Let’s jazz up the ragas

Manika Ahuja

Ever wondered what makes live music performances click with the audiences more than a studio-recording ever would? Well, hear it from Grammy-nominated Berklee School of Music alumnus and swinging alto saxophonist Donald Harrison, and other members of popular Jazz group "Donald Harrison and the Berklee All Stars", who are in Chandigarh as part of their maiden performance in India. 

“It’s (music) gotta come from your heart…you should feel it all in your heart. And when the crowd feels it too, you become one with them,” contends Donald, as he moves on to enlist some key elements to be taken care of, that help strike the right notes, “The key is to respect the contributions that come from different people around you. Whatever knowledge I have come to garner from my visit to India, I will absorb some of it. ” 

Indian influence 

A set of passionate musicians in a country, a brush with which, by their own admission would be a gateway to “a great collaboration between Jazz and Indian music”, how could they not have listened to some Punjabi music during their brief stopover in Chandigarh? “We were listening to some peppy Bhangra beats earlier in the day,” comes the response from members of the band, which features Berklee faculty member and singer Patrice Williamson (Boston), Berklee alumni Max Moran on the Bass (New Orleans), pianist Leo Blanco (Venezuela), and Darryl Staves on drums (New Orleans), alongside Harrison.

So, now that the group is in India for the first time, what do they have to say about its music and any key musicians whose compositions they admire? Donald and Darryl Staves Jr respond in unison, “We know quite a lot of them, but one name most of us are familiar with is that of Pandit Ravi Shankar (Indian classical musician).” 

Snazzy and jazzy 

Ask them what keeps them hooked to music, and Max Moran replies instantaneously, as the rest nod their heads in agreement, “Music is a constant source of joy and beauty. It is magical in that it takes all the troubles away.” 

As if judging the drift of the conversation, Donald sheds light on his adoration for music, “Music, be it Jazz or any other genre, is a pertinent part of our culture. It transcends everything. I have always believed in the principle of leaving no stone unturned when it comes to music. I think about music all day long.” He gathers his thoughts together to put into words their experience of performing during 6th Delhi International Jazz Festival, which was organized by Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), “As they say Indians are warm-hearted people, our performance in Delhi was really well-received. We look forward to coming here again!”