Fusion Music

Missing Squash practice for the first time in several weeks, I headed out of my apartment to watch Fareed Haque and the Flat Earth Ensemble perform at the Krannert Centre for Performing Arts. An extremely skillful Jazz guitarist, Fareed Haque is the lead player of the Flat Earth Ensemble, a highly acclaimed group that fuses Hindustani classical and Jazz music. Dressed in a T-shirt and a comfortable pair of jeans, I looked forward to an evening of relaxation as the hypnotic melodies of Hindustani classical music skillfully blended with elements of Jazz swamped my surroundings.
Almost everyone has an understanding of what Jazz music is. As a musical art form, Jazz originated in the Southern states from a confluence of African and European musical traditions. Since it almost entirely developed in the United States in the late 1800s, it can be described as American classical music. Although Jazz has several different forms and types, almost all forms share musical elements that are exclusive to Jazz. The elements that make Jazz unique are interpretation – the way a jazz player feels his music, improvisation – the ability of a jazz player to instantaneously compose, edit, revise and perform, rhythm – Jazz has a huge reliance on the use of accent and emphasis where it is least expected, and tempo – unlike other forms, Jazz has a steady tempo from start to end.
Hindustani classical music is the music of North India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh and unlike Jazz, has much more ancient roots evolving around 12th century AD. The musical style uses Indian instruments like the Sitar (a string instrument similar to guitar but has a more “buzzy” sound) and Tablas (a set of two drums that require a lot of training to play and perfect) that create rich melodies that are unique to the Indian subcontinent. A performance usually begins with an elaboration of the melodic mode. Once the mode is established, the ornamentation becomes more rhythmical and gradually speeds up. Finally the Tablas join in, and set up the pattern for the song. The style involves a lot of improvisation on the part of the musicians. In fact, almost no song is sung the same way every time by the performers.
Fareed Haque, of Pakistani and Chilean descent, has made a career out of fusing Hindustani musical elements with Jazz. He has been voted as the “World’s Best Guitarist” by Guitar Player Magazine 2009. Haque’s viewpoint has been that both forms of music, Jazz and Hindustani, play the same role: They’re both high energy, hypnotic and charismatic. As a fusion artist, Haque explores his indigenous Hindustani musical roots while demonstrating his skill as a Jazz artist.
As I climbed the stairs leading to the Krannert Centre’s main entrance, a gathering of about thirty people seated around a dimly lit stage came into sight. The stage was complete with a drum kit and a piano as well as Indian musical instruments, the Sitar and Tablas. The stage backdrop was bathed in dim red colored lights. A bar serving a wide variety of wine was located right next to the stage that seemed to be extremely popular with multi-ethnic crowd assembled. The music lovers assembled ranged from young college students dressed in Halloween costumes to more mature adults sitting with their friends to enjoy a few drinks and an evening of good music. By the time Fareed Haque and his Flat Earth Ensemble were cheered on to the stage, the number of people had nearly doubled. With the low-key lighting, the eager audience and the wine, a perfect atmosphere was set for some great music to start playing.
As the band began their first performance, a number comprised of Jazz elements blended with the beats of the Tabla (played by Subrata Bhattacharya), the audience started to physically respond to the music. The effect the music created was immediate yet natural as the people started to dance to the steady tones of the guitar and the rhythmic beats of the Tabla. There were several cries of admiration as Haque mesmerized the crowd with swift hand and finger movements over his guitar.
As the Sitar (played by Indrajit Banerjee) started to come into play, the music became more rich and exotic. The music numbers started to integrate more Hindustani elements and the echo of the Sitar encompassed the entire lobby of the Krannert Centre. One outstanding piece involved Haque and Banerjee participating in what is called “jugalbandi” (meaning “entwined twins”). “Jugalbandi” is a performance in Hindustani classical music in which two musicians acts as lead players and a playful competition ensues. In the abovementioned piece, Haque’s fiery guitar stimulus was matched equally by Banerjee’s fervent sitar that created an exhilarating and unparalleled musical experience.
As Haque called upon Hindustani vocalist Soumendra Roy, a new dimension got introduced to the music. Roy’s excellent vocals blended with the instruments so perfectly, one began to wonder if he should have been called earlier. What followed was probably the highlight of the evening, an intense yet lighthearted contest between Roy’s vocals and Haque’s guitar. As Roy sang different “Swaras” (the seven notes of the scale) at a high speed, Haque tried to match it on his guitar.
Not a huge fan of Jazz music myself, I was rather unenthusiastic about attending the event. Moreover, being a Hindustani classical music enthusiast, I had begun to wonder how Jazz would alter Hindustani classical music. Whether fusion with Jazz would compromise the beauty of Hindustani music and conversely, whether fusion with Hindustani would spoil the experience of a genuine Jazz lover. In other words, does Haque’s fusion of Indian classical and Jazz do justice to the two musical styles involved? Does Haque’s fusion of Indian and Jazz really create magic?
Best way to understand this to analyze the basic elements of Jazz and Hindustani. A comparison of the two musical styles reflects many differences. Firstly, rhythm in Hindustani classical music is based on “tals” or cycles that does not conform to Jazz, which has an element of surprise. Secondly, Hindustani music uses far more scale possibilities that are absent in Jazz music. Thirdly, tempo in Hindustani music is slow at the start and gradually picks up pace whereas Jazz has a steady tempo throughout. Therefore, a truthful fusion of Jazz and Hindustani classical music should not be possible.
However, the two music styles are extremely similar in the most important elements – interpretation and improvisation. In Hindustani music, the performer finds inspiration within the melody and improvises during the performance. Interpretation and improvisation are hence, key elements of Hindustani music. These are also the most important elements of Jazz. Which means that a Jazz player can include Hindustani elements as part of his improvisation and vice versa, hence creating an obvious fusion of the two styles. And this is exactly what Haque’s Flat Earth Ensemble succeeds at. In fact, the “jugalbandi” between the guitar and the Tablas and Sitar creates a lighthearted competition between Jazz and Indian classical music.
Moreover, since the two music styles play the same role – both are high energy, hypnotic and charismatic – their fusion concocts a new flavor of music that any Jazz / Hindustani classical aficionado would enjoy. I personally found myself enjoying Jazz for the first time; the music at times sending shivers down my spine. Haque’s fusion was not only doing justice to both forms of music but was also succeeding in making a non-Jazz lover like me enjoy Jazz.
I believe that the purpose of music is to have an effect on its audience. The effect may be positive or negative but any effect fulfills the music’s and the musician’s intentions. Music is hence, more about the listeners than the musicians themselves. Whether the fusion of the musical styles is conforming to the obscure rules related to them is unimportant compared to whether the music is having a positive impact on its audience.
Ultimately, music is meant to trigger reactions, stir emotions, activate memories and touch the heart. Haque’s fusion of Jazz and Hindustani classical had this exact effect on me; the unique music completely penetrated my soul, the Indian melodies activated memories of my homeland and even made me cry. An evening of fusion music had transformed into an emotional and unforgettable experience for everyone. Several people seemed to have entered a state of trance, as they stood up and started swaying their bodies with the music, their eyes shut and cheeks moist with tears.
As the last song ended, the group received a standing ovation and several calls for encore. For the encore, the drummer set a pattern for the song and on Haque’s hinting gesture the crowd joined in and started clapping to the beats of the music. What resulted was a fast paced number with the focus swiftly alternating between Jazz and Hindustani that left the crowd awestruck. The group was awarded another standing ovation and a huge cheer.
As I got up from my chair, stepped out of Krannert Centre and walked into the night, relaxed and contented, I had just one thought in my mind – how music can be truly magical.