Vikram Hazra.

Jazz and bhajan

For Vikram Hazra, the internationally renowned fusion musician, jazz is bhajan. Music is, for this physicist turned musician, an expression of spirituality. All the gains of his spiritual practice are reflected in his music. "For many of my friends music is sadhana; but for me, music is the result of sadhana, " Hazra says.

Interestingly, Hazra turned to music only after becoming part of the Art of Living movement. This self-taught musician soon rose into international fame with his natural style, which is so integral to a jazz musician. Hazra is now one of the senior teachers of the movement and travels across the globe taking classes and conducting fusion concerts.

Hazra was in Kochi recently for a concert organised by the Vykati Vikas Kendra. The Rama Varma Club auditorium bursting at its seams even before the concert began. Hazra restricted himself to his own compositions from various albums.

Strumming his Steinberger wireless, electric guitar, Hazra took the audience on a rare musical journey. He used the guitar as a tanpura, swaramandali, mandolin, lead and bass guitar. He also sang the bhajans with a passion that percolated to the audience as well.

To make his listeners enjoy his music Hazra plays out his favourite tunes, sings bhajans, chants slokas. His music even flows to popular A. R. Rahman tunes like Chinna chinna asai, which Hazra uses for his bhajan Siva Siva Siva. Obliging to the request of the audience, Hazra rendered his hits like Nikunj Membe Radha... , and Kaun kahthey hai. His style, when he sang the English version of Girdhaari Kamalanayana... ', evoked memories of Joan Baez's heartmelting numbers. At times, his singing closely resembled Mahalia Jackson's gospel music. The manner in which he fills the interludes with jazz reminds one of Eric Clapton. Hazra, who is an ardent jazz fan, also plays the drums and the flute. Suresh, who accompanied him on the flute and the bansuri was excellent. Praveen (tabla), Ajith (rhythm composer) and Nazar (keyboard) supported hazra commendably right through the concert. The rapport between them was simply amazing.

A Bengali by birth, Hazra `never lived in Bengal.' Since his father was teaching at the IIT, Mumbai, Hazra spent most of his life in Mumbai. After graduating in Physics, this former student of IIT did a course in journalism and mass communication. Hazra was fascinated by music right from an early age, but began learning it formally only much later. "I was keen to read about music and the biographies of musicians," he says. This led him into writing about music. He also had a column on music review going in one of the leading English newspapers. He was more into Jazz and Rock those days. Hazra has six audio and four video albums to his credit.

Hazra, who has travelled and performed in over 25 countries, promised to return to Kochi very soon for another fusion concert.

T. K. SADASIVAN