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Ballad of the East and the West

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Neha Bhatt New Delhi

Professional drummer, singer and author Peter Lavezzoli, based in Miami, spent a few winters in India researching Hindustani classical music. What emerged eventually, Bhairavi: The Global Impact of Indian Music, holds between its covers extensive interviews with the masters: From Ali Akbar Khan, Zubin Mehta, Ravi Shankar, to the younger generation Zakir Hussain and Shujaat Khan, and even Western musicians like John McLaughlin, Terry Riley and Philip Glass, who also lend their voices to the subject. Journeying into the lives and times of the pioneers, Lavezzoli also discusses the impact their music has had on the West. The author shares some of his experiences with NEHA BHATT:

 

You set out to explore an interesting subject: If there is indeed a common thread that runs through the experiences of Indian and Western musicians. What did you find?
The spirit of service to music is a common thread that runs through most of the stories of those I spoke with. Indian music demands a high level of devotion from its students if they are to excel, and the same can be said of Western music. There are no short cuts.

What do you think attracted — and still does — Western musicians to Hindustani classical music?
There are different things that attract different people. For George Harrison, it was the connection between Indian music and spirituality. This was also the case with John McLaughlin, although as a guitarist he was also concerned with the techniques of Indian stringed instruments, and how the improvisation within the ragas could be applied to jazz. For Philip Glass, it was the rhythmic brilliance of Indian music that changed his entire approach as a composer.

You have mentioned some tangible differences between Western classical and Indian classical traditions in your book. Example: students in the Western tradition do not normally live with their teacher or perform household chores in exchange for instruction. Has the impact of Indian music on the Western tradition blurred these differences?
No. For one thing, it is becoming rare these days for Indian students to be able to live with their guru full-time, so this has changed in modern times. There are still a handful of teachers who can have students live and study with them, but it is certainly not like it used to be. The only area where I feel there is a connection between Indian and Western musical training is in the dedication and discipline required to master the art. This is universal.

Your book clears up certain misnomers in music — such as Mickey Hart correcting the term ‘world music’, which he says isn’t an accurate term. Does fusion, in this case, take away from the originality of the classical tradition?
It is true that many listeners who enjoy the many types of fusion music are still unaware of the classical origins of what they are hearing. This is natural, because people can only learn so much at a time.On the whole, I consider fusion music of any style to be a positive force as it allows musicians to speak in other languages and share a dialogue with different traditions. It also exposes some people to the classical tradition, which they might not have discovered if they had not first heard the fusion music.

You have not mentioned much about the impact of south Indian classical on the Western tradition.
Certainly the Carnatic influence is much less in the West than Hindustani music because the Hindustani musicians were the most successful in transmitting their music to other parts of the world, whereas Carnatic music has remained mostly rooted in India. But Philip Glass is one Western composer who has been influenced by it, because he was attracted to the greater focus on composition and structure in south Indian music, as well as the greater rhythmic variety.

Jazz listeners are quite familiar with Carnatic musicians L Shankar and L Subramaniam, who both became well known in the fusion realm in addition to their classical work. And electronic artists like Talvin Singh and Cheb I Sabbah have also incorporated south Indian music into their work. So the influence is there, but it may not be as wide as that of Hindustani music.


BHAIRAVI:
THE GLOBAL IMPACT ON INDIAN MUSIC
Author: Peter Lavezzoli
Publisher: Harper Collins
Pages: 430
Price: Rs 450

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First Published: Mar 21 2009 | 12:41 AM IST

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