Fusion Muse

In its second edition,Vriddhi: Evolution organised by Kuchipuri Dance Academy,will feature twin acts of The Yoginis,a collaborative music project of tabla player Vishal Nagar and Seattle-based jazz pianist Terry McCraw; and Carnatic musician Sudha Raghuraman and flautist G Raghuramans collaboration with fusion band Advaita. The festival,which will be held on March 2,is the brainchild of 19-year-old Vedabrata Rao,son of Guru Jayarama and Vanashree Rao of the academy.

I go for all kinds of performances and I always wonder why a classical performance cant pull such a crowd. This festival is a way to bridge that gap between the audience and the artistes, says Rao,a BA English Hons student from Sri Venkateswara College. A collaboration between Raghuramans on mridangam and morsing and Advaita,spread over six months,had the artistes work on compositions two from their respective oeuvres along with individual ones.

On the other hand,jazz pianist Yogi McCaws India tour finds its way to the festival through his long-term association with Nagar. A project since the mid-2000s,the artistes bring together elements of Hindustani classical and jazz. For the festival,the artistes,along with eight other musicians,will perform percussion pieces and a blues-raga basant fusion,among others.

Vriddhi: Evolution will be held at Zorba,on March 2 at 7 pm. Tickets are priced at Rs 500.

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