When maestros made music

Fusion jazz is not a new phenomenon for Bangalore’s music lovers, but when you have Victor Wooten, the five-time Grammy award winning bassist, teaming up with Prasanna and his magical guitar and top notch percussionists like Karthik on the ghatam, and Bangalore Amrit on the kanjira sharing a stage, fusion world music takes on a whole new dimension.

A series of workshops and concerts around the country are being organised by the Swarnabhoomi Academy of Music (SAM), India's first professional college for contemporary Jazz, Rock and World Music, and the programme was held as a part of it.
The packed venue in the City was buzzing with excitement and energy as the quartet took to the stage and rocked the house, literally with a blend of  Funk, Hip-hop, Carnatic music, Jazz, Blues, Classical music and shades of contemporary music.

Wooten and Prasanna are well-known around the world as maestros and innovators with the bass and guitar. They bring out the best elements in world music making it enjoyable and accessible to anyone with an ear for sound.

Having met in the US, the talented duo found that they shared a special synergy. “Playing with Prasanna has been an enriching experience on many levels. In fact, Indian musicians are very advanced. I am very inspired by their music, especially the complex ragas,” said Wooten. He has been a part of the Grammy winning band Béla Fleck and the Flecktones since 1988.

The concert was preceded by a music workshop that was open to anyone with a passion for music.

Taking to the stage and playing a mix of original compositions, jazz standards and a wonderful blend of contemporary elements, they rocked the house literally.  Fluid melodic lines, spontaneous syncopation, and skillful improvisation all came together in a sharing of talent across genres and cultures which is what gives the world music its universal appeal.

“I personally thought that the whole concert was a delight. The playing was  technically very demanding and the four fused their diverse talents together brilliantly.

On the whole, there was a bringing together of classic elements  of jazz and rock and a clever fusing of different musical styles with brilliant improvisations,” said Sushant Chari, a jazz musician himself who was enjoying the concert.

The four maestros featured great tone and instrumental virtuosity taking the crowd on a jazz trip forward with fresh nuances, strong Indian elements and unique touches of their personal styles, all part of the evening’s performance.