Program

Into The Fire

Composers: Karaikudi R. Mani, Adrian Sherriff, John Rodgers, Niko Schauble, Scott Tinkler
Musical Directors: Karaikudi R. Mani and Adrian Sherriff
Premiere: Siri Fort Auditorium, New Delhi, October 1996

Original Program for Large ensemble

Into the Fire (Karaikudi R. Mani and Adrian Sherriff)
Moras (John Rodgers and Karaikudi R. Mani)
The Ferryman (Niko Schauble)
Stitching Leonardo (Scott Tinkler)

New Program for Small Ensemble

Pentacle (Adrian Sherriff)
Madhuran (B. V. Balasai)
Hydradub (Niko Schauble)
Sacred Cow’s Tail (Sandra Evans)
In the Loop (Alister Spence)
Vande Matharan (Chatterjee)
Into the Fire (K. R. Mani, Adrian Sherriff)
Stitching Leonardo (Scott Tinkler)

Program Notes

One of the primary aims of the Australian Art Orchestra has been to create situations allowing for a free and open exchange of musical and dramatic ideas between different cultures and traditions. Into the Fire is one such exchange. As such, the AAO has been collaborating with Guru Karaikudi Mani (one of the greatest exponents of the complexities of Carnatic music) on this project, since 1996. From this point on, Into the Fire has been performed throughout India, Europe, Australia and Asia; wowing audiences throughout the world with it’s intoxicating blend of music, percussion and dance.

The rhythmic intricacies and improvising practices that reside at the core of both the South Indian Carnatic tradition and the Western jazz tradition are revealed in this program in virtuosic splendour. Rich in power, beauty and originality, Into the Fire is a new style of music built on the rock solid foundation of the Carnatic tradition with Western interpretations, performed both on South Indian and Western instruments.

Watch excerpts from Into the Fire.

Tour History

1996 – India Tour: New Dehli, Mumbai, Calcutta
1997 – Wangaratta Jazz Festival
1998 – Ironbank Music Camp, South Australia, Adelaide Festival of the Arts
2000 – European Tour: Australia Celebrates: Heads Up, London, World Expo, Hanover, Copenhagen Jazz Festival, Archa Theatre, Prague, Pori International Jazz Festival, Finland
2003 – Hamer Hall, Melbourne International Arts Festival
2007 – India Tour: Hyderabad, Mumbai Arts Festival, Kolkota, Bangalore
2008 – India Tour: Hyderabad, Mysore, Bangalore, Chennai
2009 – Melbourne Recital Centre, The Chennai Tapes (Into the Fire)
2010 – Parramasala Festival of South Asian Arts, Riverside Theatre, Parramatta

Recording History

1999 – Into the Fire, ABC classics
2008 – The Chennai Tapes, AAO recordings

The Chennai Sessions (Into the Fire): Buy Now

CD Image Credit: John Gollings

Performance Artists

2008 Small Ensemble

Guru Karaikudi Mani Mridangam
B.V. Balasai Flute
U.P. Raju Mandolin
V. Suresh Ghatam
Alister Spence Keyboard
Adrian Sherriff Trombone
Scott Tinkler Trumpet
Niko Schauble Drums
Sandy Evans Saxophone
Philip Rex Double bass
Lachlan Davidson Reeds

Collaborators: Rajeswari Sainath, Bharatanatyam dancer
T.V. Vasan, Ghatam (1996)
Durga Prasad, Gottu vadyam (2007)

Duration: 1hr 45min

Press for Into The Fire

Hypnotic Rhythms

Adelaide GT    May 2000

Ideas Never Become Tangled

Weekend Australian   (Lynden Barber)  June 2000

West Meets the Subcontinent

Sydney Morning Herald  (John Clare)  6 May 2000

The Exception to the Rule

The Age Green Guide   (Leon Gettler)  May 2000

A Brilliant Collaboration

Australian Financial Review  (Shane Nichols)  June 2000

Unique and Beautiful

Capital Q     May 2000

For Sophisticated Listeners

Canberra Times   (Michael Porter)  June 2000

All That Jazz

The Indian Express, Bombay    31 October 1996

New Music From An Older Tradition

The Indian Express, New Delhi    October 1996

Out of This World Music

Adelaide Advertiser   (Stephen Whittington)  March 1998

A Triumphal Hurrah

The Telegraph, Calcutta   (Prosanto Dutt)  October 1996

Melody is the Mother; Rhythm is the Father

The Age   (Jessica Nicholas)  13 October 2003

When East Meets West!

Hyderabad Times  (Usha Raman)  25 January 2007

Into The Fire: Synthesising East With West

The Hindu  (Ranee Kumar)  26 January 2007

Experiment that worked

The Hindu  (Lalithaa Krishnan)  13 June 2008

Oceanic Wave of Fused Rhythms

The Hindu  (Usha Raman)  6 June 2008

Music Connecting People

Newsindiapress.com Express Features    24 June 2008

Where Genres Meet

The Hindu, Chennai   (Divya Kumar)  2 June 2008

Moved by Rhythm Patterns

The Hindu  (V. Balasubramanian)  1 May 2009

Into the Fire - An Introduction and Brief History

Moving to Another Phase

JazzChord, August 2000  (Martin Jackson) 

A Quick Word From Paul Re. Into the Fire