NSF: An Evening of Indian Music: Jonathan Mayer (Sitar) and Kushik Sen (Tabla)
At the Corn Exchange in Newbury
Thursday, May 23
Reviewed by John Garvey
Jonathan Mayer sitar
The exhilarating and soul-searching AT saw Jonathan Mayer’s breathtaking sitar playing on full display at Corn Exchange.
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Jonathan Mayer picked up his first instrument at the age of 16 and it became his life, a life he has dedicated to ever since.
In fact, one audience member commented that he had never heard such a fine performance, even in India.
He was accompanied by Kushik Sen, a world-renowned tabla player of Indian classical music.
They switched seamlessly between traditional and contemporary raags, weaving a magical and shimmering tapestry of sound.
The highlight of the evening was one of the latter songs, “Raag Jiddu,” performed in tribute to its composer, his father, John Mayer.
Koshik Sen
Indian classical music is very different from Western musical traditions, incorporating thematic polyrhythms and improvisation, making it notoriously difficult to master.
The Sanskrit word “raag” means “that which colors the mind,” and in the hands of a master, the sitar can evoke a variety of moods.
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It features a gourd-shaped resonator, movable frets and up to 21 strings (drone, resonate and play), and its unique, ethereal sound comes from a curved bridge that creates overtones.
Played entirely in a single key, the raag transports the listener to misty mornings and humid monsoon nights along the banks of the Ganges.
Jonathan Mayer has deep historical ties to India: his father, the composer John Mayer, was born in Kolkata and is a direct descendant of Christopher Mayer, a Persian-to-Bengali translator in the 1780s.
Meanwhile, Koushik Sen is a musician who has become known around the world for his intense and energetic performances.
The tabla provides a percussive background as well as a musical, pulsating bass sound.
They shared an almost telepathic intimacy and performed in perfect sync despite intense improvisation within the strict framework of Indian classical music.
The hypnotic two-part performance evoked such a reaction from us that the maestros smiled, shook hands and erupted in thunderous applause.
