WEBVTT

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Thank you. Welcome back to the PianoPod, everyone.

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I am so glad you're here because today's episode

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is truly special. My guest is Charu Suri, a trailblazing

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jazz pianist and composer whose music defies

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conventional boundaries. Charu has crafted a

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sound entirely her own, weaving together the

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intricate beauty of Indian ragas, the improvisational

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soul of jazz, and the spiritual depth of Sufi

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music. The result is a sonic landscape that feels

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timeless and entirely new. Charu's journey is

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just as compelling as her music. Born in India

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and raised across four continents, her global

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experiences have shaped a musical voice that

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is rich, rooted, and refreshingly original. She

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is one of the very few female jazz composers

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of Indian origin to have graced the stages of

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Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and Berlin Jazz

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Club. Her critically acclaimed albums, The Book

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of Ragas, Ragas and Waltzes, and her most recent

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work, Rags and Ragas, have redefined what it

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means to blend jazz with Indian classical traditions.

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with renowned collaborators charu continues to

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push boundaries of genre and storytelling through

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music in our conversation we explore how she

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developed her signature fusion of jazz ragas

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and sufi influences the creative journey behind

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her genre -defying albums and the challenges

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and breakthroughs in blending musical traditions

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from different cultures and what it means to

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be a South Asian woman forging her path in a

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jazz world. But before we dive in, I want to

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take a moment to share something important with

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you. Creating this podcast, curating meaningful

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conversations, and producing high -quality content

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and growing our reach takes an incredible amount

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of time and resources. If you have been enjoying

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these episodes and believe in the mission of

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The Piano Pod, I invite you to support this work

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by becoming a paid subscriber on Substack at

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thepianopod .substack .com. Your support helps

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sustain and grow this platform, making it possible

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for us to continue highlighting diverse voices,

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exploring creative journeys, and expanding the

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conversation around classical and genre -crossing

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music. Even a small contribution goes a long

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way. Now let's get into it. Here is my conversation

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with the brilliant Charu Suri. Please enjoy the

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show. You are listening to The Piano Pod, where

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we talk to the brightest minds in the industry

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about how they are bringing the piano into the

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future and thriving in a complex, ever -evolving

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world. Welcome to The Piano Pod, Charu. It is

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so wonderful to have you here. It's such a pleasure

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to be here. Thank you for having me. Oh, thank

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you. And then I assume you're in New York? New

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Jersey, actually. Very close. Yeah. Okay. Wonderful.

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Close to Montclair. Oh, great. Wonderful. Beautiful

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area. I live in Brooklyn, so we're not too far,

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right? Not too far. Not too far. Wonderful. Your

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music is truly one of a kind. I've never heard

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anything like it until I was introduced. And

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so really seamlessly blending jazz and Indian

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ragas and even Sufi influences into a sound that

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really feels both innovative and deeply rooted

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in multiple traditions. I can't wait to really

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dive into your journey, creative process and

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the vision behind your music. But start. Here

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is my first question. If you were to capture

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the essence of your artistry, mission, and passion

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in just a few sentences, how would you define

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who you are as an artist today? I am an artist

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who seeks to create music that transcends genres

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and boundaries and borders. To deliver music

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that reflects my heritage. but also that heals

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and pleases the listener. Beautiful. I love the

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part where you said healing. We all need some

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healing. And that's why I started doing what

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I did, because I had to heal myself. And in the

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process, I ended up healing a lot of people who

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ended up listening to my creations. And I'm very

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grateful. We all need healing. Oh, yeah. But

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to get there, that must be a journey. Very much.

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You know, spiritual journey, maybe? Yes, very

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spiritual. I'm very much guided by the higher

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powers and the universe. And I've always been

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an advocate of taking risks and listening to

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that higher purpose, because most of us go through

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life just trying to fit neatly into the boxes.

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I did as a concert pianist. We can talk about

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that. But yes, it definitely was a spiritual

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journey. So I can't really wait to dig into even

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deeper. But now, first of all, I'd love to explore

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this innovative, innovative genre of raga jazz.

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you've pioneered but first could you briefly

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explain to our audience what a raga is just to

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differentiate between obviously there's a huge

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difference but maybe you may find some similarity

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in between those two completely seems like a

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complete different genres absolutely so i'm going

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to illustrate that on the piano so obviously

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when we go through music in the western tradition

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we play a scale And almost every single student

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of music has been introduced to music this way.

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To learn the 12 -tone scales and the relative

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minor and then go on to the next major scale,

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etc. So we have 12 major and 12 minor scales

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that we know and the Western tradition. That's

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how I learned music. but I also concurrently

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learn Indian ragas and a raga could be or now

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that is a scale but it's a very different type

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of scale it's a raga it actually can't even be

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called a scale because a raga means modal scale

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So when I perform, I try to explain and also

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educate my audience that the Western way of doing

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music is what we normally think of music. Normally.

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From the church hymns to the piano repertoire

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to the orchestral repertoire. All. is a universe

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that stems from the 12 major and the 12 minor

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scales. That's just how we know it, and that's

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how people have heard of music. There are over

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500 ragas. The universe is actually staggering

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how big that universe is, and most people don't

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know any. Yeah. At all. It's a niche that really

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hasn't entered mainstream music. It has in certain

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pieces that have become popular, but people don't

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even know that's a raga. They don't know what

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that is. So a raga is a modal scale, like what

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I played. Where the ascending and the descending

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don't necessarily have to be the same. That itself

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is one step that's a different way of thinking

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than the Western scale. Because we were all used

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to playing 12 notes up and 8 notes up and 8 notes

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down. And using the exact same notes ascending

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and descending. A raga does not have to be that

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way. But what also makes a raga very special

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and also deep, that's why it takes years of study,

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is that it is played in a certain time of day.

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Which is a very spiritual way of looking at music.

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So normally when you think of pieces like this.

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Now the Moonlight Sonata wasn't even named by

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Beethoven, but immediately when we hear it, we

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are thinking of a certain time of day. We're

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thinking of the moonlight. But pieces like that,

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and also like Chopin's Nocturnes, are few and

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far between in Western music because they evoke

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a certain aura, a certain time of day, a certain

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vision that comes. Whereas in a raga, that was

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always the thinking. That when you play a scale

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like Kalyani, which is the Lydian scale, that

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is supposed to be played right after sunset.

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It comes, each raga comes with that thinking

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as part and parcel of the aura of the raga, which

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shows you how intensely spiritual and meditative

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that whole thinking and mindset is, right? So

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when you, I compose pieces in Halyani, which

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is akin to the Lydian scale. And one of my pieces

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sounds like this. So I really try to use the

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notes of the raga. And immediately when you hear

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that, you do feel like it's after sunset. The

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energies are very different. And I've composed

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pieces in the morning raga, Sankara Barna, which

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is the same as the Ionian scale, which is the

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perfect major scale. So there is some overlap.

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But a raga is a very ancient scale. It's over

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2 ,000 years old. And it has not been really

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discovered or put into mainstream music as much.

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It's so beautiful, by the way. I have so many

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ragas. I myself am learning this process. And

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each raga can really anchor you into that hyper

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meditative state. So I always joke yoga originated

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in India and raga originated in India. The purpose

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of both of them are very similar. Yeah. Yeah.

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And, you know, I used to be a little bit of a

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yoga junkie. So I would attend a class and where,

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you know, the teacher would play actually with

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the instrument of Raga. And it was just amazing

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how the music of Raga is so connected to humankind,

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human being, spirituality. We hardly talk about

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it. Yes. Unfortunately. in any other genres of

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music right we don't and you know it's so it's

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so healing and that's the reason i started doing

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it because i was i'm a very sensitive soul as

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i think a lot of artists are i am shy of you

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know anything that's brutal or negative we want

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to be loved and feel warm and fuzzy artists are

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that way and i started to go to the ragas to

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find my healing place. And in that process, I

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created my own works because that's the way I

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wanted to be healed. It's just amazing how the

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journey happened. I was not planning on any of

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this, really. I started playing with the ragas

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in jazz and in classical jazz style that I do.

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And people heard this and they're like, what

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is that you're playing? It's so beautiful. Can

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you play more of it? And I'm like... what do

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you mean this is how I hear music you know I

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did not know that I was hearing something new

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in my head because this is how I heard about

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music and then I started you know composing and

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putting pen to paper and then recording and they're

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like this people who listen to this like this

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is amazing play more of that so that's how this

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whole raga thing was born in my music So that's

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where the raga jazz. Yes, that's how it ended

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up being raga jazz. That was the journey to get

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to that because I was schooled when I was very

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young as a child as a concert pianist in Mozart,

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Brahms, Beethoven, Bach, you name it. But I was

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also schooled in Carnatic and Hindustani raga.

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So I would sing that with my teacher. So concurrently,

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when I was growing up as a child in India. And

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I started playing the piano when I was five years

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old. And I started learning the ragas when I

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was eight years old. So concurrently, I was doing

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both of these things simultaneously. And that's

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how kind of I've always thought about music,

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I guess. Wow, interesting. So, well, then let's

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talk about your, you know, where you grew up.

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And then obviously you mentioned you were born

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and raised in India. And then so, but where did

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the jazz come from? influence come from yeah

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that's a really great question jazz is actually

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relatively recent for me it's only five years

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ago that I went to New Orleans and I fell in

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love with jazz with Preservation Hall and that's

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when I started writing jazz and my jazz albums

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so it's so so recent people like listen to it

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they're like we can't believe it we think we

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think you've been doing this all your life no

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I was really a classical trained musician and

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a concert classical pianist So my earliest memories

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of performing were performing everything from

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Chopin's Waltzes to the Nocturnes to Beethoven

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sonatas and Mozart sonatas like every other pianist

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pretty much does. And then I went to New Orleans,

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and that was the city that changed my life. I

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still now talk, and the New Orleans musicians

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are playing my raga jazz, which is unbelievable.

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I mean, it's incredible what's happening here.

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And they want to learn more about raga jazz.

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But what I loved about jazz was obviously it

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had an improvisational... element to it while

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being structured. And that is also reflected

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in the way Indian music is done with the ragas.

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You start with the raga, with an alap. Like an

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alap is an introduction of a raga. I'm playing

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a raga that's a late morning raga that's Charu

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KC raga, my namesake raga. So it might go like

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this. That's a late morning raga. And that's

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an unfolding of a raga. You know, when it comes

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to Indian music, you start with like an unfolding

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of the raga. Then you go into the song, something

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like this. And then the actual melody would come.

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Now, the interesting thing about Indian music.

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is there's an element of improvisation. They'll

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go and then they'll start doing really fast,

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you know, vocals and everything. So what attracted

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me to jazz, to get back to your question, was

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the improvisational nature of jazz and the improvisational

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nature of ragas were almost, they had amazing

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parallels and overlap. The only difference being

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jazz had harmony and Indian music doesn't. So

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jazz would be something... So once you start

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putting the harmonies into it, you've created

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something totally different called Rava Jazz.

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That's how it all happened. Really? Wow. New

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Orleans is an amazing place. I know that. It

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is. It really is. Yes. I've been there a few

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times. I used to live in Florida, so it was a

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very quick drive there and it's a special place.

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And so when you just really see the jazz music

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in New Orleans and, you know, maybe you saw several

00:20:11.940 --> 00:20:15.259
jazz musicians and did you hear the raga is also

00:20:15.259 --> 00:20:18.380
coming together like in your ear? What I heard

00:20:18.380 --> 00:20:22.400
in New Orleans. was the fact that some of the

00:20:22.400 --> 00:20:25.259
melodies were super simple with an amazing rhythmic

00:20:25.259 --> 00:20:45.750
structure like this You have that amazing, those

00:20:45.750 --> 00:20:48.170
are the qualities, those are the music I heard

00:20:48.170 --> 00:20:52.130
from New Orleans. With the rhythm, and with the

00:20:52.130 --> 00:20:56.650
stride piano, with the chordings, and then the

00:20:56.650 --> 00:21:00.029
simple lyrical melody. It isn't that complex.

