International musician George Brooks, who creates magic on the saxophone, is in Hyderabad to perform at a concert.
Remembering how his inclination to music began, he says, “I always enjoyed being on stage. I picked up the sax when I was 10. I went to jazz clubs to listen to Bill Evans, McCoy Tyner, Sonny Rollins and Dizzy Gillespie.”
He joined the university to pursue medicine, but life had something else in store for him. “There I began performing professionally. I pursued my music at the New England Conservatory of Music and my study of jazz began with an introduction to Indian classical music. I was immediately drawn to Indian music because of the emphasis on improvisation and the demands placed on the artist to maintain a creative, emotionally expressive and spiritually attuned relationship to music. My inspiration was Terry Riley.”
George also developed great friendship with Indian musicians. “My involvement in Indian music is rooted in my friendships with Indian artists, primarily my guru Pran Nath with whom I first spent a year in India (1980-81) and continued to study with, until his death in 1996.
From him I learnt the essence of raga, the history and poetry of India. My first instrumental collaborations were with sitarist Krishna Bhatt. He introduced me to Zakir Hussain, who played a great role in presenting my music to the Indian community.
Flautist Hariprasad Chaurasia has also been an inspiration. The depth of expression Hariji offers through his breath, is, for me, the gold standard. Louiz Bank parallels my own — drawing on the jazz and classical Indian idioms,” he says.
George has had some interesting moments in India. “I performed in Pune for Suresh Talwalkar’s birthday, with Vijay Ghate. There were hundreds of tabla players in the audience. I chose to perform a composition in an 11-beat time cycle. It was nerve-wracking! Another great event was a Full Moon concert in front of India Gate. I was performing at 6 am for Abbaji (Alla Rakha) with Zakir bhai, John McLaughlin and Louiz Banks. I showed up, proud in my black kurta, only to realise that all the other musicians and the audience was wearing white — luckily Zakir gave me a white kurta.”
George feels that there is a larger responsibility on musicians. “I hope we can lead by example. Through global collaborations, we can show that different cultures and aesthetic values can come together in a harmonious way. I would like to see all the governments increase their support to arts and artists. Art is a unifying force for the human race. Without art, what really is our purpose here?” he asks.
On Indian sax scenario: “I find more young saxophonists coming up in India, but I would like to see more.”
George has worked for movies too. “I often do sessions for various Bollywood composers. I enjoy the work but rarely get to see the films once they are made,” he says.
Lastly, George expresses his desire to learn more. “I wish I had practised more or worked harder. But I don’t have regrets. I have a beautiful, loving family and still feel inspired to learn, create and share my vision,” he finishes.
— The writer is a musician, creator of Jaywant Guitar and a freelance photographer
