Pianist Richard Bennett and vocalist Dhanashree Pandit-Rai have formed a fusion duo that combine the complex rhythms of jazz with Hindustani classical music.

The founder of the Jazz Utsav, Niranjan Jhaveri did a lot for the genre in the city, and the effects of his work can still be felt. Mumbai Masala is a product of one of those 'aftershocks'.

Jhaveri believed that studying Indian classical music can enhance a jazz vocalist's skills and setup the Jazz Vocal Institute in Mumbai where Dhanashree Pandit-Rai taught. One of her many students at the school, was pianist Richard Bennett's wife who was traveling India with Richard.

A couple of jam sessions later, Dhanashree and Richard realised that they could collaborate and hopefully produce a unique sound with Mumbai Masala. "Though fusion is an old story, there are very few ensembles that collaborate with Indian classical vocalists. I think it is considered too pure a form to combine it with any other," says Dhanashree.

"When we first got together, we had the simplest tabla machine going and I just couldn't keep up. I had to keep reading off my sheet. After the first week I was sure we could not do anything. But it's been a long time now. The way Dhanashree sings, she almost sounds like a sax player.

I feel like we are an instrumental band sometimes," says Bennett. Other than his wife who has been using classical music to have a better control over jazz notes, Bennett fell in love with Hindustani classical music when he heard a record by Bismillah Khan.

Then there was a concert which featured Shivkumar Sharma and Zakir Hussain. "The santoor has so many notes, and I said that's just like how I play. Then right in between the raga, Zakir broke into this afrobeat kind of rhythm and I said to myself, 'that is totally down my alley'."

Since then Bennett who already had a couple of jazz bands in New York got together with a few Indian musicians and formed a fusion troupe. With Mumbai Masala, Bennett has learnt to throw his music sheets out of the window. It's a lot like a jazz concert, Bennett explains, "The thing is I can play music like a student, note for note.

But that doesn't do justice to the music. When I want to learn a new raga I listen to it the whole day. Whether I'm watching TV or cooking dinner, I have to internalise the music before I can do anything with it, just like jazz."

Amazingly, Richard has found similarities between the blues and Indian classical music. While improvisation is the key in both the genres, you have to play certain notes one after another or it sounds "weird".

The duo will also dedicate a track to Bhimsen Joshi who passed away yesterday. "Miyan Malhar has been part of our repertoire, and we will sing it as a tribute," says Dhanashree who hails from the same gharana as the maestro.