fusion music

gobilalitha · Post by **gobilalitha** » 20 Nov 2007, 16:09

hari prasad chaurasia has said in an inteview that fusion music is confusion, remember he himself has taken part in such performances, especially with JohnMclauglin. why not we have a discussion over it if such a discussion has not been done already .what purpose does it serve? gobilalitha

vageyakara · Post by **vageyakara** » 21 Nov 2007, 15:51

As far as my knowledge goes fusion music, predominantly a rhythm filled fantacy, though the main aim is to exhibit integration of varied cultural aspects .Thou it may look akin to Jugal bandhi,type of execution , it more often than not, ends in exhibition of individual supremacy .Perhaps due to this reasonMr.H.P.C would have aired his views in the above referred interview.It may not serve the purpose it is intended for .thanks to the highly competitive attitude amongst those participating in such events
Ramaraj

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 21 Nov 2007, 18:21

fusion = confusion.

Not at all an original quote; lots of people have said this in the past. Maybe HPC just liked the idea and came out with the words at the time!

It has been very extensively discussed here in past threads: better to search for one of those and revisit it than to start all over again.

On the other hand, if anybody wants to discuss HPC's statement, I think it is pre-requisite that we have a link to the interview, and can see his words in context. Otherwise, it is a shot in the dark.

gobilalitha · Post by **gobilalitha** » 23 Nov 2007, 07:13

I have joined as a member only 3 months back I did not know fusion confusion is stale, nowonwards I will go thro'all theprevious postsbefore posting any subject thanks gobilalitha

vainika · Post by **vainika** » 28 Nov 2007, 16:57

Some of you might be interested in the paper (abstract below) presented last month at the 52nd annual meeting of the Society for Ethnomusicology in Columbus, Ohio. Niko, an alto-saxophonist and Ph.D. candidate at Columbia, has been carrying out his field research on Carnatic-fusion in Chennai through a Fulbright, forty years after his father came here for his Fulbright study with T Vishwa.

------------------------------------------

Improvising Beyond the "Classical": Fusion Musicians in Chennai, India
Niko Higgins, Columbia University

This paper examines the improvisations of musicians in India who
perform "fusion", a type of improvisation-based music that uses
instruments and compositional structures from Karnatic music as well
as various forms of jazz, rock, and European classical music. Based on
my fieldwork in the cosmopolitan city of Chennai, my paper explores
the improvisational practices within fusion to show how both
overlapping and conflicting features of fusion and Karnatic music
reveal new ways South Indian musicians position India and the West
in relation to each other. I understand this relationship as evidence of
ongoing changes to the construction of tradition in Indian classical
music and observe the practice of improvisation within Chennai fusion
as an extension of musiciansâ€˜ engagement with global modernity. As
urban India has undergone radical economic and cultural changes in
the last two decades, the practice of improvisation offers a unique way
to explore how musicians are both creating and responding to a more
globalized urban musical environment. Studies of improvisation
within ethnomusicology have been mostly genre-bound and have only
recently asserted the utility of analyzing improvisation as a musical
and social process that moves across regional and national boundaries.
In this paper, I draw from ethnographic interviews and recordings to
show how improvisation in fusion is constituted as a translocal
practice which helps modify the concept of tradition in Indian music.

----------

coolkarni · Post by **coolkarni** » 28 Nov 2007, 17:28

Hariprasad Chaurasia's statement on Fusion reminds me of the quote :

Nothing in the world is as exasperating as the man who gives a piece of advice and acts exactly the opposite.

Fusion Music , in the 80s used to be an affair , which i would attend only if someone else paid for my ticket.
These days I will not attend even if Someone else foots the bill.
UnlLike the adolelscent who is trying too many faces and styles in order to discover his true self , these presnt day Classical artists who flirt with fusion are fully mature artists , trying out a new face , for reasons best known to themselves.
Ah ! When was the last time a real fusion experiement succeeded and the world around the artist failed to acknowledge it,when it was happening ?