00:21:00.130 --> 00:21:02.630
It's not like runs all over the place, you know,

00:21:02.630 --> 00:21:22.660
it's... That's Hello Dolly by, and that's one

00:21:22.660 --> 00:21:26.319
of the favorite jazz standards. I loved that

00:21:26.319 --> 00:21:30.759
simplicity, that amazing song -like melody, that

00:21:30.759 --> 00:21:33.200
lyrical melody that you can hear, that you can

00:21:33.200 --> 00:21:37.019
hum and take away at home. and that amazing rhythmic

00:21:37.019 --> 00:21:40.880
structure. So that inspired me to take those

00:21:40.880 --> 00:21:43.920
elements of the rhythm and the harmony and weave

00:21:43.920 --> 00:21:47.220
it into jazz. So for example, one of my most

00:21:47.220 --> 00:21:50.619
well -known pieces is based on Raga Hemant. I

00:21:50.619 --> 00:21:54.779
took that style of New Orleans to heart and I

00:21:54.779 --> 00:22:28.650
came up with this. So that is my own piece based

00:22:28.650 --> 00:22:32.250
on raga hament using some of that simplistic

00:22:32.250 --> 00:22:35.609
rhythmic and harmonic style found in new orleans

00:22:35.609 --> 00:22:39.890
can you hear the parallel yes i do what a special

00:22:39.890 --> 00:22:43.670
blend so the right hand is really following the

00:22:43.670 --> 00:22:47.849
indian tradition yeah the raga the notes but

00:22:47.849 --> 00:22:50.329
using melody but their left hand is trying to

00:22:50.329 --> 00:22:54.599
do more of the The stride and the harmony, simple

00:22:54.599 --> 00:22:56.940
harmony is nothing too crazy. I might get more

00:22:56.940 --> 00:23:00.039
jazzy later on as I take risks with the jazz

00:23:00.039 --> 00:23:03.440
chords. But yeah, that was where I started my

00:23:03.440 --> 00:23:06.480
rock band jazz journey. Oh my goodness. But just

00:23:06.480 --> 00:23:10.420
to start a jazz music is, you know, as a classically

00:23:10.420 --> 00:23:14.599
trained, it's not easy. So hard. Tell me about

00:23:14.599 --> 00:23:17.140
it. Oh my God. And most people listen to my work

00:23:17.140 --> 00:23:19.339
saying. oh, you've been doing it ever since I

00:23:19.339 --> 00:23:20.940
was a child. I'm like, no. That's what I thought.

00:23:21.099 --> 00:23:24.180
I fell flat on my face too many times. Really?

00:23:24.579 --> 00:23:28.880
Oh, God, are you kidding me? I bombed so many

00:23:28.880 --> 00:23:30.980
times, and I bombed concerts, and people were

00:23:30.980 --> 00:23:33.640
like, sweetheart, I don't know about this. And

00:23:33.640 --> 00:23:36.259
then I kept learning, and I kept studying, and

00:23:36.259 --> 00:23:38.420
I still now have a jazz teacher, I have a raga

00:23:38.420 --> 00:23:40.519
teacher, because I really wanted to get to know

00:23:40.519 --> 00:23:43.819
these genres very well. I put in more effort

00:23:43.819 --> 00:23:46.819
than most people have any idea like constantly

00:23:46.819 --> 00:23:49.900
refining constantly blending constantly chipping

00:23:49.900 --> 00:23:53.259
away to make it sound like it's like really super

00:23:53.259 --> 00:23:55.920
seamless which I think right now that's what

00:23:55.920 --> 00:23:58.359
it sounds like and I'm And I'm grateful. Yes.

00:23:58.819 --> 00:24:01.440
I'm surprised to hear that because, you know,

00:24:01.440 --> 00:24:04.700
honestly, five years ago is around pandemic,

00:24:04.799 --> 00:24:08.160
no? Yes, exactly. Around the pandemic. And I

00:24:08.160 --> 00:24:10.359
started doing more live streams then. I started

00:24:10.359 --> 00:24:12.700
putting more videos out. People started listening

00:24:12.700 --> 00:24:14.740
and they were like, wow, we had no idea you could

00:24:14.740 --> 00:24:17.740
do this. And then I started giving more jazz

00:24:17.740 --> 00:24:20.380
gigs and jazz concerts. And then it sort of like

00:24:20.380 --> 00:24:22.539
blew up. And then we played at Carnegie Hall,

00:24:22.680 --> 00:24:25.759
debuted the Book of Ragas. And then people, critics,

00:24:25.960 --> 00:24:27.799
jazz critics started writing about it. They're

00:24:27.799 --> 00:24:32.039
like, oh my God, the Jazz Raga. And then I, last

00:24:32.039 --> 00:24:35.799
year I went to London and, you know, Marilyn

00:24:35.799 --> 00:24:38.700
Gordon, who's Dexter Gordon's, you know, wife.

00:24:40.119 --> 00:24:43.440
And she gave me her book on Dexter Gordon. And

00:24:43.440 --> 00:24:47.839
she said, you know what? You own your genre.

00:24:48.059 --> 00:24:51.079
You own it. Nobody is doing what you're doing.

00:24:51.240 --> 00:24:53.640
And that was, for me, the ultimate compliment,

00:24:53.839 --> 00:24:58.220
you know? It's just amazing to hear someone from

00:24:58.220 --> 00:25:01.880
the jazz circle talk about my music that way.

00:25:01.980 --> 00:25:05.900
I was, like, actually really floored. I was,

00:25:05.960 --> 00:25:08.319
like, blown away. And now more people are just

00:25:08.319 --> 00:25:10.599
emailing me saying, oh, my God, tell me more

00:25:10.599 --> 00:25:12.740
about Braga Jazz. What are you doing? Tell me

00:25:12.740 --> 00:25:15.319
more. Like, what is that? So I'm hoping to write

00:25:15.319 --> 00:25:17.960
a manual and a style sheet and a guidebook eventually.

00:25:18.160 --> 00:25:20.059
Because, you know, don't you think these ragas

00:25:20.059 --> 00:25:22.960
are beautiful? Aren't they great? Beautiful.

00:25:22.960 --> 00:25:26.180
And then, you know, you hear these raga melodies

00:25:26.180 --> 00:25:31.240
in like movies. Yeah. They also blend, you know,

00:25:31.240 --> 00:25:35.740
sometimes like a pop. style music into the melody

00:25:35.740 --> 00:25:38.819
of raga but jazz and raga i've never heard of

00:25:38.819 --> 00:25:42.380
exactly i i love listening to it listening to

00:25:42.380 --> 00:25:47.799
them they are really spiritually fulfilling you

00:25:47.799 --> 00:25:51.500
know listening to raga music so yes that's that's

00:25:51.500 --> 00:25:56.180
amazing thank you so yeah but when you first

00:25:56.180 --> 00:25:58.759
started blending these genres like a you know

00:25:58.759 --> 00:26:01.609
five four years ago whatever and what was the

00:26:01.609 --> 00:26:04.309
experience like like as a jazz well classical

00:26:04.309 --> 00:26:07.970
pianist to begin with and with an indian heritage

00:26:07.970 --> 00:26:10.930
and did this fusion feel like a natural well

00:26:10.930 --> 00:26:14.009
you mentioned that did it really feel like whoa

00:26:14.009 --> 00:26:16.890
this makes sense to me no i this is the way i

00:26:16.890 --> 00:26:19.289
heard music it was very very odd this is the

00:26:19.289 --> 00:26:22.930
way i started playing and improvising and i didn't

00:26:22.930 --> 00:26:25.609
really edit anything in my head to be very honest

00:26:25.609 --> 00:26:29.240
a lot of these pieces just came out um completely

00:26:29.240 --> 00:26:33.680
in its entirety like this. Yeah, I know. I never

00:26:33.680 --> 00:26:37.180
made drafts. I didn't make any drafts. They just

00:26:37.180 --> 00:26:40.779
came like... The Charm of Casey Raga that I showed

00:26:40.779 --> 00:26:46.599
ended up being French Quarter on my last album.

00:26:46.779 --> 00:26:49.900
And so trying to keep true to the notes, the

00:26:49.900 --> 00:28:00.039
piece ended up being... Bye. It's center. I'm

00:28:00.039 --> 00:28:02.339
going to go back. Yeah, so I'm really trying

00:28:02.339 --> 00:28:05.059
to take it. Now that scale, the Charukesi scale,

00:28:05.160 --> 00:28:10.680
does not exist in Western music at all. It's

00:28:10.680 --> 00:28:14.079
not even in the modes. It's not a Mixolydian,

00:28:14.099 --> 00:28:18.640
Ionian, nothing. That's a Charukesi raga. It's

00:28:18.640 --> 00:28:21.890
half major, half minor. And I've been trying

00:28:21.890 --> 00:28:24.670
to find any parallel that exists and really doesn't

00:28:24.670 --> 00:28:27.589
exist. It's an Indian scale. And those are the

00:28:27.589 --> 00:28:30.009
notes. And I've tried to take the notes using

00:28:30.009 --> 00:28:33.450
and I created a melody and, you know, harmonies

00:28:33.450 --> 00:28:37.769
out of it. And I think, yeah, everyone loves

00:28:37.769 --> 00:28:40.890
that. Everyone loves that thing. And it just

00:28:40.890 --> 00:28:43.230
sort of just came out in its entirety. I can't

00:28:43.230 --> 00:28:47.289
even explain it. Oh, wow. Wow. It's so beautiful.

00:28:47.390 --> 00:28:49.950
So for those who are listening, I really would

00:28:49.950 --> 00:28:54.089
like for you to explore Charu's albums available

00:28:54.089 --> 00:28:58.009
on streaming services. So let's talk about your

00:28:58.009 --> 00:29:03.670
albums, right? So that book of Raga's. It comes

00:29:03.670 --> 00:29:07.750
in two volumes and I thoroughly enjoyed. And

00:29:07.750 --> 00:29:14.009
it's like a foundation of this new genre you

00:29:14.009 --> 00:29:16.470
created, Raga Jazz. I think that is exactly what

00:29:16.470 --> 00:29:18.869
it is. It's a foundation. It's the first time

00:29:18.869 --> 00:29:22.309
I think Raga Jazz has sort of entered the...

00:29:22.970 --> 00:29:28.130
the jazz is mainstream in this way. And so Book

00:29:28.130 --> 00:29:30.390
of Ragas, which we debuted at Carnegie Hall in

00:29:30.390 --> 00:29:33.730
2019, and Book of Ragas Volume 2, Book of Ragas

00:29:33.730 --> 00:29:39.470
is almost all evening ragas. Raga Kalyani, Raga

00:29:39.470 --> 00:29:43.549
Hemant, Raga Bhairavi, which is not really an

00:29:43.549 --> 00:29:46.289
evening raga, it's a morning raga, but a lot

00:29:46.289 --> 00:29:50.460
of musicians in India end the concert using raga

00:29:50.460 --> 00:29:58.619
by rv because it's the phrygian scale and many

00:29:58.619 --> 00:30:01.319
many indian musicians end the concert using raga

00:30:01.319 --> 00:30:04.180
by rv so i ended up throwing that in there book

00:30:04.180 --> 00:30:06.680
of ragas volume one book of ragas volume two

00:30:06.680 --> 00:30:13.549
is all morning ragas I see. Changpuri, Asavari,

00:30:13.690 --> 00:30:17.910
Sankara Barnam, which is the same thing as the

00:30:17.910 --> 00:30:21.650
major scale. And Sankara Barnam is the only piece

00:30:21.650 --> 00:30:23.910
I've written using piano and vibraphone, and

00:30:23.910 --> 00:30:26.390
it's the third track. And people listen to it,

00:30:26.450 --> 00:30:28.369
they're like, this sounds like the sunrise. And

00:30:28.369 --> 00:30:30.430
I'm like, that's funny, because that raga is

00:30:30.430 --> 00:30:33.150
supposed to be played exactly at sunrise. It

00:30:33.150 --> 00:30:36.059
sounds like the sun is... rising you know and

00:30:36.059 --> 00:30:54.220
when you hear it it just gives a feeling of you

00:30:54.220 --> 00:30:56.779
know the sun coming out in the morning and and

00:30:56.779 --> 00:30:59.299
the raga that's used is supposed to be exactly

00:30:59.299 --> 00:31:02.960
at that time of day and you know It's so amazing.

00:31:03.319 --> 00:31:07.140
I lived with the raga for a while. And this is

00:31:07.140 --> 00:31:09.579
also a way of healing, of slowing down, right?

