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Westside notes

A tête-à-tête with Steve Rudolph and Holger Jetter

PHOTO: SATISH. H

CHORDS `N' NOTES Jazz duo Holger Jetter and Steve Rudolph

Jazz pianist Steve Rudolph, also composer-arranger, has played diverse forms of music and for different occasions. He played with a 12-piece Afro-American soul band in the late 60s and currently in Pennsylvania he is associated with various ensembles on various projects. One of them being the Pennsylvania Performing Artists on Tour. "This is a non profit group that promotes classical artists and theatre. No other state in the US has such a body and it is also associated with the current tour," he says. This is Rudolph's first visit to the country as part of the world tour. Ask him on his shift from trumpet to piano? "I tore muscles in my lips. I played for a rock band, funerals, circus and church as I needed the money," he laughs. "We still need the money," chuckles violinist Holger Jetter. There is a lot in common between the two who are playing for the first time together in the country.

Jetter who hails from Munich and a resident of Auroville, has also played for the church and a rock band "in the 70s" that incidentally cut an original cover with its rock music featuring German lyrics. His penchant for Indian music, read ragas (he has composed for contemporary Indian dance productions), and spirituality got him to the country. The concert with Rudolph at Myanmar recently with the pagodas in the backdrop was awesome, he recollects, as also the Freedom Jam that he participated in Bangalore. "There were predominantly heavy metal bands and we got the same screaming," he says.

The duo was in town recently for a jazz do at Fusion 9 followed by one at Secunderabad Club where the connoisseurs in town could not but like the classic American standards that they presented.

"Jazz is for the soul. It is more for the seasoned listener," says Holger as he rehearsed with Rudolph, with his improvised violin over a cappuccino on a table that also had Summertime and more written music around. And the concert that followed made for a supple and easy listening.

"Today the young audience world over is not thinking in slots and is open to various genres of music," says Rudolph who returns to his Jazz Tour 2007 India touring the country. Adds Holger, "Indian audience is more open to jazz. Probably it is similar to Indian music in terms of improvisation and emphasis on percussion," as he goes back to Sunshine Music Studio and his Three Raags ensemble. The duo plans to come up with an album that they will be discussing over the current tour. Make way for some music for the soul.

SYEDA FARIDA

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