The Carnatic Jazz Experiment:

1. The Carnatic Jazz Experiment: Developing Approaches to Cross-cultural Composition and Improvisation Carnatic Jazz Experiment, Concert One. 13 March, 2009.

2. Me, pre-2004. • Brought up on Bach, Hendrix, Mahler, Stevie Ray Vaughan, The Beatles, Stan Getz, Tom Waits and the Mahavishnu Orchestra. • Began professional career playing jazz piano at 15. Gradual shift to guitar in late teens. • Bachelor of Music (composition), QCGU, 1998. • Focus on odd-meter jazz-funk-fusion complexity (Babel 1996-2000). • Immersion in new music/orchestral music composition. (Compost 1996-2005; ACOF 2001 and 2002; Affiliate of TQO in 2003). • Focus on jazz playing and composing (Toby Wren Trio 2002-2005). • Influence of Carnatic music beginning in 2004.

3. My Research 2004-2009 • “The Carnatic jazz experiment: Learning to reconcile Carnatic and jazz in my composition and improvisation practice (2008-09)”. • Research as practice:: Practice as research. • An autoethnography. • 2 performances: Test cases for approaches to composing and improvising in a Carnatic-jazz style.

4. Me compositions and Improvisations Carnatic Lessons Carnatic Listening Carnatic Reading Carnatic Collaborations carnatic-jazz me

5. Carnatic Music • Sounds like this: Sowmya, ‘Jagadandakaraka’ (Thyagaraja). • And this: TN Sheshagopalan, ‘Aparathamula’ (Patnam Subramania Iyer). • And this: Aruna Sairam, ‘Venkataramanee’ (Purandara Dasa). • It can also sound like this: U Srinivas, ‘Raghunathaninne’ (R S Iyengar). • And this: R Prasanna, ‘Maha Ganapathim’ (Dikshitar). • And this: Karaikkudi R Mani, ‘Sruthi Laya’ (KR Mani). • It is monophonic (melody with rhythmic accompaniment) against a R-5 drone. • The effort that Western music put into harmony, Indian music put into melodic and rhythmic construction. • Rhythmic approach is the most complex of any musical culture. • Carnatic compositions are long and intricate. • and, the aesthetics are different to western music.

6. My Learning Process • See Carnatic concerts – Chennai 2006, 2008. • Texts on Carnatic music Pesch, Ramanathan, Wade, Qureshi et al, Lavezzoli, Farrell, David Nelson, Mannarkoil Balaji. • Cross-Cultural Musicianship QUT Music & Sound • Other C-C collaborations Dheeraj Shrestha, Hyelim Kim and teachers and collaborators….

7. Gurus and Collaborators Eshwarshanker Jeyarajan Rajyashree Josyer Srikanth R Prasanna U Srinivas Karaikkudi R Mani Palghat Raghu Andrew Shaw John Rodgers Dheeraj Shrestha Stephen Newcomb Jamie Clark Tunji Beier

8. Developing a Cross-cultural composition/improvisation language • Learn, compare, synthesize, do. • Jazz glasses. Rethink. • Immerse. Relearn. • Deliberate actions: … composition exercises, improvisation exercises, collaborative exercises.

9. Summary of Approaches • Use of rhythmic cadences: Moras and Korvais. • Use of Gamakas. • Use of compositional forms. • Reconciliation of drone. • Use of concert structures.

10. Rhythmic Cadences in Improv • Practice RCs in the hope that they would magically come out in performance. • Learn simple Moras. Eg. 3x(n) • Practice specific RCs for specific pieces. • Practice RCs of different lengths.

11. Gamakas • Listen to lots of Carnatic music. • Practice Carnatic pieces. • Intentionally use Gamakas for expression in other forms of music.

12. Compositional form • Carnatic krithi: (in very broad brush-strokes) Pallavi Anupallavi Charanam (all composed, generally 2 lines of text, with variation) Alap (improvised introduction of ragam- pitch set) - Improvisation (trading with accompanist) can occur at the end of any section. Usuall ends in a korvai or mora. - A key phrase from the pallavi is usually used as a point of return to be sung after subsequent sections and at the end of improvisations.

