Shakti ||| Portrait

Shakti

The story of Shakti began in 1975 when John McLaughlin – one of the most renowned guitarists at the time – disbanded the Mahavishnu Orchestra at the height of its fame. With the Mahavishnu, McLaughlin had created a highly popular jazz rock, but it was too commercial for his original fans. Plus, following this very electric experience, the guitarist was looking for something different. In New York he started to hang out with tablas virtuoso Zakir Hussain. Two musicians from South India joined them: the violinist L. Shankar and T.H Vinayakram, a ghatam player (percussionist). “Shakti” was founded, a group whose name meant “Intelligence, beauty and power”. At first the record labels and producers were reticent, unaware of the originality of this ensemble in which, for the very first time, the carnatic music of North India (extremely formal) met with the Hindustani style of the South (more contemporary and open-minded), brought together in a jazz vibe. The danger was that the genres be jeopardized when crossed, but Shakti brilliantly avoided the pitfall. Yet at the beginning, Shakti was widely criticised, just as much by those in jazz (pessimistic of the project’s commercial viability) as in India. Zakir Hussain, the son of the great Ustad Allarakha – a traditional musician, even traditionalist) – had to face his father’s disapproval. “My father looked badly upon this venture,” Zakir remembered. “He was worried that I might lose my roots. I had to convince him that it was the complete opposite, and to prove my sincerity to him, I had to promise to give concerts of classical Indian music throughout the country and to only play other styles in my spare time. The result is that today I spend 80% of my time playing classical music”. He is now one of the most sought after soloists, both for his musical aptitude, speed and rhythmic skill. “When I play with John, I don’t feel as if I’m playing with a Western musician,” Zakir continued, “but with an Indian, believe it or not. John has taken the time to study classical Indian music and understands how we function. I have never had the impression that I was working with a stranger, from another tradition”. It must be said that the jazzman has been attracted to India since the sixties when McLaughlin, then in his twenties, discovered Indian culture and religions. “Curiously, I only discovered this country’s music years later”, he recalled. “And I was struck by its beauty”. Hence his insatiable thirst for musical voyages along unknown paths. For John McLaughlin, Shakti’s strength is in the balance between the mathematic equations of Indian rhythms and the chaos of jazz. For Zakir Hussain the secret might lie elsewhere, just as it might lie there, who knows ? In the end, what are important are the three fabulous records that the quartet recorded between 1975 and 1977. In the autumn of 1977, year of the fiftieth anniversary of India’s independence, the group reformed for a tour. The two founding members were joined by two incredible young musicians: U. Shrinivas on the mandolin and V. Selvaganesh on the ghatam, kanjira and mridangam. The result was a double album live “Remember Shakti”. The pleasure of playing together again and working with their wonderful new associates led Zakir Hussain and John McLaughlin to pursue the adventure with another tour and a new album, “The Believer”, dedicated to the memory of Ustad Allarakha (Zakir’s father) who passed away in February 2000.

Magali Bergès

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