Like father, like daughter

Kirk MacDonald

Of the many different types of music there are, it is perhaps jazz that requires artistes to have the deepest connection with each other. That's because the genre essentially involves a conversation between instruments. The piano says something. The trumpet replies. The bass interjects. And the drums finally restore order with a steady beat. So the musicians have to be in complete tandem to facilitate this musical discussion. They almost have to play like a family, which is literally what happens in the case of Kirk MacDonald, since the quartet he helms also includes Virginia, his 24-year-old daughter.

The Canadian saxophonist will make his Mumbai debut at a Nariman Point venue this weekend. A veteran of 35 years, MacDonald was brought up on a diet of American jazz greats like Charlie Parker and John Coltrane. But he admits that the genre has evolved to such an extent over the years that its rhythmic patterns have changed. "I think a part of the reason is that jazz music has caught on across the world. You have people from India, South America and Africa bringing in their own influences. And that's led to not just the rhythm changing, but also the harmonic parts," MacDonald says.

He adds that Virginia's initiation into music was a natural process since artistes surrounded her throughout her childhood. "But she's her own musician, who brings her own personality to a song just like the others do. We treat her like a peer even though she is much younger. She has the kind of talent that makes her an equal voice in the band," MacDonald tells us.

Virginia MacDonald

He also says that it's difficult to define how the Canadian jazz tradition is different from America's, which is where this form of music originated. "I have in fact always thought of jazz as a shared feeling," MacDonald says, emphasising how, at the end of the day, the genre remains a musical interaction between people playing diverse instruments.

On March 8, 7.30 pm AT Experimental Theatre, NCPA, Nariman Point.
Call 66223724
Cost Rs 500 onwards

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