahadevan, U. Srinivas, Sivamani, and Loy to jam together as part of a new band called Shraddha. Fusion music has a strong element of Indian classical music and that's the reason I feel that this presentation will lead a lot of people into the real world of pure classical music, which is divine and sublime. It's been so far so good, we are planning to hold the programme there in August."
I ask her if Tamil Nadu will be counted on her list of upcoming Cult Fusion programmes.
She says that depends on "many things. If we get a good response from sponsors then surely we can explore the possibility of doing the programme in Chennai."
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