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Journalism of Courage
IT WAS while studying at the Berklee College of Music in the US a few years ago that Aditya Balani wrote a bunch of songs. Every chance meeting with a musician then meant jamming on those tracks. By the time Balani would get home,the songs would have changed course in his head,imbibing styles of those musicians he met. Eager to bring these jazz numbers to India,the guitarist-composer toured the country in 2010. It was this trip back home that finally sowed the seeds of Answers,the guitarists solo jazz album,which he released on Sunday in the Capital. The tour was so well-received that it gave me the confidence to record it. As soon as I got back to the US,I went to a studio and recorded the songs in a day, he says.
Well known in the indie music industry as one of the founders of decade-old band Advaita,Balani has come a long way with this eight-track album. While the melodies are Indian,the harmonic settings are modern jazz. The 30-year-old refrained from using the electric guitar and went with the fretless guitar instead,which lets one explore microtones and when played a certain way can sound like the sarod or the oudh. This is evident in tracks such as Quicksand,which has a middle-eastern vibe and Bandish which thrives on a Hindustani classical sound.
While bringing the two vastly different genres together,the thought of what the purists will say did cross his mind. I am not portraying myself as a Hindustani classical musician,so it shouldnt be a problem. Also,I am not bringing old school jazz to the fore. Its modern jazz,which is all about experimentation, he says.
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