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Journalism of Courage
Kendraka is putting Kolkata back on the jazz map,with just a little twist
In the 60s and 70s,if you walked down Kolkatas Park Street and stepped into a restaurant or a bar,youd hear live music. And if there was any music that regaled anybody on that street where all sinners and saints come together,it was jazz. Now few live music bars remain and Mumbai is where jazz has found its address. But one of the newest jazz experiments in contemporary music comes from Kolkata,in the form of two musicians,Mainak Bumpy Nag Chowdhury and Bodhisatwa Ghosh and their band Kendraka.
And fusion is the operative word. Bodhi and I have spent over a decade playing different styles in studio and live sessions. Kendraka is our experimental fusion project and the influences are diverse. This band is a creative space for us to express our views and philosophy,through our music, says Bumpy.
For jazz fans across the country,Kendraka is heralding a new sound. You know it when youre listening to Transitions in Monsoon,a sleepy track that picks up pace,swirling around in your ears as unpredictably as the rain itself or even Dodge It,a track so frantically keeping pace with itself,it immediately draws your feet and pulse to keep time.
The basis of each composition could be anything. We surprise ourselves every time we hit the drawing board. New ideas and older ideas take time but find space to co-exist ,most of the time, says Bumpy. Youll hear it in Jack in the Box,a maverick track that takes its own sweet time to wake up and enjoy itself being played out.
Kendraka marks a maturing for both Bumpy and Ghosh. Before this,Bumpy played with tabla player Tanmoy Boses project Taaltantra,Amit Heri,Dhruv Ghanekar,for Amit Chaudhuris album This is not Fusion and for a score of Indo-German musical collaborations ranging from the Tilmann Dehnhard Quartet to the Muller-Dehndard Quartet to name a few.
Barely out of school when he surfaced in Kolkatas burgeoning rock scene,Ghosh has played styles as diverse as alternative rock with Insomnia and disco funk with Crystal Grass. Sometime last year,I began collaborating with musicians from across India and began moving away from blues and rock,two genres that I have been very familiar with. I found myself playing music that was influenced by jazz,Indian classical and funk, says Ghosh,who is now a permanent member of Taaltantra.
Kendraka was waiting to happen. A meeting with Bumpy in the midst of performing all over Kolkata led the two to come together and formed the band. Kendraka means nucleus. The name was coined by our friend Tapan Desai. We feel it is appropriate,the music binds varied forces together, says Bumpy.
Having played for classical music and fusion outfits,the duo have a keen sense of how Indian classical music can not only find a footing in their guitar-playing but also determine the over-all sound of a track. Indian classical music is a goldmine and we attempt to find a common ground for an acceptable crossover of western and eastern forces in music, says Bumpy.
For example,when he sat down to compose a love song titled 19 Wishes,which plays around with the Carnatic classical taal structure,Bumpy wanted to make sure that no time was wasted in getting a message across. 19 Wishes is a simple tune on a time cycle on nine and a half beats,where we do feel that the truth is cutting right through without getting into the complexities of Carnatic classical-influenced calculations, says Bumpy.
The bands versatility has won it admirers like Jayashree Singh,vocalist of Pink Noise,another nu-wave jazz act based out of Kolkata. Its not just enough to compose that kind of jazz with those influences but also to play it. Theyre both musicians who are technically very adept and their performances bear evidence to that. What is so commendable is how theyve pulled themselves out of their respective comfort zones to play this kind of un-superficial,serious music,which in spite of its technical wizadry and brilliance,has so much heart in it.
Kendraka is working on their debut album and even though both Bumpy and Ghosh are playing for other outfits,they dont feel that their album will suffer from it. Playing music is a constructive exercise and a positive experience. We become richer with newer experiences and are hungrier to play our own compositions too,says the duo.
