Podcast 860: A Conversation with Purbayan Chatterjee
Nov 2, 2021
Heir to a Hindustani classical lineage passed down from his father Partha Chatterjee (and his father’s teacher Pandit Nikhil Banerjee), virtuoso sitarist Purbayan Chatterjee moves into some new territory with the release of Unbounded - Abaad, his new album from the UK-based, South Asian-focused music media platform Sufiscore. The album reflects not only Chatterjee’s mastery of his native musical tongue but also what he calls “his love story with jazz” and his inquisitive approach to music of all kinds, blending a wealth of colors from master musicians around the world.
If you are going to try your hand at a fusion of multiple types of music, you’ll need a supporting cast that has gone down that road before. Purbayan wisely reached out to a series of jazz masters who have explored world music for assistance and collaboration - banjo pioneer Béla Fleck (whose duo work with the late Chick Corea was formative for Chatterjee); keyboardist Jordan Rudess of the progressive metal band Dream Theater; longtime Pat Metheny drummer Antonio Sanchez; Snarky Puppy bassist and founder Michael League; and Israeli-born jazz clarinetist Anat Cohen. To this group he added a number of Indian musicians who worked with guitarist John McLaughlin in his innovative acoustic fusion project Shakti, most notably table player Ustad Zakir Hussain.
The results are often striking, bringing the feel of jazz-rock fusion timing and speed with modern jazz sensibilities and Indian sense. Take for example “Sukoon — Catharsis,” a marriage of ghazal (sung poetry) and blues that juxtaposes the jazz and Hindustani vocal stylings (respectively) of Thana Alexa and Gayatri Asokan (lyrics by Rehana Qamar). Hussain, Sanchez and League make for a formidable rhythm section, and pianist Carmen Staaf supplies the western jazz harmony.
I spoke with Purbayan from Mumbai, where he discussed the genesis of the project - a visit with Pat Metheny - and the way he felt it logical to incorporate Indian classical sound and structure with jazz. Musical selections include "Shanmukhapriya [The Mystic]" and "Intezaar [The Wait]"