15 Nov 07

Svajanam is a word in the ancient Indian language Sanskrit.  It means “kinsmen,” and it is a fine description of the bond between saxophonists Dr. Kadri Gopalnath and Rudresh Mahanthappa.  Through the very different styles and sounds that emanate from their respective instruments, together they form a stunning combination that bridges American Jazz with Indian classical (Carnatic) music.  They performed at the Wang Center on November 15, along with the rest of a group called the Dakshina Ensemble.  Resembling neither a typical Jazz concert nor an Indian classical kutcheri, the show known as Kinsmen/Svajanam opened the minds of many in the audience.  It was produced by the Asia Society, which brought another Indian classical musician to these shores over 40 years ago – the famous Ravi Shankar.

When most Americans familiar with Jazz music are asked to name a famous saxophonist, many think of John Coltrane or Charlie Parker.  In India, however, the saxophone is not a commonly seen or heard instrument. While Mahanthappa considers himself an Indian American, using his ancestral culture to help him push his brand of contemporary jazz forward, Gopalnath learned the saxophone in India in 1975, and performed his first concert two years later.  Carnatic music does not typically feature saxophonists, which meant that Gopalnath had to innovate adaptations to conventional song structures to fit the instrument to the music.  He was even awarded the Padmashree by the President of India – one of the highest honors an Indian artist can receive.  He is known in India as “Saxophone Chakravarthy” (The Emperor of Saxophone).  Through thirty years of performances, festivals, awards, Bollywood soundtracks, Doctoral degrees, and teaching students to become the next great Indian saxophonist, Gopalnath has truly experienced the life of an Indian music legend, not unlike Ravi Shankar.

By contrast, Mahanthappa has not been playing as long – he’s only in his 30s. However, he is already piling up the awards.  A Guggenheim fellow, he comes from the famed Berklee College of Music.  His most recent album, Codebook, was named one of the Top Jazz Albums of 2006 by The Village Voice, Jazztimes, and more.  Like Gopalnath, Mahanthappa has also performed at many jazz festivals worldwide. 

The rest of the Dakshina Ensemble is no less talented: Violinist A. Kanyakumari is one of the most decorated female musicians in India. Pakistani American Guitarist Rez Abbasi is considered one of the top jazz guitar players in New York.  Acoustic Bassist Carlo De Rosa has performed with, among others, John Coltrane’s son, Ravi Coltrane (can you guess who he was named after?).  Poovalur Sriji plays the mridangam (which resembles two tablas attached to each other from the bottom).  He performed on the album Tabula Rasa, which features Western musicians like Bela Fleck and was even nominated for a Grammy.  “royal hartigan” (yes, he spells his name like that) is the drummer.  He has published books about African tribal rhythms.

With this much musical talent in one room, how was the actual concert? Excellent, it turns out, due to the strong chemistry between the Ensemble members.  Despite coming from very different backgrounds and playing instruments from very different cultures, the players all combined the sounds from their instruments into one glorious whole.  There were standouts, sure:  When each member was given the opportunity to solo their instrument before the audience, royal was able to elicit a tremendous ovation from the crowd through his brilliant drum solo, which contained a number of patterns that rotated.  When it was Abbasi’s turn, he tuned his guitar to sound like a sitar, bringing the fusion between East and West on display even closer.  An unexpected highlight came when it was De Rosa’s turn – the Acoustic Bass is typically not the instrument that drives the audience crazy, but De Rosa managed to impress with the dexterity of his fingers to maneuver the not-so-nimble instrument.

And it wasn’t just the solos that impressed, either. Sriji and royal combined their percussion skills (traditional and contemporary, respectively). The two saxophonists, Mahanthappa and Gopalnath, both played with a style that reflected both American and Indian cultures. The string instrument players, Kanyakumari, Abbasi, and De Rosa, backed up the saxophonists. It all melded superbly, and left the audience with seven individual performances to remember, which were part of the one group performance that brought it all together. 

The performers were not related, but a name like “Kinsmen” suits the Dakshina Ensemble perfectly. By blending together Jazz and Carnatic music, Mahanthappa and Gopalnath made East and West one.

 

Photos: http://aasquared.org/gallery/KinsmanSvajanam2007