After a long day at work, when you want to lift your spirits, you listen to some soothing and calming sounds and jazz figures prominently among the genres that you are likely to choose. The quality of its music makes it stay with you for a very long time. No wonder there are many jazz musicians and fans around. To cater to them, city-based Shisha Jazz Cafe holds the International Jazz Fest every year. It does not matter whether you are a die-hard jazz fan or just an amateur wanting to have fun, the fest is meant for all.
Among the six bands performing at the International Jazz Fest this year at Shisha, is Ahimsa. Ahead of their performance on Saturday, we caught up with the band to know more about its musical journey.
Ahimsa is a four-piece world music ensemble based in Germany, India, Italy and France. Seamlessly weaving guitar, double violin, bass and drums and masterfully blending traditional Carnatic music with elements of Western classical music and jazz, they create a captivating fusion.
The group grew out of a chance meeting in 1999 of Munich-based guitarist Matthias Muller and South Indian violinist S Radhakrishna, which blossomed into friendship, mutual admiration and eventually a musical partnership. With the addition of two ace Indian percussionists and a bassist, Ahimsa was born.
Muller explains that in 2012, Ahimsa developed the desire to change the line-up and become more jazzy and more modern and ended up with the new Ahimsa Quartet featuring world-class bass-player Dominique Di Piazza and Andrea Marchesini on drums. Since then, there has been no looking back.
Talking about the kind of music they play, Muller says that in Ahimsa’s fiery compositions, the complex rhythmic structures and raga improvisations of Carnatic music are extemporaneous, yet meticulously balanced with the harmonic diversity of Western classical music and the unlimited expression of jazz. “The band creates daring and compelling explorations, our musicianship is superb and our live performances are incendiary,” he adds.
The one thing that makes Ahimsa as band stand out, says Muller, is definitely the way they fuse Carnatic music with jazz. “Nobody does it the way we do!’’ he claims.
Ahimsa has performed at several locations in different countries and of course everywhere they have travelled, they have found certain aspects of jazz. “If you believe in media and the commercial aspect of music, jazz is dead, but anywhere in the world, if, as a jazz musician, you make it on stage, it’s highly appreciated by the audience. It tells us we are still alive,” Muller says.
Talking about why he feels that not many people have a liking towards jazz, the artist says that if the media ignores the genre, then people have a tendency to not listen. “And if you don’t listen, you cannot like it.”
Muller believes that the music education in schools is usually poor, and for non commercial music, one has to have some knowledge in order to be able to appreciate it. “If you ask me why you should listen to jazz or even to Indian music, it is because they are fantastic art forms,” Muller says.
As for the Indian jazz scene, the musician points out that there are two big improvisational music schools in the world: Indian music and jazz music. “And for the same reason, Indian musicians can have a deep connection towards jazz which can actually do wonders.” Talking from his own experience, the artist says that he has been playing in India extensively for the last 15 odd years, and he has seen huge improvements.
“What’s exciting to learn is that there is a great young musician scene that is popping up here and even the clubs are getting more and better,” he adds.
The real challenging part when it comes to giving live performances is that one just cannot tell what the experience will be like before going on stage. “We don’t know how it will turn out to be, it can be everything or maybe a miss and that is the thrill which is not only challenging but also exciting in a way,” he says.
Talking about their line up at the Jazz Fest, Muller says that the audience is sure going to have a good time since one of the best bass-players in the world will be on stage. “Dominique is a real genius on the instrument and simply cannot be missed.”
ST Reader Service
The Jazz Fest is being held at Shisha Jazz Cafe, ABC Farms, Koregaon Park till November 24. Ahimsa will be performing at 7.15 pm and Many Roots Ensemble will perform at 8.45 pm
