The chemistry of jugalbandi

Each musical instrument has its own magic and when two or more are brought together through a jugalbandi, a duet or a collaboration, they create magic. Hyderabad has witnessed this often, but getting the chemistry right between artistes is hardly easy.

According to saxophonist George Brooks, who recently collaborated with Rahul Sharma and the Manganiars, rapport and personal connections make collaborations fruitful: “I prefer to work with people who attempt to express a higher form of consciousness and aim at gaining a deeper understanding of themselves and music. Verbal and musical languages are different, but sharing music onstage comes from trust, respect and mutual understanding.”

Brothers Peter and Bernhard Meyer on guitar and bass collaborated with drummer Moritz Baumgartner to create the Melt Trio, which belts out improvised jazz, alternative rock, overlapping and beyond.

On keeping their act together for so many years, Bernhard says, “Since the age of 15, we have played together. Luckily, we share the same musical interests and are honest during rehearsals and compositions. When on stage, we make sure that everything goes the way we want it... always in the best possible flow.”

Santoor player Pt Shivkumar Sharma’s son Rahul, whose album with Kenny G Namaste India topped the US jazz Billboard charts, says, “I always collaborate with musicians I adore, such as Kenny G, Deep Forest and Richard Clayderman. But collaborations may not be as successful on stage as on a CD. A constant ‘give and take’ and learning happens on stage.”

Flautist Ronu Majumdar has a more philosophical take: “For me, the perfect jugalbandi is the way Pt Ravi Shankar and Ustad Ali Akbar Khan did it... with love and affection. Jugalbandi should be like a husband-wife conversation or the meeting of the souls of two friends. An artiste needs to understand that the more you give, the more you receive.”

Remembering their first duet together, Dr Mysore Manjunath and Nagaraj says the initial plan was a violin trio with their father, but he fell ill and they had to carry on with the concert. “Duets are all about understanding, anticipation and improvisation. It’s a challenge to see how fast we can recover, sometimes without the knowledge of the audience!” says Manjunath.

Jaywant Naidu is a musician, creator of the ‘Jaywant Guitar’ and a freelance photographer.