Disc of the day: 17-06-09
Rudresh Mahanthappa’s Indo-Pak Coalition: Apti (innova 709)
“Jazz musicians have two fundamental goals: creating music that keeps listeners wondering what’s next, and finding a novel context within which to explore old truths. (There are no new truths.) Whenever a musician achieves this synthesis, usually after years of apprenticeship and exploration, a rumble echoes through the jazz world. ”
So wrote New Yorker jazz critic Gary Giddins earlier this year, and the words led into an insightful piece on the young Indian-born, US-bred saxophonist who spent years finding his own American voice in the music before looking for a way to assimilate it into the music of the land of his birth.
On this trio disc with Rez Abassi on guitar and Dan Weiss on tabla, he achieves an extraordinary synthesis of two traditions – one that is a perfect reflection of his personality and dual heritage.
If the opener starts out sounding Indian, even here there are subtle disruptions to the tradition. There is a drone before the tablas pick up a rhythm and Mahanthappa states the theme, but it is an electric guitar one rather than on sitar. And the solo instrument is not a traditional Indian one either, although, as Giddins notes, Mahanthappa has studied with Kadri Gopalnath, a master of playing Indian music on the saxophone.
What is amazing about this album is the way in which Steve Colman-influenced modern US jazz, blues and Indian traditions blend so well in the hands of these musicians. Yes, we have heard Indo-jazz synthesis before, from Mahavishu and Shakti and so on, but this really is very fresh and very exciting.
The playing is jaw-droppingly good, especially when they are really firing on Vandanaa Trayee and on IIT. Having said that, there is not a dud track on this disc.
The saxophonist says in the liner notes that he tried something like this earlier in his career but shelved it because he felt he didn’t have the skills or knowledge. No qualms needed now, that is for sure.