00:31:09.619 --> 00:31:12.019
Of really being in that moment. And when we say

00:31:12.019 --> 00:31:14.299
in that moment, in that hyper moment, that time

00:31:14.299 --> 00:31:16.359
of day, and I wrote the book of ragas volume

00:31:16.359 --> 00:31:18.859
two during the pandemic, and I would get up really

00:31:18.859 --> 00:31:21.599
early in the morning and compose. And that's

00:31:21.599 --> 00:31:23.920
how I think I ended up using all morning ragas.

00:31:24.940 --> 00:31:27.779
But the mindset of the West is just to rush and

00:31:27.779 --> 00:31:29.880
rush and rush and rush from place to place. And

00:31:29.880 --> 00:31:32.640
this meeting and that meeting. And at the end

00:31:32.640 --> 00:31:34.480
of the day, you don't even know what you did.

00:31:34.660 --> 00:31:37.559
I have to be very honest. That's how I felt.

00:31:37.640 --> 00:31:40.259
I'm like, oh, my God, I'm going to lose my mind.

00:31:40.680 --> 00:31:44.559
I did all of these meetings and concerts and

00:31:44.559 --> 00:31:47.079
this conference call. I couldn't remember anything.

00:31:48.200 --> 00:31:50.960
And our memories are very precious, right? Our

00:31:50.960 --> 00:31:53.960
memories shape our growth and our future, you

00:31:53.960 --> 00:31:58.079
know, and also our, you know, how we see ourselves.

00:31:58.200 --> 00:32:01.059
And if I can't remember a darn thing and I'm

00:32:01.059 --> 00:32:02.839
just doing all of this stuff, then I'm like,

00:32:02.960 --> 00:32:05.740
what's the point? So I knew I had to, you know,

00:32:05.740 --> 00:32:09.519
do something that helped me heal. And when we

00:32:09.519 --> 00:32:12.880
really try to be in the moment with the music

00:32:12.880 --> 00:32:17.039
and the ragas, that's how I... ended up writing

00:32:17.039 --> 00:32:19.759
the evening book of ragas and morning book of

00:32:19.759 --> 00:32:24.279
ragas following too yeah wow yeah now what's

00:32:24.279 --> 00:32:28.160
also amazing was I noticed that there was a another

00:32:28.160 --> 00:32:32.700
element or genre that you infused which is Sufism

00:32:32.700 --> 00:32:37.119
yes Sufi music yes and that was something that

00:32:37.119 --> 00:32:39.539
happened because I met a wonderful Sufi singer

00:32:39.539 --> 00:32:43.099
we both started jamming and Sufi music is very

00:32:43.549 --> 00:32:46.089
mystical and meditative and there's a lot of

00:32:46.089 --> 00:32:49.089
that sometimes Sufi concert can go on for hours

00:32:49.089 --> 00:32:51.650
I met the singer and she was like you should

00:32:51.650 --> 00:32:54.349
just you know we should try to jam together the

00:32:54.349 --> 00:32:58.970
result was so beautiful was so beautiful and

00:32:58.970 --> 00:33:02.390
you know it feels like you're uh transported

00:33:02.390 --> 00:33:07.190
in another another world yeah so that's how I

00:33:07.190 --> 00:33:10.710
ended up blending Sufi music and which is you

00:33:10.710 --> 00:33:14.289
know in the tracks it was a vocalist the vocalist

00:33:14.289 --> 00:33:16.750
on the book of ragas volume one book of ragas

00:33:16.750 --> 00:33:18.829
volume two different but they're both rooted

00:33:18.829 --> 00:33:24.029
in sufi traditions yeah wow it's what a what

00:33:24.029 --> 00:33:28.289
a nice blend and um i really i have listened

00:33:28.289 --> 00:33:33.200
to both Volume 1 and 2 over and over for the

00:33:33.200 --> 00:33:37.259
last few weeks or so. Yeah, I love Sufi music.

00:33:37.359 --> 00:33:41.759
And then both vocalists, they're beautiful. So

00:33:41.759 --> 00:33:49.960
then after that, you have this Raga and Waltzes.

00:33:50.160 --> 00:33:53.660
Yeah. Can you tell me a little bit about the

00:33:53.660 --> 00:33:56.339
backstory of this album? Absolutely. And there

00:33:56.339 --> 00:33:59.599
is a very big backstory. So my dad died three

00:33:59.599 --> 00:34:02.460
years ago when I composed Ragas and Waltzes.

00:34:02.500 --> 00:34:06.259
He was the guiding source for me in my life for

00:34:06.259 --> 00:34:10.500
music. you know, was the CEO of a record label.

00:34:10.659 --> 00:34:13.539
And I first actually started my music lessons

00:34:13.539 --> 00:34:16.280
in Africa where he was the CEO of a record label

00:34:16.280 --> 00:34:18.199
when I was five years old. So I was born in India.

00:34:18.280 --> 00:34:20.900
Then we went to Africa when he was a CEO of a

00:34:20.900 --> 00:34:23.260
record label. So he would come home and bring

00:34:23.260 --> 00:34:26.320
so much vinyl. So at the end of the day, we would

00:34:26.320 --> 00:34:28.579
listen to on this beautiful vinyl turntable,

00:34:28.739 --> 00:34:34.380
all genres, pop, classical, jazz, you name it.

00:34:34.400 --> 00:34:36.420
He would have hundreds and hundreds of records.

00:34:37.179 --> 00:34:40.760
And in the house that we had in Africa, in Nigeria,

00:34:40.980 --> 00:34:44.420
I had a piano. That's how I started playing.

00:34:44.559 --> 00:34:46.880
And my mom said, OK, she was like, I was like

00:34:46.880 --> 00:34:48.960
a freak. I was just playing. I would nobody.

00:34:49.260 --> 00:34:52.019
And everyone told me to stop practicing. It was

00:34:52.019 --> 00:34:54.639
the other the other problem I had. I could not

00:34:54.639 --> 00:34:57.360
explain it. My mother just said, we're just born

00:34:57.360 --> 00:34:59.599
to play this. This is this is the thing. I don't

00:34:59.599 --> 00:35:03.139
know how to explain it. So she said, OK, we'll

00:35:03.139 --> 00:35:07.079
find you a piano teacher. So they put me. And

00:35:07.079 --> 00:35:10.380
so my dad gave me piano lessons. He bought me

00:35:10.380 --> 00:35:12.699
my first metronome from Vienna. Then when we

00:35:12.699 --> 00:35:15.300
moved back to India, he gave me Indian classical

00:35:15.300 --> 00:35:18.460
musical lessons. He bought me my first Bach book,

00:35:18.659 --> 00:35:20.960
the Well -Tempered Clavier, my first Beethoven

00:35:20.960 --> 00:35:24.760
books. I still have them. Every single possible

00:35:24.760 --> 00:35:26.940
piece of music that I wanted to buy to learn,

00:35:27.000 --> 00:35:28.940
he bought them for me. So when he died three

00:35:28.940 --> 00:35:32.389
years ago, my world fell apart. But the one tradition

00:35:32.389 --> 00:35:36.389
that we had, he was the reason I knew the ragas.

00:35:36.489 --> 00:35:38.889
I would get out of bed and he would be playing

00:35:38.889 --> 00:35:41.150
a morning raga. And he would be like, Charu,

00:35:41.269 --> 00:35:44.349
don't you think this is a beautiful day? Listen

00:35:44.349 --> 00:35:47.670
to this morning raga. Aren't you at an amazing

00:35:47.670 --> 00:35:50.650
peace? And I'm like, Dad, stop bothering me.

00:35:50.710 --> 00:35:53.349
I have homework. And, you know, I would do the

00:35:53.349 --> 00:35:56.440
typical. young kid things like why are you bothering

00:35:56.440 --> 00:35:59.280
me with ragas but it was always playing in our

00:35:59.280 --> 00:36:02.719
house because he was such a fan but he was also

00:36:02.719 --> 00:36:04.940
a big fan of western classical music he's such

00:36:04.940 --> 00:36:07.780
a progressive mind so his way of thinking you

00:36:07.780 --> 00:36:11.059
know inevitably uh you know gave me my way of

00:36:11.059 --> 00:36:14.920
thinking and every year new year's eve our tradition

00:36:14.920 --> 00:36:17.539
was to listen to the vienna philharmonic play

00:36:17.539 --> 00:36:19.639
the new year concert that was our tradition no

00:36:19.639 --> 00:36:21.980
matter what happened where we were in the world

00:36:21.980 --> 00:36:25.260
whether in person He would open a glass of champagne.

00:36:25.420 --> 00:36:29.360
We would sit down and listen to Strauss and listen

00:36:29.360 --> 00:36:32.300
to Radetzky March and listen to the Trish Trash

00:36:32.300 --> 00:36:36.199
World Polka, everything. That was our tradition,

00:36:36.500 --> 00:36:39.239
our way of welcoming the new year. It was such

00:36:39.239 --> 00:36:42.900
joy. It was such energy. The Wiener Philharmonic

00:36:42.900 --> 00:36:45.380
is one of the greatest orchestras in the world.

00:36:46.199 --> 00:36:50.440
And I had such a passion for waltzes and such

00:36:50.440 --> 00:36:53.460
a passion for dancing after all of these formative

00:36:53.460 --> 00:36:56.340
years listening to the Vienna Philharmonic. So,

00:36:56.380 --> 00:37:01.400
ragas and waltzes is a tribute to my dad. Literally,

00:37:02.340 --> 00:37:05.320
the title says it all. He gave me ragas in my

00:37:05.320 --> 00:37:10.019
life. He also gave me waltzes. So in that album,

00:37:10.119 --> 00:37:12.739
I also have all of the songs dedicated to my

00:37:12.739 --> 00:37:15.079
dad. In fact, and most people do not believe

00:37:15.079 --> 00:37:19.280
this, the waltz from my father, I wrote it, which

00:37:19.280 --> 00:37:21.179
is probably my most downloaded track, the day

00:37:21.179 --> 00:37:25.719
after he died. The whole thing, I wrote it the

00:37:25.719 --> 00:37:29.199
day after he died. The whole album, I wrote it

00:37:29.199 --> 00:37:32.780
in two weeks after he died. The entire album,

00:37:32.800 --> 00:37:52.190
it just came out. So Vienna Waltz. So that's

00:37:52.190 --> 00:37:55.010
the Vienna Waltz and then the Waltz to my father,

00:37:55.090 --> 00:37:56.469
you know, and then there are two Raga pieces

00:37:56.469 --> 00:37:59.869
based on Raga, Kalyani and Hayment. And the whole

00:37:59.869 --> 00:38:03.070
album is a dedication to my dad. And I just wrote

00:38:03.070 --> 00:38:06.269
it. I was very, very grief stricken. I didn't

00:38:06.269 --> 00:38:10.329
know what was going on. I just, you know, like

00:38:10.329 --> 00:38:13.670
many composers channeling my emotions. And that's

00:38:13.670 --> 00:38:19.860
how that album was born. Oh, wow. Now then. You

00:38:19.860 --> 00:38:24.059
know, the latest would be the 2023 album Rags

00:38:24.059 --> 00:38:28.920
and Ragas. Yes. Right. And then so I see a lot

00:38:28.920 --> 00:38:32.199
of big name jazz musicians. That was when I really

00:38:32.199 --> 00:38:36.460
grew up. The Raga jazz really grew up. I mean,

00:38:36.539 --> 00:38:39.760
we charted number one in India, number three

00:38:39.760 --> 00:38:42.119
in the United States, number two in Kenya, number

00:38:42.119 --> 00:38:46.960
six in Turkey. We got features in Rolling Stone.

