Says UK-based tabla star Talvin Singh who collaborates with Mexican electronica artist Murcof and French trumpeter Erik Truffaz at the ongoing Jazz Utsav
Says UK-based tabla star Talvin Singh who collaborates with Mexican electronica artist Murcof and French trumpeter Erik Truffaz at the ongoing Jazz Utsav
It's only been four years since Talvin Singh hooked up with Minimal Electronica artist Fernando Corona, who goes by the moniker Murcof, and French Jazz trumpeter Erik Truffaz. The three first performed as MST (Murcof-Singh-Truffaz) Project at the Montreau Jazz Festival. Singh's fascination for a sparse, stripped-down sound has only increased ever since. "Jazz is not just Jazz anymore, it's a free-er form of expression," says the 39 year-old tabla whiz, best known as the face of the Asian Underground music that took off in the UK in the 90s.
"Erik got it all together. I used to be plugged into Erik's music a lot as well. I think the MST Project is where I'm best represented as a tabla player." Singh, who will be doing an acoustic set has been leaning towards a more minimal sound in the last decade. Although his Mercury Award-winning debut titled OK (1998) and his next album Ha (2001) were both fiery, percussion-driven works with strong vocal support as well. "They had a busy sound too. I wanted to see how busy it could get and how organised it could get, but I couldn't do that after those albums."
He shares an in-joke about the MST project, and how the "less is more" approach turns extreme during their sound checks. "Murcof is the only one with a laptop on stage and during sound check, he asks for his volume levels to be set really low. Now the rest of us have to stay in sync with him, so Erik plays the trumpet really softly and it's really, really tough to play the tablas so softly but finally, there's this celestial sound that we manage to create."
Two decades ago, it would have been difficult to imagine Singh at a Jazz concert, despite the fact that his music had elements of both Jazz and Electronica. Singh was then busy driving the Asian Underground movement in UK with his Anokha club night at the Blue Note in London, introducing audiences to a new artist every Friday. Almost like a Box Office opening for the Asian Underground, but ironically it was as far from the mainstream as it could get. "It was about doing whatever you wanted to do," says Singh, who has jumped the wall between edgy club nights and a more sober sit-down concert hall show quite easily. "I think concert hall performances end earlier, so it's healthier," he half jokes.
Catch MST Project at Seagram's 100 Pipers Jazz Ustav tonight.
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On Today, 9.15 pm
At Jamshed Bhabha Theatre, NCPA, Nariman Point. Call 66223737 for tickets Price Rs 900, Rs 600 and Rs 300
Tickets available
At: Kyazoonga, A-14 Ganga Bhawan JP Road, Versova, Andheri (W). Call 44881000
Log onto www.kyazoonga.com
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