Crosscurrents
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CrossCurrents Zakir Hussain / Tabla Dave Holland / Bass Shankar Mahadevan / Vocals Chris Potter / Saxophones Sanjay Divecha / Guitars Louiz Banks / Piano and Keyboards Gino Banks / Drums Wednesday Evening, November 1, 2017 at 7:30 Michigan Theater Ann Arbor 16th Performance of the 139th Annual Season 24th Annual Jazz Series Traditions and Crosscurrents Tonight’s performance is sponsored by Toyota. Funded in part by the JazzNet Endowment Fund. Media partnership provided by Ann Arbor’s 107one and WEMU 89.1 FM. Special thanks to Jenna Bacolor, John Churchville, Bidisha Ghosh, Seema Jolly, Ann Arbor Community Education and Recreation, and Sumkali for their participation in events surrounding this evening’s performance. CrossCurrents appears by arrangement with IMG Artists and International Music Network. In consideration of the artists and the audience, please refrain from the use of electronic devices during the performance. The photography, sound recording, or videotaping of this performance is prohibited. PROGRAM CrossCurrents This evening’s program will be announced by the artists from the stage and will be performed without intermission. 3 CROSSCURRENTS ARTISTS A classical tabla virtuoso of the highest The preeminent classical tabla virtuoso order, Zakir Hussain is well-known for of our time, Zakir Hussain is appreciated his constant explorations of music from both in the field of percussion and in the around the world. His latest ensemble, music world at large as an international CrossCurrents, attempts to portray all phenomenon. A national treasure in his directions of inspiration between the native India, he is one of the world’s idioms of jazz and Indian music. most esteemed and influential musicians, The great bassist Dave Holland, renowned for his genre-defying a player with one of the most collaborations. distinguished careers in jazz, brings Widely considered a chief architect of his singular vision to the group. The the contemporary world music movement, ensemble pays tribute to pioneering Mr. Hussain’s contribution has been unique, musicians and composers on with many historic and groundbreaking opposite sides of the world who collaborations, including Shakti, Remember built a bridge that could be traversed Shakti, Masters of Percussion, the Diga in both directions. Hussain says of Rhythm Band, Planet Drum, Tabla Beat CrossCurrents: Science, Sangam with Charles Lloyd and Eric Harland, in trio with Béla Fleck and The influence of Indian classical Edgar Meyer and, most recently, with Herbie music on jazz is widely known. Less Hancock. The foremost disciple of his known, however, is the influence of father, the legendary Ustad Allarakha, Mr. jazz on the popular music of India. Hussain was a child prodigy who began his Jazz first came to India by way of professional career at the age of 12, touring the Hollywood musicals of the 1930s internationally with great success by the and 1940s and quickly influenced age of 18. the music of India’s burgeoning film As a composer, he has scored music industry. The improvisational nature of for numerous feature films, major events, jazz was familiar to Indian composers and productions. He has composed two and musicians, who found a way to concertos, and his third, the first-ever incorporate jazz harmonies and chord concerto for tabla and orchestra, was progressions into their work. As a few premiered in India in September 2015, in decades passed, and as the West Europe in 2016, and in the US in April 2017 by was enjoying the inspiration of Indian the National Symphony Orchestra at Kennedy classical music, certain musicians came Center. A Grammy Award winner, he is the to influence popular music in India in a recipient of countless awards and honors, big way. Among these are jazz pianist including Padma Bhushan, National Heritage Louiz Banks, jazz guitarist Sanjay Fellowship, and Officier in France’s Order of Divecha, and superstar composer/ Arts and Letters. In 2015, he was voted “Best vocalist Shankar Mahadevan. Percussionist” by both the DownBeat Critics’ Poll and Modern Drummer’s Readers’ Poll and received SFJAZZ’s Lifetime Achievement Award in January 2017. As an educator, he conducts many a leading light of his generation. DownBeat workshops and lectures each year, has called him “One of the most studied (and been in residence at Princeton University copied) saxophonists on the planet” while and Stanford University, and in 2015, Jazz Times identified him as “a figure of was appointed Regents Lecturer at UC international renown.” Jazz saxophone Berkeley. He is the founder and president elder statesman Dave Liebman called him of Moment! Records, an independent simply “one of the best musicians around,” record label presenting rare live concert a sentiment shared by the readers of recordings of Indian classical music and DownBeat in voting him second only to world music. Mr. Hussain was resident tenor saxophone great Sonny Rollins in the artistic director