Meeting by the Lakes: A Fusion Concert at Jeanne D'arc Hall on 9/15/07

By: Joe Lang

Andrew York - Photo from herschelfreemanagency.com

I’d not heard of Vishwa Mohan Bhatt prior to his appearance at Eric Clapton’s Crossroads festival in 2004, but the man’s credentials are untouched by his peers. Then again, when you invent and master your very own instrument, you are kind of peerless. Bhatt plays a 19-stringed guitar hybrid called the Mohan Veena and has recorded with Bela Fleck, Jerry Douglas, Taj Mahal and he garnered a Grammy for his 1993 album with Ry Cooder, A Meeting By the River.

After a long exposition of the alap where Bhatt squeezed every note out of his phrases, playing them back as though using an echoplex, each time with more subtlety and grace. His accompanying guitarist and son Salil Bhatt and tabla wiz Subrata Bhattacharya threw down on a raga that ran through moments of fire and fury to calm relaxed phrases. Salil Bhatt had some of the speed and articulation due to his aggressive right hand attack, but for dynamic contrast, phrase variance and continuity, it was obvious who the master was. But while Bhatt’s playing was masterful, the star of the show for me was Bhattacharya. His speed, fury and articulation on the drum while he soloed and traded “licks” with Bhatt was unmatched by anyone I’ve heard aside from the great Ustad Zakir Hussain.

After a brief intermission, Andrew York came to the stage. One of the leaders of the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, the Grammy Award winner eased into one of his signature tunes, “Letting Go.” The piece, while containing moments of very pretty melodic and harmonic ingenuity seemed at times to droll and stagnate.

Then Jim Anton hit the stage for a solo electric bass excursion. To be sure, Jim Anton is one of the top bassists in the Twin Cities playing with musicians as diverse as Dean Magraw, Jack McDuff, Paul Westerberg and Bernard Purdie. Unfortunately, his tone was over-processed and his amp was not handling the low frequencies well. Most people aren’t enthused by the prospect of hearing an unaccompanied bass solo, but in the hands of players like Kai Eckhardt, Victor Wooten or the late great Jaco Pastorious, it can be a beautiful and unique experience. The problem was, while Anton was going for the Jaco vibe, his tone was muddied by processing and effects and the piece didn’t really go anywhere. I’ll still look forward to Anton’s playing in groups like Eight Head, but this was not his shining hour.

Then Bhatt returned to the stage with York and Bhattacharya. It was to be a jam session. According to Bhatt, the four musicians had never played together. This can be a blessing or a curse. Musicians who rise to the occasion can bring out the improvised creative best in themselves, or the jam can go nowhere. Ranging from Latin, to classical, to Indian, the quartet blended styles like it weren’t no thang. Bhatt would play lead lines, while York would accompany on harmony and trade leads as Bhatt gestured. Anton too would throw in a bass lick every now and then, but the interaction between Bhatt and York was so strong and tight, it seemed like Anton didn’t want to get in the way or groove behind, so he seemed to sit on the sidelines for most of the time. The quartet took the audience home with a long version of Bhatt’s “A Meeting by the River” that culminated with an audience sing along of the beautiful and playful melody.

Credit goes to the Chinmaya Mission for bringing in the artists, and to the artists themselves for helping out with the benefit. For anyone looking to broaden their musical horizons, York, Bhatt and Anton should take high priority when they roll back into town.

Location Info: Jeanne D'arc Hall
Artist Info: Andrew York, Jim Anton, Vishwa Mohan Bhatt

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