By IANS,
New Delhi : The music of freedom touched the hearts of the Indian audience as the spirit of the visionary Martin Luther King Jr, who visited India 50 years ago to study the doctrines of Mahatma Gandhi, came alive through a jazz concert played by an ensemble that included 12 times Grammy winner Herbie Hancock.
The packed Siri Fort auditorium was treated to the best of American jazz at the concert, titled “The Living Dream”, Monday evening. Besides Hancock, who has been named one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential men, the others in the ensemble were diva Chaka Khan, actress and jazz musician Dee Dee Bridgewaters, Grammy winner George Duke, ace drummer Terri Lyne Carrington and tabla maestro Zakir Husain.
The commemorative concert was graced by civil rights veteran Martin Luther King III, the second child of Martin Luther King Jr, and his wife Coretta Scott King. Martin Luther King III is on an 11-day visit to India as part of an American delegation to retrace his father’s footsteps in India 50 years ago.
The concert was jointly organised by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, The Thelonious Monk Institute for Jazz and the American Embassy.
Addressing the audience before the show, Martin Luther King III said music, an integral part of the American civil rights movement, was an important tool to carry forward the message of peace to the world.
“Music brings people together. Had my mother and father Martin Luther King, Jr been here today, he would have told us that not only we shall overcome – but to some degree we have overcome,” he said.
On cue, the concert began with the signature number of the civil rights repertoire, “We Shall Overcome�”, by Chaka Khan and Dee Dee Bridgewaters set to a slower jazz mode. It was followed by several jazz numbers, which included instrumental scores and vocals including “Speak Like a Child” and “Amazing Grace”.
The music – a core American roots spread of bluegrass, traditional blues and classical jazz reminiscent of the deep south – took on a fusion note with duets between maestro Zakir Husain’s tabla and Carrington’s drums; and George Duke’s adaptation of Mahatma Gandhi’s favourite “Raghupati Raghava Raja Ram” on keyboards, cello, piano and guitars, much to the delight of the audience who joined in.
The anthem, a variation of the traditional devotional song by Vishnu Digambar Paluskar based on a 17th century Marathi chant, was made immortal by the father of the nation.
“This is a joyful occasion for me to be able to connect to Mahatma Gandhi and celebrate the connection made 50 years ago between Martin Luther King, Jr and the father of the Indian nation. Barack Obama was born in 1961 and he did not have a chance to meet Martin Luther King, Jr – just as King Jr did not meet Gandhi who died in 1947. But they met symbolically through their actions,” Hancock, the star of the concert, said.
“We have to be one as a race to face the essential threat of human existence so that we can live on this planet in peace. History has proved that India shares common ancestry with Africa. When the first tribes left Africa, they came to India. The first generic marks of the African people are found here. Only music can bind us together,” Hancock said.