at SFJAZZ from 2013–16. magazine’s 2008 Readers’ Poll. Mr. Potter’s impressive discography Over the course of a nearly five-decade includes 20 albums as a leader and career, bassist/composer Dave Holland sideman appearances on over 100 albums. has exemplified the evolutionary process He was nominated for a Grammy for his in musical form, reinventing his concept solo work on “In Vogue,” a track from and approach with each new project Joanne Brackeen’s 1999 album Pink while constantly honing his instantly Elephant Magic, and was prominently identifiable voice. Since his professional featured on Steely Dan’s Grammy-winning debut in the mid-1960s with Miles Davis’s album from 2000, Two Against Nature. He legendary Bitches Brew band, that voice has performed or recorded with many of has been heard in a remarkable number the leading names in jazz, such as Herbie of different contexts. He collaborated with Hancock, Dave Holland, John Scofield, the Spanish guitar legend Pepe Habichuela; Mingus Big Band, Jim Hall, Paul Motian, accompanied the great Michigan-born Dave Douglas, Ray Brown, and many others. vocalist Betty Carter in her last years; forged His penchant for risk-taking and genre- a new sound with the pioneering avant- bending make him ideal for CrossCurrents. garde quartet Circle alongside Chick Corea, Anthony Braxton, and Barry Altschul; stood Shankar Mahadevan (vocals) is among the alongside legends like Stan Getz, Hank greatest Indian vocalists alive, having risen Jones, Roy Haynes, and Sam Rivers; and to fame in Mumbai’s fabled Bollywood provided early opportunities to now-leading film industry as a composer, playback players like Chris Potter, Kevin and Robin singer, and member of the famed Shankar- Eubanks, and Steve Coleman. Ehsaan-Loy composing team. He sang from Dave Holland has been at the forefront of his earliest days, but then diverted into a jazz in many of its forms since his earliest career as a software engineer. In 1998 he days. He leads a Grammy-winning big band, ventured into music and released his first an acclaimed quintet, and the Overtone album, Breathless (so named because the quartet. He is also part of a duo with Kenny title song was written as though it was Barron and has released a number of to be sung in one breath). This quickly important solo recordings. brought him to the attention of Bollywood, and he soon became the singing voice A world-class soloist, accomplished of every Tamil hero. He won the first of composer, and formidable bandleader, his many awards for his film music with a Chris Potter (saxophone) has emerged as collaboration with legendary director A.R. 5 Rahman, then won several National Film Los Angeles, where he worked with Scott Awards. As time went on, he found his Henderson, Joe Diorio, and Robben Ford. own compositional voice and he has since Over 15 years in Los Angeles, he recorded become the leading composer in Indian and toured with the likes of Angélique film music, selling millions of records every Kidjo and Carlos Santana. He returned to year. In 2012 he was invited by UNESCO India in 2003 to reconnect with his cultural and the US State Department to perform roots and absorbed Indian folk music at the United Nations for the finale of the from both north (Hindustani) and south International Jazz Festival. He previously (Carnatic) traditions. His album Full Circle, worked with Zakir Hussain as the vocalist released in 2008, captures that journey. for Remember Shakti. Gino Banks (drums) is Louiz Banks’s son, Louiz Banks (keyboards) has been and it is clear that the adventurous spirit of nicknamed the “Godfather of Indian Jazz,” world music exploration is in his DNA. He and it’s appropriate: his commitment and has played with classical greats like Pandit devotion to jazz convinced his father to Shivkumar Sharma, Ustad Rashid Khan, change his son’s name to Louiz in honor Pandit Vikku Vinayakram, and Ustad Sabir of the great jazz trumpet player Louis Khan. He is a stalwart in the Bollywood Armstrong. He began playing music in Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy film music world. his homeland of Nepal, but his career He works regularly with fusion groups accelerated when he settled in Mumbai, like Niladri Kumar’s Sitar Funk, Rakesh where his performance work in night Chaurasia’s RAF, and many others. Rock clubs popularized the genre. His work music is in his world, and he has backed (co-producer, arranger, and pianist) on many dance groups. One of his best-known Miles from India brought his name to great efforts was taking part in Bob Belden’s recognition in America, receiving a Grammy Grammy-nominated Miles from India. Mr. nomination. In the same year, he was the Banks also teaches, primarily at the True featured keyboardist on another Grammy- School of Music. nominated album, John McLaughlin’s Floating Point. Sanjay Divecha’s (guitar) entire history has seen him pursue a vision of world community as expressed through music, which is in perfect accord with the implicit principles of CrossCurrents.