00:38:48.570 --> 00:38:51.929
I mean, I made iTunes number one in India, not

00:38:51.929 --> 00:38:56.369
only in jazz, but all genres. It was the number

00:38:56.369 --> 00:39:01.210
one album in all genres. And I had people, you

00:39:01.210 --> 00:39:03.269
know, with Steve Gadd and John Patitucci and

00:39:03.269 --> 00:39:05.190
James Lastey, you know, it was like a Grammy

00:39:05.190 --> 00:39:08.510
contender. And I had people just emailing me

00:39:08.510 --> 00:39:12.360
saying. what is this like this is crazy like

00:39:12.360 --> 00:39:14.820
what is this and i used all different ragas i

00:39:14.820 --> 00:39:17.820
used charu casey for the first time raga hayman

00:39:17.820 --> 00:39:20.739
had done before raga kalyani and then raga number

00:39:20.739 --> 00:39:24.480
one which is kirwani big palasi and i used all

00:39:24.480 --> 00:39:29.219
you know bhagyashri raga for the last track that's

00:39:29.219 --> 00:39:31.679
the evening raga supposed to be played from 9

00:39:31.679 --> 00:39:40.599
pm to 12 am It's a pentatonic scale, but what

00:39:40.599 --> 00:39:43.059
I found was it's so interesting. When you do

00:39:43.059 --> 00:39:46.199
it in jazz, I dovetailed it with Miles Davis'

00:39:46.460 --> 00:40:41.809
So Ward chord. Bye. with it i played that was

00:40:41.809 --> 00:40:44.250
when i started to get more and more playful with

00:40:44.250 --> 00:40:47.230
the ragas and expand the musical possibilities

00:40:47.230 --> 00:40:50.230
and have fun with it and it's a light -hearted

00:40:50.230 --> 00:40:54.130
way of bringing ragabagishri to the audiences

00:40:54.130 --> 00:40:56.630
and because normally you wouldn't have ever really

00:40:56.630 --> 00:40:59.289
thought that was a ragabagishri you know right

00:40:59.289 --> 00:41:02.670
wow but just you just played as something so

00:41:02.670 --> 00:41:06.190
special and wow then didn't you bring back the

00:41:06.190 --> 00:41:11.090
piece from the book of ragas into this i did

00:41:11.090 --> 00:41:14.909
right yes raga hemant became bourbon street stroll

00:41:14.909 --> 00:41:20.869
that was the title track with steve gadd playing

00:41:20.869 --> 00:41:23.809
that was very special i also brought back raga

00:41:23.809 --> 00:41:35.090
number one it's interesting because this scale

00:41:37.099 --> 00:41:40.480
In Indian music, it's called raga kirwani. It's

00:41:40.480 --> 00:41:45.539
the overlap of the harmonic minor. And it's an

00:41:45.539 --> 00:41:48.360
evening raga. There's a little bit of bimpalas,

00:41:48.380 --> 00:41:52.559
which is the flattened second and it's got a

00:41:52.559 --> 00:41:55.980
lot of energy. So this raga number one became

00:41:55.980 --> 00:41:59.480
sort of like my signature piece. And a lot of

00:41:59.480 --> 00:42:02.780
people, you know, like that. So kirwani really

00:42:02.780 --> 00:42:06.389
has never really, you know. been jazzified like

00:42:06.389 --> 00:42:31.050
this etc etc and you know that is a that was

00:42:31.050 --> 00:42:34.349
also there in the album But, you know, my intention

00:42:34.349 --> 00:42:38.110
was to really show people how ragas can be super

00:42:38.110 --> 00:42:41.969
fun. And I had a lot of people emailing me saying,

00:42:42.030 --> 00:42:44.510
you know, we've had a very stodgy way of looking

00:42:44.510 --> 00:42:46.650
at ragas. Like, you know, they're so old school.

00:42:46.809 --> 00:42:49.889
We had to learn them. And now this is a fun way

00:42:49.889 --> 00:42:53.030
of listening to ragas. So that was like, I think

00:42:53.030 --> 00:42:58.610
my pinnacle of my raga jazz style is the rags

00:42:58.610 --> 00:43:35.449
and ragas. Thank you. back especially you know

00:43:35.449 --> 00:43:39.750
bringing those you know first pieces back to

00:43:39.750 --> 00:43:44.329
this latest 2020 album how do you think your

00:43:44.329 --> 00:43:47.809
sound has evolved or your creation has evolved

00:43:47.809 --> 00:43:50.730
first of all it became much more jazzy and i

00:43:50.730 --> 00:43:54.389
think you can tell you can tell with the grooves

00:43:54.389 --> 00:43:56.829
you can tell with the beat you can tell with

00:43:56.829 --> 00:43:59.889
some of the chord choices they're much more jazzy

00:43:59.889 --> 00:44:03.159
so someone you know who probably listening to

00:44:03.159 --> 00:44:04.920
my first album and like singing, this is not

00:44:04.920 --> 00:44:08.199
jazz. I don't know what the heck is it. In this

00:44:08.199 --> 00:44:10.920
album, they were like, okay, that's jazz. So

00:44:10.920 --> 00:44:15.380
that again, you know, it's an evolution. It's

00:44:15.380 --> 00:44:18.280
a learning, it's a growth for me as to how to

00:44:18.280 --> 00:44:20.960
think about jazz because it's such, it's an amazing

00:44:20.960 --> 00:44:24.900
genre and it's so deep and so layered. So when

00:44:24.900 --> 00:44:29.639
you want to take two crazy deep genres like raga

00:44:29.639 --> 00:44:33.280
music and jazz you've got to really pay your

00:44:33.280 --> 00:44:36.539
dues to both so i think the first thing i would

00:44:36.539 --> 00:44:39.559
say it started to sound more like the sound that

00:44:39.559 --> 00:44:43.920
i wanted which is raga jazz and then i also think

00:44:43.920 --> 00:44:47.820
you know given the the caliber of the solos it

00:44:47.820 --> 00:44:51.539
started to be more virtuosic you know like i

00:44:51.539 --> 00:44:55.039
i love oscar peterson i love bill evans and i

00:44:55.039 --> 00:44:57.500
love david brubeck and i've been listening to

00:44:57.500 --> 00:45:00.940
these hats for as everybody, you know, for so

00:45:00.940 --> 00:45:03.860
many decades. And I wanted to do something like

00:45:03.860 --> 00:45:07.579
that, but in using the ragas. And I think that

00:45:07.579 --> 00:45:11.099
album comes close to what I was hoping for when

00:45:11.099 --> 00:45:14.340
I first started this journey. Oh, wow. That's

00:45:14.340 --> 00:45:16.739
impressive, though, because I really thought

00:45:16.739 --> 00:45:19.920
you were a jazz pianist. Everyone did. Everybody

00:45:19.920 --> 00:45:25.170
did. And I have to say that was like a huge learning.

00:45:25.570 --> 00:45:28.389
I know. And I'm still learning. I believe it

00:45:28.389 --> 00:45:31.710
or not, I take weekly lessons with a jazz teacher.

00:45:32.449 --> 00:45:36.269
So we go over, you know, I can't tell you how

00:45:36.269 --> 00:45:39.010
many hundreds of hours I've put into learning

00:45:39.010 --> 00:45:41.449
and just perfecting and learning and perfecting

00:45:41.449 --> 00:45:43.530
because our work is never really done, right?

00:45:43.650 --> 00:45:46.429
Our work is never really done in order to honor

00:45:46.429 --> 00:45:49.510
these traditions. we learn everything from the

00:45:49.510 --> 00:45:53.909
modes to extensions to substitutions to modulations

00:45:53.909 --> 00:45:58.230
to and runs and all of that stuff and stuff that

00:45:58.230 --> 00:46:02.670
i never learned growing up and how i can translate

00:46:02.670 --> 00:46:06.150
that into ragas like how can a run be a raga

00:46:06.150 --> 00:46:09.090
how can you do a run with a raga as opposed to

00:46:09.090 --> 00:46:12.230
you know a 12 tone scale but very different i

00:46:12.230 --> 00:46:14.409
mean it's using the same technique but very different

00:46:15.340 --> 00:46:18.960
And so I want to just I want to be true to what

00:46:18.960 --> 00:46:21.539
I'm creating and honor both of these genres.

00:46:21.619 --> 00:46:24.519
And you have to honor it by putting in the work

00:46:24.519 --> 00:46:28.059
and understanding your past in order to create,

00:46:28.119 --> 00:46:32.539
you know, this. Well, you know, because I'm a

00:46:32.539 --> 00:46:36.369
classical musician, too, and I sort of. fooled

00:46:36.369 --> 00:46:40.309
around the idea of learning jazz around pandemic

00:46:40.309 --> 00:46:44.110
but miserably failed and it's hard it's so hard

00:46:44.110 --> 00:46:46.929
it is really hard yeah because no matter how

00:46:46.929 --> 00:46:50.210
I try to you know improvise improvisation is

00:46:50.210 --> 00:46:54.769
I can do a simple improvisation no problem you

00:46:54.769 --> 00:46:57.530
know I can play by ear but Everything sounds

00:46:57.530 --> 00:47:00.230
so classical to me, you know, because that's

00:47:00.230 --> 00:47:02.570
how I learned music. And that's the thing. Once

00:47:02.570 --> 00:47:04.789
you start in the classical tradition, everything

00:47:04.789 --> 00:47:10.170
sounds classical to you. Right. And I just had

00:47:10.170 --> 00:47:12.409
to learn it's such a different way of thinking

00:47:12.409 --> 00:47:16.130
about harmonies. It's a different way of thinking

00:47:16.130 --> 00:47:18.650
about modulations. Like, you know, if you were

00:47:18.650 --> 00:47:25.130
doing a classical piece, a jazz piece could be.

00:47:35.220 --> 00:47:38.480
And you would arrive at a totally different point

00:47:38.480 --> 00:47:42.659
than where Mozart arrived at. And so I would

00:47:42.659 --> 00:47:46.380
take my well, and to do this, I would take my

00:47:46.380 --> 00:47:51.159
well -toned, tried and true classical pieces,

00:47:51.239 --> 00:47:53.719
kind of like what John Batiste is doing now with

00:47:53.719 --> 00:47:57.510
his amazing albums, Blending Styles. And just,

00:47:57.630 --> 00:48:00.789
you know, give it a fresh life in a different

00:48:00.789 --> 00:48:05.730
way, just for exercises. And that's how my whole

00:48:05.730 --> 00:48:11.829
jazz learning went into classical. My jazz learning

00:48:11.829 --> 00:48:15.030
evolved from classical, rather. Right. But also

00:48:15.030 --> 00:48:17.610
you mentioned about your father, who would bring

00:48:17.610 --> 00:48:23.389
you so many different albums. to home, right?

00:48:23.489 --> 00:48:27.230
Whether you lived in different countries. And

00:48:27.230 --> 00:48:32.889
so you grew up listening to these music, including

00:48:32.889 --> 00:48:37.289
jazz. And I can tell, I think there was, although

00:48:37.289 --> 00:48:40.369
you are strictly, you know, your foundation was

00:48:40.369 --> 00:48:44.550
classical, but being exposed to so many different

00:48:44.550 --> 00:48:48.909
genres of music, growing up and constantly listening

00:48:48.909 --> 00:48:52.460
to these music. in the background even, including

00:48:52.460 --> 00:48:56.300
in Indian music, I think they are really finally

00:48:56.300 --> 00:49:01.019
sort of coming together. I think that they're

00:49:01.019 --> 00:49:03.699
all there. Everything that you listen to, and

00:49:03.699 --> 00:49:05.659
I tell this to my students, is there in your

00:49:05.659 --> 00:49:08.360
subconscious. And it's there whether you decide

00:49:08.360 --> 00:49:10.840
you want them to be there or not. They're there.

00:49:11.300 --> 00:49:14.320
And what ends up happening is they end up influencing

00:49:14.320 --> 00:49:17.730
you in different things that happen. Yeah. But

00:49:17.730 --> 00:49:19.809
tell me about a little bit more about your upbringing.

00:49:19.989 --> 00:49:23.309
It's so interesting. So you were born in India,

00:49:23.369 --> 00:49:28.489
but quickly you moved to Africa. Yes. So I was

00:49:28.489 --> 00:49:31.789
born in India in a beautiful town called Madurai,

00:49:31.909 --> 00:49:35.429
which is the city of temples and poets. It's

00:49:35.429 --> 00:49:39.550
a truly stunning city. Lots of famous poets.

