legendary American jazz Drummer Dave Weckl hopes that the next generation gets exposed to and sustains the legacy of jazz artists. By Saatvik Jha
Have you ever felt like breakdancing to jazzIJ Hearing Saraswati played live by this dazzling ensemble is all it takes to evoke the desire. The electrifying energy of Dave Weckl and Absandey reverberated under the crescent moon at One Golden Mile on Sunday night. The legendary American drummer has featured recurrently on lists of all-time greats, inducted into Modern Drummer magazine’s Hall of Fame in 2000. The accompanying trio, Absandey comprises three adept young jazz musicians. Abhijith Nair (violin) and Sandeep Mohan (guitar) are the pioneers of fusion jazz transcending any single genre in India. Bassist Mohini Dey, once a child prodigy, has been performing amongst India’s finest musicians, including Ustad Zakir Hussain, since her stage debut in Kolkata at the tender age of 12 — a decade ago. The South-Indian keyboard player Joe Johnson, who had been performing with bands while his schoolmates slogged after their studies, was the final part of this ensemble.
Performed as the headlining act of Jazz India Circuit Delhi, the crowd roared as Weckl and Absandey took the stage. Those grabbing the Mughlai food or curated cocktails available at the other end of the splendidly lit open-air venue rushed to their seats as this stunning act seized the spotlight. There was no mistaking the finesse of the performers from the instant the act began. Dave Weckl’s drumming was tight, there’s no other word to describe it more fittingly. His decades of experience were evident as he beat out powerful pieces with seemingly no effort. Anything but a stranger to the world of jazz, Weckl gives his two cents.
What do you think about the position of Jazz in terms of contemporary music globallyIJ
I think jazz has always been sort of an underground culture that has been appreciated by certain people who are avid fans, who keep supporting and coming out in large numbers. Hopefully, they inspire their children and friends and get them to listen to this genre. So, I can only comment on what I see in my circles, which is that people are still coming out and enjoying live jazz. They really appreciate and love it. There’ll always be a place for it.
I don’t think it’ll ever be commercial. But it’s something that will carry on. We have to hope that the next generation gets exposed to and sustains the legacy of jazz artists.
To play jazz requires heavy amount of technical knowledge. Do you feel that to get into this genre one must have some sort of professional tutelageIJ Do you have any resources to suggest which people could use to teach themselves how to play jazzIJ
Guidance and great teachers are crucial in anything one wants to do so that they don’t waste time in searching for how to do something. If somebody can direct one and guide them it makes the process of learning faster. All music requires some foundational elements that are based in music harmony, technical skill, et al. In jazz music there’s not as much structure, there are deeper harmonies and a fusing together of varied styles. There are numerous styles in jazz, so it takes a lot of time to study the history of music to understand where all these different styles come from. Again, listening to contemporary music to figure out where people have taken basic styles or mixed them with rock, latin, and the rest to create a fusion which takes time. Without instruction — as there is certainly a lot of information out there on the internet — it can get confusing. If one doesn’t really know what they’re listening to, then they wouldn’t know how to classify it or learn it. Good direction by people that know the history, especially, is a wise way to start and consequently search out the styles and people one wants to further learn from.
What were your influences when you sat down to compose music on your own or with othersIJ
That’s really determined by the band or project that I’m writing and composing for. Obviously, it’s always based on what I know and am inclined towards — which is a really diverse range, coming from a lot of different places. It really comes off and down to the moment of inspiration — creative ideas that I want to put down. They can come from anything: a drum guru, a drum rhythm pattern, a melodic idea or just a harmonic concept that creates a mood, and evokes a thought. It really depends on the project, the people you’re working with, the band and the music you like.
On that note, what kind of music have you been exploring lately in terms of compositionIJ
Since last year I’ve not been in a creative mode in the sense of writing music. The last year’s been spent building, organising and putting together my online drum school — which is a whole other process of the creative aspect. A lot of that is more academic and doesn’t have much to do with the creative writing aspect. Having said that, some of my teachers and some of my students have exposed me to other things — I was never exposed to the depth of South African gurus for example, till I actually had a student come in from South Africa. He gave me quite a lot of information. On the creative aspect, it’s really not the right time to ask me that question because I’m just not in that mindset at the moment.
On the flipside to that, what kind of music have you been listening to latelyIJ
To be honest, a lot of my work is in the studio mixing things. Most recently, mixing my own lessons. So downtime, I don’t pay much attention on exactly what I’m listening to. I like so many different styles of music that sometimes the iPod will be on shuffle and what comes up, comes up. That’s really it, between all the styles and genres I don’t get too particular about it.
Is there anything you particularly like among the music that’s been popular in recent yearsIJ
Nothing in particular. I have a daughter, a young lady now, that has always exposed me to what she’s liked. So I get turned towards many different things in the pop area. Some I like, some I don’t. Good music always has melodic depth, good harmony, and is produced well.
Buddy Rich, the iconic jazz drummer, seemed to have looked down upon drummers in genres such as metal and progressive rock — calling them ‘monkeys with sticks.’ Do you concur with that viewIJ Do you feel that other genres, particularly with regards to drumming, lack that intricacy and depth in techniqueIJ
I think it always comes down to an individual. I would never generalise. In a lot of music that I have no interest in listening to or playing, such as speed metal, for example, I really respect the people who can do that kind of stuff - it’s an amazing ability to have, which is why I never generalise just because it’s a style I don’t like.