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In the air tonight
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Jazzwise Magazine, In the air tonight >>
The dedication on the sleeve of Flute for Thought, the new Deepak Ram album, is an important one. It is to the late Shri Suryakant V. Limaye, a highly skilled flute maker who had a profound impact on the musical development of Deepak Ram. “He was crucial in my progression as a flute player. He was a craftsman who lived in a very poor part of India and he made bamboo flutes for about 40 years, for anyone and everyone,” explains Deepak. “He was very close to me. I lived with him for about a year and when he died he left all of his remaining flutes to me – they were stored in his attic.” I suppose you could say that the instruments were really destined to go to Deepak. “It’s strange the very night I went to collect them – about four years after his death because I couldn’t go to India at the time – the attic caught fire but we managed to get al of the flutes out in time.”
Shri Suryakant V. Limaye would be happy to know that the fruits of his labour are in good hands. Deepak Ram has, on Flute for Thought, composed a series of pieces that remain true to the high degree of craftsmanship that the young flute player saw in the master flute maker. Flute for Thought is an album of rich melodies that float deftly between cultures; the musical idioms of Europe, Africa, and Asia are all ornately woven into the writing of Deepak Ram. This is not a showcase for flute playing á la Herbie Mann or Hubert Laws. There are no high-pitched theatrics or snap-crackle solos with Deepak Ram. Flute for Thought is dominated by the warm, low and economic sound of the bansuri – the Indian flute.
“The sound is very different, Indian flute is much softer. It’s funny because the flute they use in India is similar to the one that was used during the time of Bach and for baroque music today they still use a wooden flute. I think if you look back at the history of the flute, people decided to change to metal flute so they could actually project more – so they could play above an orchestra.” Although Deepak Ram is only accompanied by no more than four musicians on any one track on the album, there is nevertheless a full, colourful backdrop against which he pitches some dramatic, spacious improvisations. The most striking component of the ensemble is the magnificent kora of Tunde Jegede, a musician who has already gained considerable plaudits through his collaborations with idiosyncratic composer Paul Gladstone Reid.
“Tunde is a really interesting guy. He was one of the first people I met when I came to London from South Africa four years ago. I saw him playing kora in a group that had cello and sitar and I thought yeah I’d really to like to work with that guy,” enthuses Deepak. “We originally brought him in as a session musician but he ended up doing much more because so many things just seemed to work with him. Tunde is really from two different backgrounds. He has studied traditional kora but he started out as a cellist.”
It’s hardly surprising that the affinity between Deepak and Tunde is as strong as it is when you consider the close parallel of their musical evolutions. Both are united by classical training – Deepak in Eastern music, Tunde in Western. Both have worked within a wide range of musical idioms – Tunde has composed suites for the BBC and you’ll find Deepak’s name on recordings by anyone from Transglobal Underground to Kiki Dee. Both have a majestic command of instruments that are not often heard in jazz-influenced music – bansuri and kora.
The two intertwine beautifully on tracks such as “Kitu” and the perky “Cabbage and Roti”, producing an intricate patchwork of sonorities that defy the reductive pigeonholing that the term world music has led to over the years. Combining the musical riches of Africa and India was not, however, the primary motivation for Deepak Ram.
“I come from South Africa and I’ve studied music in India but for me bringing Africa and India together is not what this album is all about. It’s all music, basically – no matter where it comes from. For me the most important thing is the sound and that can come from anywhere – right now I’m writing something for harp but if the musician were the right one, I’d do something with bagpipes or banjo.” Now that’s something to think about.
--Kevin Le Gendre
07/30/98
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