Into The Fire: Synthesising East With West

Review of Into The Fire

Jazz and Carnatic can make an enthralling combination

The Australian Art Orchestra and the Sruthi Laya quartet warmed up the chill winter evening with their instrumental ensemble Into The Fire.

When a doyen like Karaikudi Mani ventures into a fusion of the western jazz with Indian Classical - the effect is predictable. It synthesises the best of both worlds. The concert was that and much more. Lalitha Kala Thoranam's open-air auditorium reverberated with the mellifluous notes soaring out of B.V. Balasai's bamboo, amplified by Adrian Sherrif's trombone and Scott Tinkler's Trumpet and propped up by Sandy Evan's Saxophone. Synthesising the breves and the quavers was Alister Spence on the Keyboard. The descant was further enhanced by Carl Dewhurst's guitar, Steven Elphick on the double Bass and Durga Prasad's gottu vadyam.

Complimenting the harmonious blend was the west-east percussion, leading the right rhythm through the redoubtable Karaikudi's mridangam, with dexterous support by ghatam Suresh.The beat and the bang of Niko Schauble's drums provided the perfect sync to a delightful evening of music. The opening notes of Pentacle took the audience through five ragas that changed with every cycle to create five tempos demonstrated the adaptability of two different media used in the right mix. The third piece, Madhuram (Mishratilangu) took off with the ghatam with Balasai close on is heels with his flute for a wonderful creation. The chittaswaram by the flautist lent the cadence. This and the fifth piece-Rajaraja rajeeth were the highlight of the evening. Vasantha Pravaham in Bahudari and Ranjani by Karaikudi himself, a fusion consummate, in as much as it incorporates a natya piece by Rajeswari Sainath to pure rhythm.

The Hindu Friday Review. Ranee Kumar Friday, January 26, 2007

- The Hindu (Ranee Kumar), 26 January 2007

Reviews of Into The Fire

• Hypnotic Rhythms
• Ideas Never Become Tangled
• West Meets the Subcontinent
• The Exception to the Rule
• A Brilliant Collaboration
• Unique and Beautiful
• For Sophisticated Listeners
• All That Jazz
• New Music From An Older Tradition
• Out of This World Music
• A Triumphal Hurrah
• Melody is the Mother; Rhythm is the Father
• When East Meets West!
• Into The Fire: Synthesising East With West
• Experiment that worked
• Oceanic Wave of Fused Rhythms
• Music Connecting People
• Where Genres Meet
• Moved by Rhythm Patterns
• Into the Fire - An Introduction and Brief History
• A Quick Word From Paul Re. Into the Fire