summer isn’t really around the corner now. summer is here. anyone who lives in north india would know the imminence of summer the very morning he experiences a power cut even before he heads off to work. which largely transpires into the fact that for a native of delhi, power cuts usually fulfill the need, if there was one, for a weather report. not every weather report is the same, and not every weather report requires a prancing reporter flippantly tossing her painstakingly straightened hair as she hovers over the map (and gives trp’s a boost). yes, i know, i’ve been horsing around till now (blame the 6am powercut i just faced). i’ll cut straight through to the report and get down to what was weathered by select audience at a delhi pub a couple of nights ago, when they faced the music from three acclaimed maestros of their respective instruments.
scott kinsey (tribal tech) may not be that well known a name (i dare say) in this part of the world, barring folks in the music fraternity, or serious aficionados of jazz. those who know him would at least give a nod of approval, (c’mon guys, you should be jumping up and down in approval), if not more, when i say that he is a good ol’ babaji when it comes to the keys. some part of this may have come through in the form of his pedigree, having enjoyed an extremely close and successful working relationship with joe zawinul (weather report? now, ok?), a monk when it came to his work on the keyboards (i say a monk because of the way i’ve seen him in performances and images, scott told me i was wrong in my perception, not on his erudition of course, but his countenance), and who scott had not only as a mentor, but also as a fellow collaborator in music. touring india along with, unarguably, one of the finest jazz percussionists we have around ourselves today, ranjit barot, scott completed the trio along with dominique dipiazza, to deliver a performance which left the audience under a force of magnetism which only allowed limbs to resonate in harmonic motion with the music. while ranjit and scott – being the masters they are – used to lose themselves in another dimension altogether while they played, it was the watchful gaze of dipiazza on the bass guitar which wove both of them together, and ensured they didn’t go too far away making it a point to get them back. and then start all over again. the audience just kept getting lost themselves. i’m still wondering whose watchful gaze bought them back. maybe just the sheer pleasure of a perfect evening set in summer.
incidentally, scott kinsey has toured india in the past – 2007, when he played in calcutta and aizawl.
ranjit barot is slated to perform soon at the escape festival being held in naukuchiatal between 20-22 may (www.escapefestival.in)
some images from that night, more of which maybe viewed here.
