Dakshina Ensemble featuring Kadri Gopalnath and Rudresh Mahanthappa

"With this visionary new work, he’s boldly breaking some exciting new ground while going all the way back to his Indian roots." —JazzTimes

Alto sax player Rudresh Mahanthappa has won particular praise for his skillful integration of Indian musical concepts into his compositions and playing, adding a keening vocal quality that blends seamlessly into his post-bop fluency. When he was first heard here last year with jazz pianist Vijay Iyer, he impressed the crowd with his horn mastery, whether fiercely attacking fast tempos or drawing out entrancing lines on ballads.

In the Dakshina Ensemble project, he collaborates with one of his inspirations, Kadri Golpalnath, a legendary master of South Indian Carnatic classical music. Golpalnath is renowned for his unique approach to the alto sax, which adapts the sound of South Indian double-reed instruments like the nagaswaram in a way that’s akin to how Debashish Bhattacharya uses the guitar to perform ragas. With this powerful septet, which also features violin and electric sitar/guitar, they create an organic hybrid of Indian traditions and boundary-breaking jazz.

Performing at this show:
Kadri Gopalnath - Alto Saxophone
Rudresh Mahanthappa - Alto Saxophone
A. Kanyakumari - Violin
Rez Abbasi - Guitar/Sitar - Guitar
Carlo De Rosa - Acoustic Bass
Poovalur Sriji - Mridangam
royal hartigan – Drums

Interview: Rudresh Mahanthappa