I have a question

Celebrated Jazz bassist Richard Bona jams with singer-composer Shankar Mahadevan tonight. The Guide got the two to ask each other questions they've been curious about since they first met

Celebrated Jazz bassist Richard Bona jams with singer-composer Shankar Mahadevan tonight. The Guide got the two to ask each other questions they've been curious about since they first met

One was all set to become an engineer, as is expected of a Tam Brahm, while the other built his own instruments as a kid, because if you wanted to play music in Minta (a village in Cameroon), you had to design your own tools.

Both, Richard Bona and Shankar Mahadevan have come a long way from their wobbly beginnings in the world of music, to work together on The Ten Shades of Blues.

The collaboration kicked off when Mahadevan couldn't resist dropping backstage to "offer appreciation" after Bona had performed in Mumbai last.

Richard Bona with Shankar Mahadevan

Bona, in turn, "kept thinking of writing a song with him in mind" once he had heard the singer perform. Mutual admiration apart, the two singers share a passion of experimenting with their music.

Bona declares that he'd like to "play music in the air (handgliding)... or underwater" if he could pull off a crazy experiment.

Shankar's ambition is to create an entire "album with only voice." Read on for an exclusive tete-au00a0-tete between the two.

Richard Bona to Shankar Mahadevan

How did a computer engineer land up as a singer and composer?
Since I was born into a middle class South Indian family, I was just following what did either you became an engineer or a doctor. I was a good student, so I did what my friends did. The passion to perform was within me, which I wanted to explore. At one point, I decided to give it all up and try my hand at music, because it that was a now-or-never moment.u00a0

What is it like to blend Indian music with Jazz?
Both forms are improvisational; 20 per cent of what you sing is actually set and rehearsed as per arrangement. The remaining 80 per cent is improvised. In Jazz, everything is improvised. So, since the principles are more or less the same, and you are able to communicate to the audience a particular scale and feeling in both, it makes for a great blend.

How much does your background in Indian classical music influence your own compositions?
The language of my music is Indian classical, and any other form that I perform, compose or sing are derivatives of that.u00a0

Shankar Mahadevan to Richard Bona

Do you still have the reed flutes, balafon, wooden percussion instruments and the 12-string guitar you made as a child?
Unfortunately, not. The only thing left is one of my old balafons that my grandmother kept. The passion for music pushed me to make my own instruments. I was born in a place where they were no musical instrument stores. If you were a player, you built your own instrument or someone would have to do it
for you.

As a musician, you can imbibe the vibe of every place you visit. What musical discoveries have you made in India?
India has some of the most beautiful voices I have ever heard. And some of their tones feel as if they are channelling to God. And the food is fantastic!

You've taken core African idioms to an international level. Was that intentional?
It just happened that way. It was not intentional. I am an African, so it comes naturally to me, and that brings a lot of joy to my heart. I am glad to share my music with others around the world.

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