Not quite groovy jazz, but an explosion of energy
The Dutch Burgher Union on Friday night, December 4, was jam packed and loud. Every music lover and philanthropist who managed to get their hands on a ticket came out to hear saxophone player Rudresh Mahanthappa and his band, Gamak. Although they might not have got just what they came for, the evening was definitely a big win for the local music scene.
In sync: Bassist Rich Brown, Rudresh Mahanthappa and drummer Dan Weiss
The trio, including bassist Rich Brown and drummer Dan Weiss, played numbers from Mahanthappa’s most recent albums, “Gamak” and “Samdhi” (minus the guitar and electronic manipulation on some of the recorded versions) live for the first time to a Sri Lankan audience.
Mahanthappa’s saxophone is visceral and weighty, unlike the flirty subtlety one hears from his first inspirations, Charlie Parker and John Coltrane, and the jazz tradition.
He brings the same exuberance to his performance though, as he carves out a distinct tonality and mood quite unlike what we are used to calling “jazz”, through Carnatic and contemporary experimental influence.
Mahanthappa, Weiss and Brown are all three game-changers in their fields, and exceptionally well respected musicians in the professional niches they occupy.
“The drum solos were intricate and unreal,” well known singer/composer Rukshan Perera who was among the audience enthused, further calling Brown’s bass workings “mind-boggling”.
The tonalities and rhythms of Mahanthappa’s compositions are incredibly complex, as Perera pointed out, but the expertise of each individual musician and their combined chemistry rendered the works an ease of performance which made all the difference to a listener.
The band has been playing together to rarely matched critical acclaim for nearly a decade, and their interaction was distinctly comfortable.
The stage had the atmosphere of a living room where three friends were just jamming out with their instruments, resulting in a lot of fun vibes exuding from the performance area.
What their performance called for was active listening and a relaxation of expectation, which was suggested to us before the performance. The music was upbeat, energetic and the performances full of excitement.
As with any form of experimental or progressive art though, some of the audience were highly enthusiastic, whooping and applauding through the show, while others weren’t so pleased with what they encountered.
As Director of the Music Matters School Sumudi Suraweera pointed out, Mahanthappa is “a breed of current top jazz musicians” for whom “there is no serious following here,” and what the programme represents is an encouraging opening up of more very necessary platforms for experimental and progressive music.
Jehan Canagaretna, Managing Director of JC Entertainments and host for the evening concurred that reviews of the show were mixed.
He pointed out that Pakistani-American guitarist Rez Abbasi was unable to join the performance as he was denied visa to India (where the band performed before and after their time in Sri Lanka), and that his presence would have helped make the experience musically more “jazzy” and relatable to the audience.
Canagaretna is nevertheless pleased about the genuine feedback on the performance and in agreement with Suraweera that Sri Lanka needs more exposure to different forms and styles of music.
“A Jazz Evening with Rudresh Mahanthappa and his quartet ‘Gamak’” was hosted by JC events in partnership with MAS Holdings in aid of The Sunshine Charity which supports poverty-stricken children in Trincomalee with much needed education, nutrition and health resources.