13. Reconciliation of drone • Mridangam, tabla, ghatam are pitched. • Drone as the root of all chords • Drone notes included in all chords • Harmony developed from a ragam (diatonic)

14. Concert format • Varnum • Krithis (3-5) • Main Piece (containing the tani avarttanam) - a Ragam Tanam Pallavi; or - a long krithi • lighter krithis, padams and javallis (3-5)

15. compared to the western • Big song or 2 to start • Ballad • Unknown material • Big songs to finish

16. #1 – Holed up in the Palmgrove • Written in India the week after the Mumbai attacks. • Initial inspiration a Jazz piece (Alcohotlicks), later adapted to KhandaChapu (5/8). • Interplay of harmony and drone. • Use of Karaikkudi Mani korvai for melody: TakitaThom , TakaThom , TaThom , TakitaThom , TakaThom, TaThom , TaThom , TakitaThom , TakaThom , TaThom, TaThom , TaThom , Taka Thom , Taka Thom , Taka ||Thom • and Eshwarshankerkorvai:Dhit , ThangkitatakatarikitatakaTham , , , ThakathomThangkitatakatarikitatakaTham , , ,Dhit , ThangkitatakatarikitatakaTham , ThakathomThangkitatakatarikitatakaTham , Dhit , ThangkitatakatarikitatakaThakathomThangkitatakatarikitatakaThat , , deeng , , gi , , na , , thom , , That , ding , gi , na , thom , Tha din ginathomTha din ginathomTha din ginathomTham , ThaanguTha din ginathomTha din ginathomTha din ginathomTham , ThaanguTha din ginathomTha din ginathomTha din ginathom || Dha

17. Holed up in the Palmgrove Toby Wren (2008)

19. #2 – Nataraja • Ragam influence - # 4 and #6 • Contrasting sections – jazz/carnatic • Use of groupings – 12=3x4 ; 24 = 3x8 • Use of groupings – 3 x n • KRM korvai Thath , Dhit , Taka Dhin , dhin , ka , Tha , , , Dhit , Taka Dhin , dhin , ka , Tha , , , Taka Dhin , dhin , ka , Tha , , , Tan , gita takadimi Tan , gita takadimi Tan , gita takadimi Taangu Dha , di , gi , na , thom Dha , di , gi , na , thom Dha , di , gi , na , thom

22. Nataraja harmonic analysis • Harmony against a drone: Chord progression: Fmaj7, E7, Am, Dm, D#mb5, C, F#m7b5 Against an E Drone: E & B Implied chord progression: Fmaj7#11, E7, Am9, Dm6, D#mb5 (vii chord), Cmaj7, F#m11b5 (Dm D#mb5 Em is also a neapolitan prog – ie F6, B7, Em)

23. Evaluation Criteria • A structure or process that allows for full artistic expression by practitioners from different musical cultures. • Considered design of collaboration, musical setting and performance setting. • Was it sufficiently different from other Carnatic-Jazz experiments? • Was I successful? RCs in Impro ; Gamakas ; Compositional form ; Reconciliation of drone ; concert format. Collaborations? Performances?

24. Reference List Books: Hood, M. (1960). The challenge of bi-musicality. [Electronic version]. Ethnomusicology, Vol. 4, No.2 (May, 1960), pp. 55-59. Retrieved 12 June, 2008, from JSTOR database. Kumar, K. & Stackhouse, J. (1987). Classical music of South India: Karnatic tradition in western notation. (Monographs in Music 5). Stuyvesant, NY: Pendragon Press. Nelson, D. (2008). The solkattu manual: An introduction to the rhythmic language of South Indian music. Middletown, CT: Wesleyan University Press. Nelson, David P. (1991). Mrdangam mind: The tani avartanam in Karnatak music. Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, Wesleyan University. Qureshi, R., Powers, H.S., Katz, J., Widdess, R., Geekie, G., Dick, A., et al. (2008).  India. [Electronic version]. Grove music online. Retrieved March 26, 2008, from http://www.grovemusic.com. Wade, B. C. (1979). Music in India: The classical traditions. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall. CDs: Karaikkudi R Mani: Into the Fire (2000); Sruthi Laya Melodies (1988); Amrutham (2003); Unmatched (2004). Prasanna: Guitar Indian Style (1996); Electric Ganesha Land (2006). Shakti: Shakti with John McLaughlin (1976); Remember Shakti: Saturday Night in Bombay (2001); The Believer (2000); The way of Beauty (DVD, 2006). U Srinivas: Dawn Raga (1995); Rama sree rama (1994); Samjanitha (2008); Dream (1995). www.carnaticjazzexperiment.wordpress.com

25. Karaikkudi R Mani artist-in-residence (Oct 13-17) • Karaikkudi R Mani (mridangam), • Ghatam Suresh (ghatam), • UP Raju (mandolin), and • BV Balasai (bamboo flute). • Daily solkattu classes with Sri Mani and Suresh. • I will be running an introductory course in solkattu for those interested.