I don’t know why more people aren’t fans of jazz music. Is there anything better than sitting in a dark corner of a jazz club with a whiskey on the rocks in one hand and a melody that sounds different to each listener tapping out through the fingers of your other hand? Agastya directs us to Indian American saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa.
Named a Rising Star of the alto saxophone by the 2003 and 2004 Downbeat International Critics Poll, Rudresh Mahanthappa is one of the most innovative young musicians in jazz today. By incorporating the culture of his Indian ancestry, Rudresh has fused myriad influences to create a truly groundbreaking artistic vision. As a performer, he leads/co-leads five groups to critical acclaim. His most recent quartet recording Mother Tongue on Pi Recordings has been named one of Top Ten Jazz CDs of 2004 by the Chicago Tribune, All About Jazz, and Jazzmatazz to name a few and also received 4 stars in DOWNBEAT. This CD reached #8 on US jazz radio charts and reached #1 on Canadian jazz radio charts.
The saxophone is just cool. I wanted to play one in elementary school but they stuck me with the tuba, and according to my therapist it’s still a relevant issue. My hope was to learn how to play one and then marry a girl that played the violin so we could make lots of talented babies together.
Listen to a bunch of Mahanthappa’s recordings here. If you want to see him live there are a number of upcoming dates.
The Village Voice has more on today’s jazz scene which stays fresh by flirting with other types of music:
…there’s a market of mature listeners who don’t frequent jazz clubs, but who appreciate jazz within an eclectic musical mix. Take a look at the marketing brochure for nearly any American arts center, and you’re likely to find a jazz series. When Mervon Mehta, vice president of programming at Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center, met with some of his colleagues from other cities recently, they wondered how the Kimmel could afford to present jazz. “You don’t think you can afford to program jazz?” he asked. “You can’t afford not to.”
Later in the article they get specific about some collaborations:
…support for jazz often enriches what we prize most about the idea of jazz, especially an ability to express American values and identities in all their contemporary complexity. One potent venue has been the Asia Society, on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. A recent concert found Indian American saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa mixing it up with fellow alto player Kadri Gopalnath, a South Indian musician who has translated classical Carnatic music to his instrument. The backing band included both trap set and mridangam, a two-headed hand drum.
