• By Mabel Pais

SHAKTI IS BACK!

‘Shakti’,  the revolutionary world music ensemble continues to discover and explore the musical common ground bridging East and West on an extensive U.S. tour in 2023. This follows the Summer 2023 release of ‘This Moment,’ their first new studio album in 46 years. ‘Shakti’ on its US tour makes a stop at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) on August 20 at 8 PM.

Born in the mid-1970s out of the deep artistic and spiritual connection bonding British guitarist John McLaughlin and Indian tabla player Zakir Hussain, Shakti’s cross-cultural musical conversation dissolved boundaries with uncommon passion, grace, and dexterity – awakening subsequent generations of musicians to the possibilities of such hybrids in the process.

Looking ahead to the performances, McLaughlin equates the endeavor to a homecoming of sorts. “Shakti was born in the USA in 1973,” he reflects, “and is also no stranger to American audiences. We’ve played concerts all over the US from coast to coast and north to south – and everywhere we’ve played, we’ve had wonderful audiences.”

Starting in the 1970s, British guitarist John McLaughlin and Indian tabla player Zakir Hussain forged the template for “world music” with their pioneering fusion band. Now, they resume their musical journey alongside percussionist V. Selvaganesh (son of Shakti’s original ghatam player T.H. Vinayakram), vocalist Shankar Mahadevan, and violinist Ganesh Rajagopalan. The show opens with a special solo set by Béla Fleck, the 15-time GRAMMY® winning banjo virtuoso.

“They nearly always come back,” said Béla Fleck. “All the people that leave bluegrass. I had a strong feeling that I’d be coming back as well.”

‘My Bluegrass Heart,’ out September 10, 2021 on Renew Records, is that return the 15-time Grammy winner is talking about – the third chapter in a decades-spanning trilogy which, by his counting, started with 1988’s ‘Drive’ and continued with ‘The Bluegrass Sessions,’ released eleven years later. Over the long and lauded course of his unique creative run, Fleck – the world’s premier banjo virtuoso and a celebrated musical adventurer – has both dug deep into his instrument’s complex global history and unlocked the breadth of its possibilities. My Bluegrass Heart is a homecoming in sound, to be sure.

Joining Shakti will be Béla Fleck, the world’s premier banjo virtuoso, 16 time GRAMMY winner and celebrated musical adventurer, who will open the performances with a solo set and will then join forces with Shakti later in the evening.

“Hearing Shakti was a revelation and I started listening right when they started,” Fleck recalls. “Something about Shakti, and also making music with Zakir, was very relatable – perhaps akin to the acoustic guitar and fiddle. But it wasn’t until playing with Zakir and Edgar Meyer [on 2009’s Melody of Rhythm: Triple Concerto & Music for Trio] that I started having more of a sense of what they were up to. Keeping in mind the virtuosic and energetic level of the band, I’ll be attempting to create a solo set that mesmerizes and excites.”

“Béla is a truly fine musician and one I have admired for decades,” McLaughlin says. “In addition, Béla has toured and recorded with Zakir Hussain and is no stranger to the musical culture of India.” McLaughlin and Fleck have only shared the stage once before – during a Chick Corea birthday show at the Blue Note in New York – making these upcoming collaborations a thrilling proposition for both audiences and performers alike.

With the recording of their new studio album now complete, the members of Shakti now await the opportunity to continue their pan-global dialogue.

“In our initial incarnation,” Zakir Hussain concludes, “we did not always have the time nor the means to explore. Now, with the decades of individual musical experiences we all have poured into this, the result reveals an extraordinary depth and level of interaction within this band.”

PROGRAM

This Year’s Shakti Features:

John McLaughlin guitar

Zakir Hussain tabla

Shankar Mahadevan vocals

Ganesh Rajagopalan violin

Selvaganesh Vinayakram percussion

(son of original Shakti ghatam player T.H. “Vikku” Vinayakram)

with very Special Guest Béla Fleck

TICKETS

To purchase tickets, call 888. GO.NJPAC (888.466.5722) or visit NJPAC.org or the NJPAC Box Office at 1 Center Street, Newark, New Jersey.

 NJPAC

The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), located in downtown Newark, N.J., is America’s most diverse performing arts center, and the artistic, cultural, educational and civic center of New Jersey – where great performances and events enhance and transform lives every day. NJPAC brings diverse communities together, providing access to all and showcasing the state’s and the world’s best artists while acting as a leading catalyst in the revitalization of its home city.

Through its extensive Arts Education programs, which have reached almost 2 million children, NJPAC is shaping the next generation of artists and arts enthusiasts. NJPAC has attracted more than 10 million visitors since opening its doors in 1997, and nurtures meaningful and lasting relationships with each of its constituents.

Follow NJPAC Online:

Website:    njpac.org

Twitter:     @NJPAC

Instagram:   @NJPAC

Hashtag:    #NJPAC

Facebook:    facebook.com/NJPAC

YouTube:     NJPACtv

Follow NJPAC’s Standing in Solidarity Series Online:

Website:     njpac.org/takeastand

Hashtag:       #NJPACTakeAStand

Youtube:       Standing in Solidarity playlist

(Mabel Pais writes on The Arts and Entertainment, Social Issues, Education, Cuisine, Health & Wellness, Spirituality, and Business)