00:49:41.159 --> 00:49:43.800
artists and indian musicians were born there

00:49:43.800 --> 00:49:46.780
so it is sort of like a city that was meant for

00:49:46.780 --> 00:49:49.699
artists it's a the city not a lot of people go

00:49:49.699 --> 00:49:52.280
to it's in south india but it's so beautiful

00:49:52.280 --> 00:49:56.260
i lived there uh my earliest childhood years

00:49:56.260 --> 00:49:59.059
and then you know in south india and then my

00:49:59.059 --> 00:50:02.619
father got a job in in nigeria so the whole family

00:50:02.619 --> 00:50:05.760
my sister was very young at a time and i went

00:50:05.760 --> 00:50:10.989
to africa um in nigeria And there I went to a

00:50:10.989 --> 00:50:13.690
local school and I started playing the piano

00:50:13.690 --> 00:50:17.550
and my mom got me a fantastic teacher. And I

00:50:17.550 --> 00:50:20.690
started playing, you know, from the age of five

00:50:20.690 --> 00:50:24.269
and at six, I was doing all of these, you know,

00:50:24.269 --> 00:50:26.750
playing Bach and playing some of the more complicated

00:50:26.750 --> 00:50:29.409
pieces. And then we decided to leave the country

00:50:29.409 --> 00:50:31.650
because it was getting politically and economically

00:50:31.650 --> 00:50:35.849
very unstable. So we left because there was a

00:50:35.849 --> 00:50:39.230
coup. There was some anarchy. So we left from

00:50:39.230 --> 00:50:43.170
Nigeria back to India. And when we went back

00:50:43.170 --> 00:50:47.210
to India, I ended up living in this city, major

00:50:47.210 --> 00:50:51.550
city called Chennai or Madras, which a lot of

00:50:51.550 --> 00:50:53.690
people used to know it as. It's now officially

00:50:53.690 --> 00:50:57.250
called Chennai. Millions of people. It's a much

00:50:57.250 --> 00:50:59.429
bigger city than when I was where I was born.

00:51:00.110 --> 00:51:03.630
And we hunted high and low for a fantastic piano

00:51:03.630 --> 00:51:05.769
teacher, like the best of the best. And we were

00:51:05.769 --> 00:51:08.969
very lucky to find an incredible piano teacher.

00:51:09.050 --> 00:51:12.449
And I don't know how this happened, but she was

00:51:12.449 --> 00:51:16.030
a person, her name is Gita Manan. She passed

00:51:16.030 --> 00:51:18.869
away a few years ago. She would live in this

00:51:18.869 --> 00:51:23.409
big house. Many, many grand pianos. She had,

00:51:23.489 --> 00:51:28.190
I think, three grand pianos. and uprights and

00:51:28.190 --> 00:51:31.949
she had probably every piece of musical piano

00:51:31.949 --> 00:51:35.050
literature ever written in there and she had

00:51:35.050 --> 00:51:37.489
so many students that's how my love for teaching

00:51:37.489 --> 00:51:42.650
was born and she was such a disciplinarian oh

00:51:42.650 --> 00:51:46.590
my god i uh students were not allowed to come

00:51:46.590 --> 00:51:49.369
to class if they did not practice they were sent

00:51:49.369 --> 00:51:54.159
home wow I know. I mean, I still welcome my students

00:51:54.159 --> 00:51:57.179
if they haven't practiced in class. But my sister

00:51:57.179 --> 00:52:01.820
got sent home many times. She's an amazing pianist

00:52:01.820 --> 00:52:04.579
and vocalist. Really? Yeah, but she didn't have

00:52:04.579 --> 00:52:09.960
the piano drive like I did. And we were always,

00:52:10.280 --> 00:52:14.920
oh, we were, I was taught really to push myself.

00:52:15.059 --> 00:52:18.599
And at the age of nine, I was sight reading,

00:52:18.679 --> 00:52:22.960
transposing. orchestrating, you name it. I could

00:52:22.960 --> 00:52:25.980
read full scores when I was nine. Very, very

00:52:25.980 --> 00:52:29.179
crazy. Yeah. I had perfect pitch. So we would,

00:52:29.219 --> 00:52:32.199
we had exercises where she would play something

00:52:32.199 --> 00:52:35.119
and we would have to write it in alto clef, tenor

00:52:35.119 --> 00:52:37.699
clef, everything. I, every, yeah, I know it's

00:52:37.699 --> 00:52:41.320
quite, I know it's an amazing training, you know?

00:52:43.599 --> 00:52:45.679
And when I went to orchestras, I would take my

00:52:45.679 --> 00:52:48.440
scores with me. So I would be reading all of

00:52:48.440 --> 00:52:52.019
the musical parts from flute to woodwind, everything.

00:52:52.119 --> 00:52:55.300
And following along, something, a training that,

00:52:55.320 --> 00:52:57.340
you know, she gave me. So it was very solid,

00:52:57.480 --> 00:53:01.559
very solid. So reading and writing music became

00:53:01.559 --> 00:53:06.059
as natural to me as speaking English. And so

00:53:06.059 --> 00:53:09.619
that was a large part because of what she gave

00:53:09.619 --> 00:53:12.000
me in the training. when I was nine years old.

00:53:12.440 --> 00:53:15.320
And then I started performing concerts everywhere

00:53:15.320 --> 00:53:18.079
and winning lots of competitions and international

00:53:18.079 --> 00:53:22.579
piano competitions. And then I said, I sort of

00:53:22.579 --> 00:53:27.780
outgrew the landscape in Madras. And I told my

00:53:27.780 --> 00:53:30.400
parents, you know, I should apply to college

00:53:30.400 --> 00:53:32.699
in the United States. So I got into Princeton.

00:53:32.780 --> 00:53:35.960
I came to Princeton for my undergraduate degree

00:53:35.960 --> 00:53:38.579
in the United States. So that was my childhood

00:53:38.579 --> 00:53:42.900
too. teenage years well since then you've living

00:53:42.900 --> 00:53:46.780
lived in the united states yes yeah since i've

00:53:46.780 --> 00:53:48.860
lived since then i've lived in the united states

00:53:48.860 --> 00:53:51.559
i went to master's degree in manhattan school

00:53:51.559 --> 00:53:55.159
of music where i met my husband and he's also

00:53:55.159 --> 00:53:58.260
a musician he plays the trombone we're classically

00:53:58.260 --> 00:54:02.340
trained and um you know my jazz story just five

00:54:02.340 --> 00:54:06.480
years ago but since then i i just made uh You

00:54:06.480 --> 00:54:11.360
know, I composed and I did a lot of, I would

00:54:11.360 --> 00:54:15.599
say, safe composing. Traditional, beautiful,

00:54:15.960 --> 00:54:18.840
nice pieces. I've always been composing since

00:54:18.840 --> 00:54:22.380
I was a child. But when I say safe composing,

00:54:22.380 --> 00:54:25.280
I say within the universe that I was taught.

00:54:26.219 --> 00:54:29.360
You know, within the parameters of what you're

00:54:29.360 --> 00:54:33.099
taught, which is, you know. the universe of the

00:54:33.099 --> 00:54:37.739
12 major minor scales, etc., I never challenged

00:54:37.739 --> 00:54:40.900
or pushed myself into doing something really

00:54:40.900 --> 00:54:44.119
groundbreaking or different. But I knew I always

00:54:44.119 --> 00:54:47.760
wanted to, because I wanted to find my own voice.

00:54:48.059 --> 00:54:50.139
And one of the things that I loved about the

00:54:50.139 --> 00:54:52.500
composers that I think we greatly admire is,

00:54:52.519 --> 00:54:55.360
you know, when we play a Beethoven sonata or

00:54:55.360 --> 00:54:58.119
when we play a Rachmaninoff, you know, concerto

00:54:58.119 --> 00:55:03.510
or Debussy preludes. We are drawn into a world

00:55:03.510 --> 00:55:06.849
that is uniquely the composer's world. And there

00:55:06.849 --> 00:55:10.590
can be no question about that. You know, when

00:55:10.590 --> 00:55:13.349
you play Beethoven, you're like, that's Beethoven.

00:55:13.389 --> 00:55:17.809
There can be no other way around it. And Debussy

00:55:17.809 --> 00:55:20.130
was one of my great loves. And I played a lot

00:55:20.130 --> 00:55:22.429
of his work when I was a child. You know, I mean,

00:55:22.429 --> 00:55:35.690
who doesn't love this? I mean all the arabesques

00:55:35.690 --> 00:55:38.909
and everything which I had in my fingertips also

00:55:38.909 --> 00:55:43.389
still influence my work today. But the most amazing

00:55:43.389 --> 00:55:46.030
thing I discovered when I was playing all of

00:55:46.030 --> 00:55:49.309
these composers were those composers were uniquely

00:55:49.309 --> 00:55:53.530
their own. Like really and truly Scriabin was

00:55:53.530 --> 00:55:56.869
Scriabin, Debussy was Debussy, Rachmaninoff and

00:55:56.869 --> 00:56:00.929
they really really put their stamp and expanded

00:56:00.929 --> 00:56:05.980
the genre. That takes a lot of time. That takes

00:56:05.980 --> 00:56:08.579
so much time to come to a point as a composer

00:56:08.579 --> 00:56:11.739
where you are trying to do your own thing and

00:56:11.739 --> 00:56:14.440
uniquely your own thing. So I had to actually

00:56:14.440 --> 00:56:17.860
step away from music and I became a journalist

00:56:17.860 --> 00:56:21.480
and I wrote pieces. I traveled the world. I didn't

00:56:21.480 --> 00:56:25.059
force anything. Yeah, in my other world, my life,

00:56:25.059 --> 00:56:28.710
I'm a journalist. I freelanced many years for

00:56:28.710 --> 00:56:31.849
the New York Times. Really? Yeah, writing travel

00:56:31.849 --> 00:56:34.750
stories. I've won awards for that, too. Sort

00:56:34.750 --> 00:56:37.849
of been on. Yeah, it's amazing. It's sort of

00:56:37.849 --> 00:56:39.909
been on the back burner now because my music

00:56:39.909 --> 00:56:44.469
has taken over its own life. But one of the things

00:56:44.469 --> 00:56:46.809
I wanted to do is I knew I didn't want to sound

00:56:46.809 --> 00:56:49.170
like everybody else. that was something that

00:56:49.170 --> 00:56:52.110
was very much I was very stubborn about it actually

00:56:52.110 --> 00:56:54.889
I was very adamant about it I was like you know

00:56:54.889 --> 00:56:56.650
people would be like oh that's a nice piece I'm

00:56:56.650 --> 00:57:00.570
like yeah but no sounds like everything else

00:57:00.570 --> 00:57:04.510
so and then I and I and I was a little um you

00:57:04.510 --> 00:57:09.449
know you can't force or rush creativity the time

00:57:09.449 --> 00:57:12.389
comes when it comes you know a otherwise you

00:57:12.389 --> 00:57:15.539
end up rehashing things that that have already

00:57:15.539 --> 00:57:17.460
been written and composed and it sounds pretty

00:57:17.460 --> 00:57:20.159
but you know it's not really your own so i had

00:57:20.159 --> 00:57:24.820
to really take a step back and reprocess refine

00:57:24.820 --> 00:57:27.880
and do it for myself for nobody else you know

00:57:27.880 --> 00:57:29.900
that's the thing is like when you have deadlines

00:57:29.900 --> 00:57:34.199
and we have things like we had to do it sounds

00:57:34.199 --> 00:57:39.480
like you're forcing and trying to pander to what

00:57:39.480 --> 00:57:42.079
the society expects you to create. And that was

00:57:42.079 --> 00:57:44.340
very frustrating to me. Innately, that was super

00:57:44.340 --> 00:57:47.659
frustrating to me. I'm like, I don't want to

00:57:47.659 --> 00:57:50.059
write yet another, you know, sonata that sounds

00:57:50.059 --> 00:57:52.019
like it's been written before. What's the point?

00:57:52.119 --> 00:57:55.739
You know, you have, it's already been done. So

00:57:55.739 --> 00:58:01.719
that process, I could not rush. It was, you know,

00:58:01.739 --> 00:58:05.610
it was supposed to come when it came. So I think

00:58:05.610 --> 00:58:07.610
the turning point, as I had mentioned, was when

00:58:07.610 --> 00:58:10.030
I went to New Orleans. It just literally, there

00:58:10.030 --> 00:58:13.230
was a light bulb that just switched in my head.

00:58:13.309 --> 00:58:16.510
And I'm like, this is it. I know what I have

00:58:16.510 --> 00:58:20.789
to do now. It's so crazy. I went to New Orleans

00:58:20.789 --> 00:58:23.429
actually on a reporting assignment for journalism.

