MUMBAI: Mark these dates, as coming September is certainly going to be magical for those waiting for some livewire performace. Virtuoso percussionist Trilok Gurtu is all set to perform on 6th & 8th September’09 at Mumbai’s popular music venue Blue Frog.
Speaking exclusively to radioandmusic.com, Gurtu says, “Its always special when it comes to performing in Mumbai.” As far as the repertoire goes, he says, “It’s going to be a mixed bag with a lot Indian and african sounds and rhythms – you could find traces of my music from the last 25 years.”
Gurtu has been known for his unique approach to percussion and drumming which involves a â€?floor kit’ including cymbals, hi-hats, snares, toms and congas, Indian tabla, dhol, drums, gongs, blocks, cowbells and his famous bucket of water (into which he immerses resonating instruments to astonishing effect). For his Mumbai performances, Gurtu will be accompanied by Ravi Chary on sitar and harmonium, Nitin Shankar on percussions and kalpana on vocals.
However his fans in India often say that its rare to see him perform. On this, Gurtu says, “It might sound rude, but its not about performing, but the planning that goes behind doing a concert in India that has kept me away for so long. Indians want everything done in a very quick succession. I plan my gigs months in advance – that’s the way music gigs are planned internationally.”
Having said this, Gurtu adds, “I have, and I love performing in India – I’m a true Indian and a Bombay guy at that. For all
these years, I’ve been promoting Indian music alone across the world. Though I have been inspired by a lot many sounds from African music and music from various different parts of the world but at the core of it, my music is ‘Indian’.”
Being one of the most well travelled musicians in India, Gurtu says the Indian music scene can improve a lot with commitment and focus, “India has the talent but commitment is something we need to focus upon. We act lazy more often than not. The ‘chalta hai’ attitude is something that we need to do away with. When you perform at the international level, there’s no second chance, you have to give the best that you have at that time. The audience and the critics wont bail you out otherwise. I think, if Indians get more more serious with their planning and commitment; there would be no stopping whatsoever!” he adds.