By Marilyn Lester***The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis (JALCO) has long embraced world music via community building and cultural exchange. But in this instance, the question on the table was could the centuries-old established forms of Indian classical music (ragas) cohabit with the wholly expressive 
and improvisational freedom of American jazz? Miraculously, the answer was a resounding yes. In the spectacularly realized concert Rhythms of India: The JLCO with Wynton Marsalis, the result easily can be defined in Duke Ellington’s words: beyond category.
Eight ragas were presented, introduced by trumpeter and leader Marsalis, who provided succinct context for each piece of music. Considering the scope of the repertoire, the choices, guided by consultant Kavi Mani Kapoor, were superbly varied and apt. Imagine having to choose a handful of compositions from the vast scope of the American Songbook alone to represent American music—it would be daunting. Indian classical music is far more ancient, spanning widely ranging geographic regions and specific sub-styles, so the result was nothing short of amazing.
Essentially, the format for each number began with a vocal (Malini Awasthi or Roopa Mahadevan) and flute (Jay Gandhi) invocation. Dynamic movement and gestures animated the story being sung, 
introducing the meaning of each raga. Depending on the arrangement, the JALCO rhythm section might provide subtle comping for this opening section before it opened up to the remaining Indian players: Anubrata Chatterjee (tabla), Ghatam Umashankar (ghatam) and Kapoor (mridangam). Curiously, probably the most recognizable Indian instrument to Americans, the sitar, was not in the mix, although JALCO pianist Dan Nimmer replicated the sound in riffs on a few pieces, especially on the romantic, almost operatic “Ka Karu Sajni,” arranged by JALCO reed player Victor Goines.
Each raga was ultimately transformed into the language of jazz—each piece interpreted and arranged by a member of the orchestra. Appropriately, the opener was a raga of welcoming, “Kesariya Balam,” arranged by trombonist Chris Crenshaw, who anchored the piece, demonstrating a
clear understanding and adherence to the raga ethos. “Alarippu,” a dance form, was arranged by drummer Obed Calvaire, and was not only intensely percussive, but in its driving, almost syncopated rhythmic profile, led to an exciting climactic resolution. Saxophonist Sherman Irby’s arrangement of “Vathapi Ganapathim,” an invocation to the Hindu elephant god, Ganesha—remover of obstacles and bringer of good luck—featured a New Orleans slant, reminiscent of a joyous Second Line parade.
In a departure from the evening’s form, trumpeter Marcus Printup’s arrangement of “Kothe Te Aa Mahiya” began with a bold brass statement from him, with the full band joining in before a vocal segment and a virtuosic, thrilling solo feature from Umashankar, who not only produced an amazing array of sounds from his instrument, but whose dynamic, sometimes ethereal, vocals als
o astounded. Swinging and danceable in a Bollywood-style groove, this piece put a spotlight on each of the Indian players. Each was fully immersed in the rhythm, in the zone of elevated mastery. Closer was arranged by another JALCO reed player, Ted Nash. With several flutes in the mix, “Thillana” was lyrical, fluid and elegant, with vocals that revealed the capabilities of the voice as a rhythmic instrument in its own right.
In a unit such as The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, one of the world’s most foremost instrumental groups, excellence is the expected standard. And it is so. But in Rhythms of India, the concept, collaboration and execution formed an evening of such sublimity to qualify as once-in-a-lifetime.