00:58:23.730 --> 00:58:25.750
And I went to a Preservation Hall concert. And

00:58:25.750 --> 00:58:28.750
I'm like, okay, this is all coming together now.

00:58:28.769 --> 00:59:17.460
Now I finally understand what I have to do. teacher

00:59:17.460 --> 00:59:21.320
where the music was taught not just piano exactly

00:59:21.320 --> 00:59:25.880
the music music is so important anyway so then

00:59:25.880 --> 00:59:28.920
you know after all these years and decades of

00:59:28.920 --> 00:59:31.619
training and experiences and then you thought

00:59:31.619 --> 00:59:34.179
you left music for a while being a journalist

00:59:34.179 --> 00:59:36.960
and then right all these things just come together

00:59:36.960 --> 00:59:39.840
and everything just comes together you can't

00:59:39.840 --> 00:59:42.340
you can't just throw away those years of practice

00:59:42.340 --> 00:59:45.340
and virtual training and everything you just

00:59:45.340 --> 00:59:48.699
can't it's just there This is something that

00:59:48.699 --> 00:59:52.719
a lot of young musicians should hear this because

00:59:52.719 --> 00:59:57.380
they are all stuck in the practice room and hoping

00:59:57.380 --> 01:00:01.159
one of these days they have the shot. But I think

01:00:01.159 --> 01:00:06.960
the life experience is equally important. Equally

01:00:06.960 --> 01:00:10.500
important because... I don't want to hear yet

01:00:10.500 --> 01:00:14.400
another lackluster interpretation of Beethoven's

01:00:14.400 --> 01:00:17.260
Tempest Sonata. We have enough of that, you know?

01:00:19.059 --> 01:00:22.260
Unless, you know, and with the concert scene

01:00:22.260 --> 01:00:25.280
the way it is, you know, unless you're concertizing

01:00:25.280 --> 01:00:27.559
from the age of five or six, like, you know,

01:00:27.559 --> 01:00:31.059
Kissin or Yu Zhao Wang, playing that repertoire,

01:00:31.340 --> 01:00:36.840
it's very hard to have that as a career, you

01:00:36.840 --> 01:00:40.940
know, and sustain it. Because everyone knows

01:00:40.940 --> 01:00:43.099
the repertoire. Everyone plays this repertoire.

01:00:44.420 --> 01:00:50.059
And so I played this repertoire, but I didn't

01:00:50.059 --> 01:00:52.559
want to go that path. I didn't want to go the

01:00:52.559 --> 01:00:56.559
path where I was just playing the same repertoire.

01:00:56.679 --> 01:01:00.900
I wanted to create my repertoire. But that was

01:01:00.900 --> 01:01:04.000
a journey unique to me. Everybody has to find

01:01:04.000 --> 01:01:06.780
what it is that they want to do with their...

01:01:06.989 --> 01:01:09.809
pianistic and compositional career and so this

01:01:09.809 --> 01:01:12.570
was what was right for me when you start doing

01:01:12.570 --> 01:01:16.010
something different was there I wouldn't say

01:01:16.010 --> 01:01:19.809
backlash but because usually when somebody does

01:01:19.809 --> 01:01:24.230
someone like you who is a groundbreaker trailblazers

01:01:24.230 --> 01:01:29.840
usually some people are feel a little threatened

01:01:29.840 --> 01:01:33.760
because yeah I got so much pushback yeah pushback

01:01:33.760 --> 01:01:36.539
I think is the word you're looking for I got

01:01:36.539 --> 01:01:41.400
tons of uh don't bother this is not jazz we're

01:01:41.400 --> 01:01:43.920
a jazz club we don't we don't know what you're

01:01:43.920 --> 01:01:48.320
doing I mean it was very very much it was hard

01:01:48.320 --> 01:01:51.519
to break through and then I started playing you

01:01:51.519 --> 01:01:53.340
know in venues like Carnegie Hall and Lincoln

01:01:53.340 --> 01:01:55.840
Center and they're like wow OK, people started

01:01:55.840 --> 01:01:58.360
saying, OK, maybe her music is good. And then

01:01:58.360 --> 01:01:59.599
they came and listened. They were like, this

01:01:59.599 --> 01:02:02.659
is incredible. And then I had New Jersey Symphony

01:02:02.659 --> 01:02:06.119
play my work last year. We had a sold out concert

01:02:06.119 --> 01:02:09.599
in this. you know, thing called hooray for Bollywood.

01:02:09.639 --> 01:02:11.599
And that was incredible. And now I'm trying to

01:02:11.599 --> 01:02:15.239
get my work into more orchestral, into orchestras

01:02:15.239 --> 01:02:17.659
to try to, you know, tell them about the beauty

01:02:17.659 --> 01:02:20.360
of the ragas and how it can really enhance their

01:02:20.360 --> 01:02:23.519
orchestral work. And string quartets played my

01:02:23.519 --> 01:02:26.559
works, trios played my work, you know, and now

01:02:26.559 --> 01:02:28.599
I'm trying to come up with a book of like raga

01:02:28.599 --> 01:02:31.420
piano pieces and publish them so that pianists

01:02:31.420 --> 01:02:35.730
can start playing them, you know? So. I think

01:02:35.730 --> 01:02:38.829
that it was the product of a lot of perseverance,

01:02:39.389 --> 01:02:45.750
a lot of, you know, convincing and to show people

01:02:45.750 --> 01:02:48.789
like when I would, you know, play this concert,

01:02:48.869 --> 01:02:50.710
I would teach people about the ragas and they

01:02:50.710 --> 01:02:53.630
loved it. I had a lot of audiences come up to

01:02:53.630 --> 01:02:56.010
me and saying, this is just so beautiful. Play

01:02:56.010 --> 01:02:57.949
it again, play it again. You know, we want to

01:02:57.949 --> 01:03:00.550
hear this. We want to play it. We want to get

01:03:00.550 --> 01:03:03.849
the sheet music. So then I started, you know,

01:03:03.849 --> 01:03:06.860
appearing in like. bigger jazz clubs and people

01:03:06.860 --> 01:03:09.019
just started really loving it. And then, you

01:03:09.019 --> 01:03:11.920
know, obviously I concurrently did the recordings

01:03:11.920 --> 01:03:15.800
and released them so people could really understand

01:03:15.800 --> 01:03:19.059
what I was doing and the style I was doing them

01:03:19.059 --> 01:03:22.639
in. And then that got us more gigs and more audiences

01:03:22.639 --> 01:03:27.980
and etc. But it was a lot of work. It was a lot

01:03:27.980 --> 01:03:31.260
of... uh convincing people yes this is something

01:03:31.260 --> 01:03:33.800
different yes it's really worth listening to

01:03:33.800 --> 01:03:36.340
because you know i don't think anybody really

01:03:36.340 --> 01:03:40.019
here is doing anything like this so i feel like

01:03:40.019 --> 01:03:43.639
my my any anyone who does anything different

01:03:43.639 --> 01:03:47.940
or wants to do something to expand or contribute

01:03:47.940 --> 01:03:51.000
to the genre is going to have they're going to

01:03:51.000 --> 01:03:52.519
have people who are going to be like what is

01:03:52.519 --> 01:03:55.579
this i want something like that sounds like ella

01:03:55.579 --> 01:03:59.260
fitzgerald you know And the truth of the matter

01:03:59.260 --> 01:04:03.059
is, like, when even Ella was doing her thing

01:04:03.059 --> 01:04:06.059
or Nat King Cole was doing his thing, he had

01:04:06.059 --> 01:04:09.840
a ton of backlash and a ton of, you know, pushback.

01:04:10.039 --> 01:04:13.619
And getting anything off the ground that's different

01:04:13.619 --> 01:04:17.019
or changing the norm is never easy. It's never

01:04:17.019 --> 01:04:22.139
easy. And, you know, right now we listen to Beethoven

01:04:22.139 --> 01:04:25.719
and Mozart and Tchaikovsky, even Matt Cranker.

01:04:26.760 --> 01:04:29.420
Everyone listens to The Nutcracker. Nobody realizes

01:04:29.420 --> 01:04:32.380
The Nutcracker was a colossal failure when it

01:04:32.380 --> 01:04:35.679
was debuted. Colossal. Colossal. Like, nobody

01:04:35.679 --> 01:04:38.960
wanted to hear it. It was not until a ballet

01:04:38.960 --> 01:04:41.599
company came and put The Nutcracker to their

01:04:41.599 --> 01:04:45.880
ballet that it started to become a beloved tradition.

01:04:46.300 --> 01:04:48.360
You know, people don't hear those stories. They

01:04:48.360 --> 01:04:51.619
just say, Nutcrackers, they're everywhere. So,

01:04:51.619 --> 01:04:55.380
I think, you know... It's tough in the beginning.

01:04:55.579 --> 01:04:58.000
I'm very passionate about this, obviously, as

01:04:58.000 --> 01:05:01.099
you can tell, given I'm putting every single

01:05:01.099 --> 01:05:04.440
waking minute and energy into creation of this.

01:05:04.699 --> 01:05:07.059
Not only because I believe in it, because I think

01:05:07.059 --> 01:05:10.000
it's a beautiful sound, but I also think that

01:05:10.000 --> 01:05:14.480
it is expanding the jazz. palette and the musical

01:05:14.480 --> 01:05:18.460
palette in a in a good way um you know it gives

01:05:18.460 --> 01:05:21.300
people options uh when they want to improvise

01:05:21.300 --> 01:05:23.380
they don't have to improvise necessarily linearly

01:05:23.380 --> 01:05:26.139
or on a pentatonic scale they can improvise over

01:05:26.139 --> 01:05:28.639
a raga they can do runs on a rug like this is

01:05:28.639 --> 01:05:32.300
just extending the scope of musicality and sonicness

01:05:32.300 --> 01:05:35.500
and that's one of the reasons why i'm like passionate

01:05:35.500 --> 01:05:38.280
about this so but it's it's taken some time but

01:05:38.280 --> 01:05:42.980
i think it's it's getting there Wow, but it takes

01:05:42.980 --> 01:05:46.739
courage, you know, to do. I'm not going to lie.

01:05:46.880 --> 01:05:51.599
It's not been, you know, bed of roses, especially

01:05:51.599 --> 01:05:54.980
as a woman in jazz field and especially from

01:05:54.980 --> 01:05:57.239
India doing this. You know, everyone wants you

01:05:57.239 --> 01:06:00.480
to be like a doctor or a lawyer or, you know,

01:06:00.480 --> 01:06:03.699
get a job in a corporate office with beautiful

01:06:03.699 --> 01:06:10.090
views of the city. And here I am. composing and

01:06:10.090 --> 01:06:14.429
taking my work on the road um but it is right

01:06:14.429 --> 01:06:17.070
for me because you know i had a corporate job

01:06:17.070 --> 01:06:19.789
before and i you know all of them and it was

01:06:19.789 --> 01:06:23.289
just i was like what am i doing here i just don't

01:06:23.289 --> 01:06:26.409
belong here you know yeah even before i was a

01:06:26.409 --> 01:06:28.650
journalist i believe it or not i worked at wall

01:06:28.650 --> 01:06:31.809
street for a bit as a banker yeah so i've done

01:06:31.809 --> 01:06:35.309
it all and i really try to be show some integrity

01:06:35.309 --> 01:06:38.050
to be true to myself it's been it's been hard

01:06:38.050 --> 01:06:41.219
but I think that, you know, most people, they

01:06:41.219 --> 01:06:45.420
go through the routine and go through the motions

01:06:45.420 --> 01:06:48.699
and go through the jobs that they don't like

01:06:48.699 --> 01:06:53.599
in order to get a paycheck, have a roof, have

01:06:53.599 --> 01:06:56.599
family. And, you know, I'm very grateful I have

01:06:56.599 --> 01:06:58.619
all of those things. I have an amazing family.

01:06:58.639 --> 01:07:01.719
I have a roof over my head. But creatively, I

01:07:01.719 --> 01:07:04.860
was not at a good place. I didn't want to be

01:07:04.860 --> 01:07:09.500
just like, you know. every other composer ever

01:07:09.500 --> 01:07:13.340
lived. And that was not sitting well with me.

