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Uma Shashi 07/03/2012 Indo-Jazz Group Natraj Celebrates 25 Years _________________________________________________________ Natraj On Wednesday, July 25, the world-jazz ensemble Natraj celebrates a major milestone, its 25th anniversary, with a program in New England’s premier jazz venue, the Regattabar in Harvard Square, Cambridge. Chennai-based Indian percussion virtuoso, T. K. Ramakrishnan, joins Natraj in a guest appearance on mridangam and solkattu. We recently talked to Natraj leader, saxophonist and composer Phil Scarff. Here are some excerpts from that interview. Lokvani: Twenty-five years playing music together is quite an accomplishment. What are some of the highlights? Lokvani: What will you be playing at the Regattabar, and how will you be working with guest percussionist T. K. Ramakrishnan? Lokvani: Tell us about the band and your current line-up. Lokvani: Natraj has worked with many Indian classical and West African artists, including luminaries like Chitravina Ravikiran, Kadri Gopalnath, Trichy Sankaran, Shashank, and Ronu Majumdar. You work with many local artists, too. We caught your recent concert at Amazing Things in Framingham, featuring Carnatic vocalist Deepti Navaratna, which was quite impressive! The music making was a wide-ranging alchemy of the traditional and the contemporary, with some adventurous improvisation. From Carnatic fare “Sri Jagadeeswari,†to the unstructured expanse of Ornette Coleman’s “Lonely Woman,†to a multi-percussive explosion in the original West African based “The Ride,†the concert explored exciting new possibilities in world-jazz fusion. How was it working with Deepti and incorporating Carnatic voice into the band’s sound? Lokvani: The audience at Amazing Things was very enthusiastic and supportive, and really enjoyed Natraj’s adventurous explorations. Good luck with the show at the Regattabar on July 25! To find out more about Natraj, visit www.natrajmusic.com; for more about Phil Scarff visit www.philscarff.com; CDs are available at www.cdbaby.com/Artist/Natraj, www.windjam.com/artists/natraj/index.shtml, and www.cdbaby.com/Artist/PhilScarff. Photo credits: Eric Antoniou, Kateryna Odyntsova ![]() You may also access this article through our web-site http://www.lokvani.com/ |
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