My vote goes To Kumar Gandharv , who stopped in his tracks(as laid out ,loud and clear by a gharana) , and went back to his folk roots , creating a kind of fusion of immense beauty.
I cannot put up his tracks because most of them are commercial , but I can try and upload a small TV -video clip, just to prove the point.(if the Mods agree)

And a second vote to this priceless piece of Hindusthani Jazz by Shanker Jaikishen
http://rapidshare.com/files/72567804/01 ... thani_.mp3

vijay · Post by **vijay** » 28 Nov 2007, 18:05

Systems as close as HM and CM (I increasingly find myself wondering whether there are any fundamental differences between these two art forms) should be cross-pollinating each other a lot more than at present. Unfortunately attitudes on either side of the Vindhyas tend to be a mixture of contempt and ignorance although it has to be said that South Indians are generally more curious about HM than the other way round...a bridge is required but I am not sure fusion is the best structural solution.

Indian music is a highly individualistic art form and having two bandmasters on the same stage is generally a recipe for disaster (of course we need to make allowances for bro/sis combos who can anticipate each other). The development of an alaapana for instance is an intensely personal process - even in duo concerts, only one person can take the lead in a given piece...what we have in fusion concerts is sort of a tennis match of musical ideas which, for me, completely extinguishes the emotional aspect of the experience. Betweeen fusion's competitive oneupmanships and mutual appreciation societies, there is a huge chasm of quality music

My idea of fusion, if it can be called that, is artists seeking to broaden their musical horizons by reaching out to each other - not on stage but off it. Formally learning CM/HM is something that every curious artist should seriously consider but the interactions could be less structured - bump into an HM musician, talk about similarities and differences, be in touch, trade recommended listening lists, plan a few jam sessions, ...if things work out and there is an agreement on musical ideas, work on a format that can do justice do both systems. Keep at it and refine the concept over a year or so....and then you have the possibility of a jugalbandi that starts to makes sense. Even if there is no "fusion" at the end of it, the artistes would have learnt from each other and enriched themselves...

As for the rest, I'm afraid the snooty purists appear to be pretty much on the ball

gobilalitha · Post by **gobilalitha** » 28 Nov 2007, 18:22

fusion or jugalbanbhi, there is always a tendency to underrate our cm artists, waxing eloquence the hm or freign contributors, one 'PAID" music critc had the audacity to state thatt our reverred TNS could not match the phrase by phrase rendering of AJOY CHAKRABARTHY, gobilalitha

coolkarni · Post by **coolkarni** » 28 Nov 2007, 19:05

plan a few jam sessions,

Vijay
The next time Suryaprakash comes visiting unannounced , I hope you will be in town, to join us.The last time he was at my home , I was listening to some Dhrupadh and after the listening session got over Suryaprakash drifted into Dhrupad mode himself.
A Nearby stool became a Pakhawaj and he treated me to some amazing and creative new "stuff" in Darbari.
And when my Wife finished her cooking and joined in the deliberations , SP had lost all sense of time.

He staggered out of my humble abode at 1 AM , lustily greeted by the street dogs (who otherwise pay a lot of respect to me during daytime).
That was one great evening and I can understand what you mean by your idea of fusion.

The late Basavraj Rajaguru used to drift into CM during the sargams , briefly for 5 minutes or so ,and those moments were so haunting.Stuff that he had learnt from his "CM-Singing" Mom.

Cross Pollination...
That is such a fine thought too.
Makes me wonder why so little of it has happened.
Inspite of sacrifices of the likes of Gangubal Hangal's Mother (who stopped her Carnatic singing purely to avoid distracting the young Gangubai who was smitten with HM)

Here is a fine clip from Ajoy singing a tharana and then breaking into his Masters (BMK) Thillana , loudly proclaiming that he has just started taking lessons from BMK and was finding CM wonderful.
http://rapidshare.com/files/68973178/Aj ... illana.mp3

coolkarni · Post by **coolkarni** » 28 Nov 2007, 19:11

Vijay
BTW I had a lovely talk with your Mom today morning..
It is always wonderful to come across a Mother who so proud of her Son.

kalgada78 · Post by **kalgada78** » 28 Nov 2007, 19:42

Here is a fine clip from Ajoy singing a tharana and then breaking into his Masters (BMK) Thillana , loudly proclaiming that he has just started taking lessons from BMK and was finding CM wonderful.
http://rapidshare.com/files/68973178/Aj â€¦ illana.mp3

Ajoy Chakroborthy's renditions always fascinate me..what a control over the voice!!