01:07:13.440 --> 01:07:16.539
It was a very stubborn internal wrestle that

01:07:16.539 --> 01:07:19.800
I had with me. And I wanted to bring my identity

01:07:19.800 --> 01:07:21.860
to the table. And that's how I had to sort of,

01:07:21.860 --> 01:07:24.760
I had to go through life to the school of hard

01:07:24.760 --> 01:07:27.539
knocks, as they say, the school of really hard

01:07:27.539 --> 01:07:34.519
knocks. Yeah. So what would you give to those?

01:07:34.969 --> 01:07:37.369
you know, fellow artists or aspiring artists

01:07:37.369 --> 01:07:41.250
who are yet to discover themselves. And, you

01:07:41.250 --> 01:07:44.510
know, it's just maybe they just graduated from

01:07:44.510 --> 01:07:47.389
school and they're starting their career and

01:07:47.389 --> 01:07:49.849
beginning to really that's when you actually,

01:07:49.929 --> 01:07:52.809
you know, get to know yourself, starting to get

01:07:52.809 --> 01:07:56.449
to know yourself. Right. So is there. I would

01:07:56.449 --> 01:07:59.690
say that, you know, it sounds really hard, but

01:07:59.690 --> 01:08:03.179
and it is actually hard to do in practice. But

01:08:03.179 --> 01:08:05.679
you don't have to be all things to all people.

01:08:06.179 --> 01:08:09.480
That's rule number one. I think that's very hard

01:08:09.480 --> 01:08:14.679
because we have a certain expectation as a society.

01:08:14.940 --> 01:08:20.199
You know, a musician will play on the concert

01:08:20.199 --> 01:08:22.939
stage and they will do this and they will practice

01:08:22.939 --> 01:08:25.399
this and this is your repertoire and that is

01:08:25.399 --> 01:08:29.720
the way to do things. It works for some people

01:08:29.720 --> 01:08:32.689
and it doesn't work for others. I think it's

01:08:32.689 --> 01:08:36.369
important to find out who you are so that you

01:08:36.369 --> 01:08:38.630
don't have to be all things to all people. Because

01:08:38.630 --> 01:08:41.909
honestly, if you yourself are not convinced of

01:08:41.909 --> 01:08:44.310
your own path and your journey, you cannot convince

01:08:44.310 --> 01:08:47.289
others. It just is not going to work. You have

01:08:47.289 --> 01:08:50.350
to be very rock solid and convinced this is your

01:08:50.350 --> 01:08:54.550
calling and this is your passion. And I would,

01:08:54.550 --> 01:08:56.949
you know, play these beautiful pieces and at

01:08:56.949 --> 01:08:58.649
the end of the day, I would always come home

01:08:58.649 --> 01:09:01.340
thinking, hmm, I can do something. different

01:09:01.340 --> 01:09:04.659
i can do something else and you know i love playing

01:09:04.659 --> 01:09:06.939
the piano i would never change anything that

01:09:06.939 --> 01:09:09.479
about my journey i just this is who i am this

01:09:09.479 --> 01:09:11.979
is my office this is where i live and breathe

01:09:11.979 --> 01:09:14.779
and for many pianists and musicians this is their

01:09:14.779 --> 01:09:16.960
office if they're behind an instrument that's

01:09:16.960 --> 01:09:20.119
their office but they're not necessarily sure

01:09:20.119 --> 01:09:23.079
if they have to be playing mozart or they have

01:09:23.079 --> 01:09:25.359
to be playing haydn or they have to be playing

01:09:25.359 --> 01:09:29.289
a concerto and i'm just saying find what You

01:09:29.289 --> 01:09:32.949
cannot live without. You cannot live without

01:09:32.949 --> 01:09:35.649
something means it has to be part of you. You

01:09:35.649 --> 01:09:39.430
know, I actually love creating this. I love bringing

01:09:39.430 --> 01:09:41.930
this sound. I love it's something I can't live

01:09:41.930 --> 01:09:44.649
without. You know, the part of creation and blending

01:09:44.649 --> 01:09:47.210
and bringing in ragas. Find what's something

01:09:47.210 --> 01:09:50.149
you cannot live without. And if you cannot live

01:09:50.149 --> 01:09:52.989
without it, then you were probably born to do

01:09:52.989 --> 01:09:57.310
that. Being a female, especially from South Asian.

01:09:58.670 --> 01:10:03.949
with a South Asian representation, you know,

01:10:03.989 --> 01:10:08.149
it's still the industry is male dominated field.

01:10:08.829 --> 01:10:12.210
Yeah. So have you, have we seen any progress

01:10:12.210 --> 01:10:15.430
in terms of representation opportunities? I think

01:10:15.430 --> 01:10:19.550
it's, I think people are starting to embrace

01:10:19.550 --> 01:10:22.350
women a lot more. Like, especially when I travel

01:10:22.350 --> 01:10:25.409
and tour in India, I'm always blown away by the

01:10:25.409 --> 01:10:28.079
comments I get from women. especially Indian

01:10:28.079 --> 01:10:32.239
women who never really done jazz or know jazz

01:10:32.239 --> 01:10:36.100
or tried to do jazz. They're like, this is so

01:10:36.100 --> 01:10:39.100
inspiring. You know, it's new to me. It's amazing.

01:10:39.479 --> 01:10:42.159
And I gave a master class when I was recently

01:10:42.159 --> 01:10:45.539
played at the Royal Opera House in Mumbai. My

01:10:45.539 --> 01:10:47.420
second time playing there, which is amazing.

01:10:47.619 --> 01:10:50.180
And I gave a master class at Whistling Woods,

01:10:50.300 --> 01:10:52.619
which is the largest film school in Asia and

01:10:52.619 --> 01:10:55.359
also the largest Bollywood film school in Mumbai.

01:10:56.029 --> 01:10:58.250
And I gave a masterclass to a ton of students

01:10:58.250 --> 01:11:00.890
and I explained raga jazz, how to improvise.

01:11:00.989 --> 01:11:05.050
The students were just like so, you know, mesmerized.

01:11:05.050 --> 01:11:10.350
And being a woman and doing all of that, getting

01:11:10.350 --> 01:11:12.829
the band together, getting the acts, traveling

01:11:12.829 --> 01:11:17.229
by myself, playing a show, composing every scrap

01:11:17.229 --> 01:11:19.609
of the music, arranging, orchestrating, it's

01:11:19.609 --> 01:11:23.369
not easy. It's really hard. It's just very hard.

01:11:24.460 --> 01:11:27.560
Because, you know, we don't do covers. We do

01:11:27.560 --> 01:11:30.380
originals. These are all my pieces. So first

01:11:30.380 --> 01:11:32.319
of all, it's the composing and getting the music

01:11:32.319 --> 01:11:34.500
done and recording. Second of all, it's booking

01:11:34.500 --> 01:11:36.699
shows and taking it out. I mean, it's just a

01:11:36.699 --> 01:11:42.140
lot of work. So, but the amazing thing is, you

01:11:42.140 --> 01:11:46.180
know, we need role models. We need mentors because

01:11:46.180 --> 01:11:49.699
honestly. the glass ceiling has to be broken.

01:11:49.840 --> 01:11:52.899
We cannot continue in a space where there are

01:11:52.899 --> 01:11:55.479
no female jazz musicians, especially coming from

01:11:55.479 --> 01:11:59.460
India or Asia. We have to be the change. We have

01:11:59.460 --> 01:12:03.659
to absolutely show that it can be done and you

01:12:03.659 --> 01:12:06.739
can actually do it. So that way the, you know,

01:12:06.739 --> 01:12:08.739
people are inspired and they don't feel that

01:12:08.739 --> 01:12:11.779
it's absolutely impossible to do. And second

01:12:11.779 --> 01:12:15.800
thing is, you know, collaborators and musicians

01:12:15.800 --> 01:12:19.300
are everywhere and so many musicians want to

01:12:19.300 --> 01:12:21.319
work with me and I collaborated with a lot of

01:12:21.319 --> 01:12:24.399
amazing local musicians and I love playing with

01:12:24.399 --> 01:12:26.560
them and I love collaborating with them I love

01:12:26.560 --> 01:12:28.819
sharing my music with them I'm gonna be playing

01:12:28.819 --> 01:12:30.979
Miami in like a couple of weeks I love playing

01:12:30.979 --> 01:12:33.039
with the local jazz scene there and you know

01:12:33.039 --> 01:12:35.180
so they get to know my work and they get to you

01:12:35.180 --> 01:12:40.470
know do this They've been great. They've been

01:12:40.470 --> 01:12:43.970
great, very respectful, amazing. I have had nothing

01:12:43.970 --> 01:12:47.050
but amazing experiences with jazz musicians in

01:12:47.050 --> 01:12:50.470
India, the local talent there. I went to England

01:12:50.470 --> 01:12:52.770
and I played with my dear friend Wendy Kirkland,

01:12:52.890 --> 01:12:55.050
had great experiences there. I recently played

01:12:55.050 --> 01:12:58.390
in Italy in Turin. We had a sold -out show festival,

01:12:58.590 --> 01:13:01.670
hundreds of people outdoors in Turin, showcased

01:13:01.670 --> 01:13:05.369
raga jazz there with my dear friend there. Super,

01:13:05.890 --> 01:13:08.829
super responsive. to my music and my audience

01:13:08.829 --> 01:13:12.409
has been amazing. It really has been amazing.

01:13:12.829 --> 01:13:15.810
And I think that taking the courage to do it

01:13:15.810 --> 01:13:18.890
is the first step. Our conversation is going,

01:13:19.029 --> 01:13:22.890
you know, almost ending and it's just time flies

01:13:22.890 --> 01:13:27.550
so fast, but maybe just one or two more. So if

01:13:27.550 --> 01:13:31.489
there's one thing you hope your listeners or

01:13:31.489 --> 01:13:35.189
listeners to take away from your music, what

01:13:35.189 --> 01:13:38.840
would it be? just appreciate how beautiful the

01:13:38.840 --> 01:13:43.500
ragas are how how we can actually create harmony

01:13:43.500 --> 01:13:47.920
between cultures and borders, how there are possibilities,

01:13:48.239 --> 01:13:51.140
and really how we shouldn't pigeonhole ourselves

01:13:51.140 --> 01:13:53.779
and our thinking in a certain way, because there's

01:13:53.779 --> 01:13:57.220
so much beauty, so much richness, so much we

01:13:57.220 --> 01:14:00.960
can learn from each other, from different cultures,

01:14:01.140 --> 01:14:03.180
from different, you know, countries and different

01:14:03.180 --> 01:14:06.340
traditions, that we can just open our minds and

01:14:06.340 --> 01:14:10.399
listen and appreciate and collaborate and come

01:14:10.399 --> 01:14:13.119
together. That's it. That's what I really would

01:14:13.119 --> 01:14:16.880
love. And then what legacy do you hope to leave

01:14:16.880 --> 01:14:21.399
in jazz and the global music landscape? I really

01:14:21.399 --> 01:14:25.460
would like raga jazz to be a thing, more mainstream.

01:14:25.600 --> 01:14:28.340
I would like people like how, you know, we listen

01:14:28.340 --> 01:14:31.399
to country and pop and rock and roll and all

01:14:31.399 --> 01:14:33.300
of that stuff, which was created. I mean, it

01:14:33.300 --> 01:14:35.239
wasn't something that just, you know, existed,

01:14:35.460 --> 01:14:40.100
created it. I would like that to be more, you

01:14:40.100 --> 01:14:44.229
know. Well, no, we had lots of great styles in

01:14:44.229 --> 01:14:47.649
jazz. You know, we had the Dixie style, the stride.

01:14:47.649 --> 01:14:51.029
And then we had, you know, American Songbook,

01:14:51.090 --> 01:14:53.710
which everybody has to do. And then Balsa Nova,

01:14:53.890 --> 01:14:57.529
then Bebop and Hardbop and all of that. You know,

01:14:57.529 --> 01:14:59.989
so I guess I want this to be like, you know,

01:14:59.989 --> 01:15:03.689
an innovation and a contribution. It is already

01:15:03.689 --> 01:15:06.970
an innovation. So congratulations. And I think

01:15:06.970 --> 01:15:11.260
there's more, I'm sure. you know, albums and

01:15:11.260 --> 01:15:15.880
books to come? Definitely. Yes. I'm working on

01:15:15.880 --> 01:15:19.060
my first new age album, ambient album, all using

01:15:19.060 --> 01:15:22.140
Indian ragas. It's not jazz, but it, it still

01:15:22.140 --> 01:15:24.859
uses ragas. We are debuting it in Carnegie hall,

01:15:24.920 --> 01:15:31.239
July 25th. Yeah. Yes, all healing evening ragas.