A Nearby stool became a Pakhawaj and he treated me to some amazing and creative new "stuff" in Darbari.

Kulkarni Sir, did you by chance,record this session and any chance of sharing with us?

Thanks!

Sarma

gobilalitha · Post by **gobilalitha** » 28 Nov 2007, 20:00

in my post I neveranything disparaging about AC HE IS HUMILITY PERSONIFIED.has great admiration for bmk and tns. I am a slave to his pahadi dhun .I only feel sorry about the mentality of some of our music critics gobilalitha.

Suji Ram · Post by **Suji Ram** » 29 Nov 2007, 00:06

Here is a fine clip from Ajoy singing a tharana and then breaking into his Masters (BMK) Thillana , loudly proclaiming that he has just started taking lessons from BMK and was finding CM wonderful.
http://rapidshare.com/files/68973178/Aj â€¦ illana.mp3

This is superb! who is the second voice?

ramakriya · Post by **ramakriya** » 29 Nov 2007, 01:50

Thanks coolkarni for this track!

-Ramakriya

coolkarni · Post by **coolkarni** » 29 Nov 2007, 06:59

Ajoy introduced him as Disciple number One from the school he started after moving out of ITC SRA.He went on to add that nothing gives him as much pleasure as teaching kids.
BTW disciple no3 at that school is his daughter,Kaushiki Chakrabaorthy

vainika · Post by **vainika** » 30 Nov 2007, 11:04

Lovely music by Ajoy and accompanying singer: thanks for sharing Coolkarni-ji!

vijay · Post by **vijay** » 30 Nov 2007, 12:46

Coolji that was must have been session. Lucky you, to have the comopany of so many musicians singing impromptu! Hmmm...hope mom didn't bore you too much with descriptions of her wonderful son! But I am grateful for the few fans I have!

vijay · Post by **vijay** » 30 Nov 2007, 12:50

Balasubramaian sir, IIRC I too had made that observation on AC/TNS!!...in the last few rounds, Ajay seemed to be having the edge. But that was only my opinion. We must not forget that 1) TNS can be a genius on one day and ordinary the next - he definitely seemed to be good in that concert but not quite at his best. 2) In CM, with its gamakas, fast phrases are more difficult to execute than in HM...TNS is extraordinary in being able to render very fast brighas (on his best days) without compromising on the gamakams or clarity...I don't thihnk any HM musician can achieve that.

gobilalitha · Post by **gobilalitha** » 30 Nov 2007, 16:23

thank you vijay, I am sorry that my sky high admiration for TNS prompted to make some unhealthy remark about music critic balasubramanian gobilalitha

coolkarni · Post by **coolkarni** » 30 Nov 2007, 17:23

SKY HIGH ADMIRATION
Boy !!
We do have a TNS- Manhattan skyline here , dont we.?

No prizes for the identifying the tallest building , though

Disclaimer : I am a great TNS fan too !!

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 01 Dec 2007, 02:13

Well, a thought from me...

Too often, "fusion" is about artists who are playing to small audiences trying a fill an auditorium with thousands. Too often it is about the percussionists who know that they can get a round of applause from non-classical-music youngsters just by tapping on the instrument a few times. Too often it is about the stack of CDs for sale in the foyer.

Too rarely is it for those of us who have a genuine interest, much less those with genuine knowledge, in either or any of the musical themes being "fused". It is about putting some money in the pocket.

It doesn't have to be that way. The kind of musical experience that Vijay and Cool are speaking about, though, is perhaps unlikely to fill more seats or sell more CDs or attract more youngsters than the "unfused".