01:15:31.380 --> 01:15:33.500
Using some ragas that I haven't used before,

01:15:33.619 --> 01:15:41.460
like Raga Desh. And it's a new age album. And

01:15:41.460 --> 01:15:44.279
it's simpler. It's simpler for people to play

01:15:44.279 --> 01:15:47.220
and learn. And it'll be the first time I think

01:15:47.220 --> 01:15:50.760
I've written a hymn based on a raga. It actually

01:15:50.760 --> 01:15:54.180
sounds like a hymn, like a spiritual hymn. But

01:15:54.180 --> 01:15:57.640
it's all using ragas. Yeah, I call it Mohanam

01:15:57.640 --> 01:16:00.270
hymn. And my friend heard it and they're like,

01:16:00.310 --> 01:16:02.470
oh, this is like the Amazing Grace, but raga

01:16:02.470 --> 01:16:05.529
version. And I said, yeah. So it's a simpler

01:16:05.529 --> 01:16:10.470
way to learn the ragas. It's not jazzy. It's

01:16:10.470 --> 01:16:13.689
not crazy, crazy virtuosic. But in a way, once

01:16:13.689 --> 01:16:16.090
I transcribe it and for people to download and

01:16:16.090 --> 01:16:19.350
play, they can actually play a simple song like

01:16:19.350 --> 01:16:22.880
on a raga. after that so we'll keep speaking

01:16:22.880 --> 01:16:25.840
of uh so i'm sure you have more events to come

01:16:25.840 --> 01:16:28.819
so now it's time to promote your current and

01:16:28.819 --> 01:16:31.359
upcoming projects the floor is yours so please

01:16:31.359 --> 01:16:34.149
take it away Oh, thank you. I've had a great

01:16:34.149 --> 01:16:37.550
time touring India. I will be back in India this

01:16:37.550 --> 01:16:40.810
summer playing at a big, big auditorium. We're

01:16:40.810 --> 01:16:45.090
working on the Ambani Center, which is a big,

01:16:45.149 --> 01:16:47.229
big auditorium. It's like the Kennedy Center

01:16:47.229 --> 01:16:50.949
in India. In a couple of weeks, I'll be playing

01:16:50.949 --> 01:16:54.029
Miami. I'll be playing the Loomis Park Festival

01:16:54.029 --> 01:16:57.310
on March 16th outdoors with some fantastic...

01:16:57.960 --> 01:17:03.060
jazz musicians in Miami on the bass and the drums.

01:17:03.340 --> 01:17:07.100
And then I'll be in the Hudson Valley March 22nd

01:17:07.100 --> 01:17:10.039
playing in Back Bar, which is this venue that

01:17:10.039 --> 01:17:16.449
is in the Hudson Valley Poughkeepsie area. And

01:17:16.449 --> 01:17:18.689
then I'll be at Carnegie Hall for my fifth appearance

01:17:18.689 --> 01:17:22.329
in July, July 25th, debuting my new album, playing

01:17:22.329 --> 01:17:25.270
with some legends in the music scene, including

01:17:25.270 --> 01:17:28.449
Premik Russell Tubbs, who's a flute player, who

01:17:28.449 --> 01:17:31.229
was one of the original members of John McLaughlin's

01:17:31.229 --> 01:17:36.329
Mahavishnu Orchestra. So he's a big fan and he's

01:17:36.329 --> 01:17:39.039
able to straddle, you know, the... the bragas

01:17:39.039 --> 01:17:41.220
and the jazz because that's something what he

01:17:41.220 --> 01:17:44.279
was doing with john mcleod in spain early on

01:17:44.279 --> 01:17:48.920
um and then in the in i'll be touring spain we're

01:17:48.920 --> 01:17:51.560
getting the exact dates and and be back in london

01:17:51.560 --> 01:17:55.880
um yeah so my my calendar i have all my dates

01:17:55.880 --> 01:17:58.859
on my calendar for people to to get bookings

01:17:58.859 --> 01:18:03.739
and shows on charusuri .com um and yeah we're

01:18:03.739 --> 01:18:07.239
we're we're planning to play in uh many more

01:18:07.239 --> 01:18:11.979
jazz clubs in the country and also abroad yeah

01:18:11.979 --> 01:18:15.520
wow wonderful and you mentioned there's a new

01:18:15.520 --> 01:18:19.399
album coming or yes so i'm working um i'm not

01:18:19.399 --> 01:18:21.840
touring as much this year because i am focusing

01:18:21.840 --> 01:18:25.859
on recording and releasing my album nidra which

01:18:25.859 --> 01:18:29.979
in sanskrit means sleep it's all using very calming

01:18:29.979 --> 01:18:33.319
uh evening ragas because we are right now going

01:18:33.319 --> 01:18:37.479
through a very big stress in turmoil, everybody

01:18:37.479 --> 01:18:40.600
is going through some very... exceptional stress

01:18:40.600 --> 01:18:43.880
given you know the events the landscape personal

01:18:43.880 --> 01:18:47.300
troubles and you know all of that stuff and and

01:18:47.300 --> 01:18:51.560
and the album was born because my a lot of my

01:18:51.560 --> 01:18:53.939
friends and even myself had difficulty sleeping

01:18:53.939 --> 01:18:56.760
and i don't want you know people to resort to

01:18:56.760 --> 01:18:59.439
taking a pill to go to sleep i just think that

01:18:59.439 --> 01:19:02.039
if we can find natural ways listening to music

01:19:02.039 --> 01:19:04.640
of very healing music and having a good night's

01:19:04.640 --> 01:19:07.810
rest that would be uh the best thing for our

01:19:07.810 --> 01:19:11.569
health so all of the all album ragas are supposed

01:19:11.569 --> 01:19:13.729
to be played right after sunset in the evening

01:19:13.729 --> 01:19:15.949
and that's how the ancient culture they've been

01:19:15.949 --> 01:19:18.930
doing it for years so i've composed music using

01:19:18.930 --> 01:19:23.810
these ragas and we have a phenomenal uh talent

01:19:23.810 --> 01:19:27.890
pool of musicians um on that album that will

01:19:27.890 --> 01:19:32.430
be coming out in july yeah Well, I may be able

01:19:32.430 --> 01:19:35.609
to attend your Carnegie concert. So I would love

01:19:35.609 --> 01:19:38.989
that in July. Yeah. So before I let you go, I

01:19:38.989 --> 01:19:43.010
didn't tell you, but we have this rapid fire

01:19:43.010 --> 01:19:48.069
questions. Yes, yes, yes. So, yeah, just to end

01:19:48.069 --> 01:19:50.449
our conversation in a little bit more faster

01:19:50.449 --> 01:19:55.310
pace and a fun way. So, yeah, I will ask some

01:19:55.310 --> 01:19:59.100
silly questions. And here's a little twist. As

01:19:59.100 --> 01:20:01.319
silly as these questions may sound, your answers

01:20:01.319 --> 01:20:03.800
may reveal who you truly are. So ready or not,

01:20:03.880 --> 01:20:06.680
let's do it. So question number one, what is

01:20:06.680 --> 01:20:10.000
your comfort food? An Indian thali. It's a silver

01:20:10.000 --> 01:20:13.920
platter full of many different curries, rice,

01:20:14.140 --> 01:20:19.039
Indian bread, and like stews. And it's something

01:20:19.039 --> 01:20:21.800
that I always go to after a hard tour or recording

01:20:21.800 --> 01:20:24.640
session. I go get that. Oh, yes. That sounds

01:20:24.640 --> 01:20:27.539
so amazing. How do you like your coffee in the

01:20:27.539 --> 01:20:32.979
morning? Steamed oat milk, espresso, and that's

01:20:32.979 --> 01:20:37.020
it, no sugar. So oat milk latte. Cats or dogs?

01:20:37.239 --> 01:20:39.920
A dog person, but now I've had to adjust to cats

01:20:39.920 --> 01:20:44.319
because my daughter's a cat person. Okay. Sunrise

01:20:44.319 --> 01:20:49.000
or sunset? Sunset. I'm a night owl. Summer or

01:20:49.000 --> 01:20:51.779
winter? Definitely summer. I was born in India.

01:20:54.000 --> 01:20:57.670
Now, level two. What skill have you always wanted

01:20:57.670 --> 01:21:00.210
to learn but haven't had a chance to? I would

01:21:00.210 --> 01:21:03.310
say cooking properly. I dabble in cooking and

01:21:03.310 --> 01:21:06.109
make some dishes, but by my mom's standards,

01:21:06.390 --> 01:21:13.090
you are a disastrous cook. Oh, always mom. Yes.

01:21:13.470 --> 01:21:17.949
What is your word or words to live by? Authenticity,

01:21:18.170 --> 01:21:21.350
integrity. What is the most important quality

01:21:21.350 --> 01:21:24.670
you look for in other people? Kindness and integrity.

01:21:25.350 --> 01:21:28.149
Name three people who inspire you, living or

01:21:28.149 --> 01:21:31.069
dead. I know this is really difficult. Miles

01:21:31.069 --> 01:21:34.869
Davis, huge influence. Oscar Peterson, huge influence.

01:21:35.909 --> 01:21:42.310
And Davey C. Davey C has been my reason why I

01:21:42.310 --> 01:21:45.189
think I went into jazz. Because I think he was

01:21:45.189 --> 01:21:50.430
really the first classical jazz composer. Good

01:21:50.430 --> 01:21:54.779
point. You're right. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Name one

01:21:54.779 --> 01:21:59.539
piece in your current playlist. I would say Kind

01:21:59.539 --> 01:22:02.920
of Blue by Miles Davis. It's very modal. It's

01:22:02.920 --> 01:22:06.600
gentle. It's very much the style of what I'm

01:22:06.600 --> 01:22:10.340
doing. Last question. Fill in the blank. Music

01:22:10.340 --> 01:22:16.739
is blank. Life. Ah, yes. So that wraps up this

01:22:16.739 --> 01:22:19.350
episode of The Pianopod. A heartfelt thanks to

01:22:19.350 --> 01:22:21.989
you, Charu, for joining us today and sharing

01:22:21.989 --> 01:22:24.649
your incredible, incredible stories and insights

01:22:24.649 --> 01:22:27.890
and expertise with such authenticity and joy.

01:22:28.130 --> 01:22:31.409
So to our wonderful audience, you can learn more

01:22:31.409 --> 01:22:33.930
about Charu and her work by visiting her website

01:22:33.930 --> 01:22:38.010
at charusuri .com and start listening to her

01:22:38.010 --> 01:22:41.689
wonderful raga jazz music on all streaming services.

01:22:41.909 --> 01:22:45.609
And of course, thank you to Faithful fans and

01:22:45.609 --> 01:22:47.670
listeners for tuning in today. If you enjoyed

01:22:47.670 --> 01:22:50.210
today's episode, please give it a thumbs up and

01:22:50.210 --> 01:22:53.149
subscribe to The Piano Pod on YouTube. And please

01:22:53.149 --> 01:22:55.329
don't forget to share and review this episode

01:22:55.329 --> 01:22:58.289
on your social media and tag The Piano Pod. It's

01:22:58.289 --> 01:23:01.350
one of the best ways to help us grow and we'd

01:23:01.350 --> 01:23:04.310
love to hear your feedback. So for the latest

01:23:04.310 --> 01:23:06.529
piano news and updates, be sure to follow The

01:23:06.529 --> 01:23:08.970
Piano Pod on Substack, TikTok, and LinkedIn.

01:23:09.130 --> 01:23:11.250
I will see you for the next episode of The Piano

01:23:11.250 --> 01:23:14.930
Pod. Bye, everyone. And thank you, Charu, once

01:23:14.930 --> 01:23:18.090
again. It's an honor. Thank you so much for hearing

01:23:18.090 --> 01:23:20.670
my story. And from the bottom of my heart, thank

01:23:20.670 --> 01:23:23.470
you. Oh, thank you. Thank you so much.