Today’s guest deejay is Charu Suri.
Charu is an American pianist. She is the first Indian-born jazz composer to premiere work at Carnegie Hall. Charu recently released Book of Ragas, Volume 2. As she did in her first volume, Charu uses her native Carnatic and Hindustani ragas as the basis for jazz piano improvisations and layered with Sufi singing. Charu has recently completed tours in Miami and is planning a multi-city tour in India.
On today’s show, Charu shares songs that she considers masterpieces. Some are classics to be reacquainted with, and others might become your new favorite. These songs fascinate Charu on a compositional level and how the music pioneered new sounds.
Join us next week when our guest deejay will be jazz violinist, composer, erhu player, and leader of the Pan Asian Chamber Jazz Ensemble, Meg Okura.
I started my career as a western classical concert pianist, so there are some challenges, of course, the modal territory in Indian ragas. It’s not always easily translatable to the Western instruments, but the rhythm and techniques and the drumming and some of the scales and improvisation lend themselves naturally to a jazz form.
—Charu Suri
- Bill Evans Trio “My Foolish Heart” from Waltz for Debby (Original Jazz Classics Remasters) with Paul Motian & Scott LaFaro
Amazon | Apple Music - Henry Mancini “Two for the Road” from Greatest Hits: The Best of Henry Mancini (Remastered)
Amazon | Apple Music - Oscar Peterson “Manha De Carnaval” from Soul Español
Amazon | Apple Music - Charu Suri ”Lollipops for Breakfast” from Lollipops for Breakfast
Amazon | Apple Music - Charu Suri “Bluesy” from The New American Songbook
Amazon | Apple Music - Miles Davis “Blue In Green” from Kind of Blue
Amazon | Apple Music - Wouter Kellerman & David Arkenstone “First Rain” from Pangaea
Amazon | Apple Music - Thandiswa “Jikijela” from Belede
Amazon | Apple Music - Keith Jarrett “Köln, January 24, 1975, Pt. II C (Live)” from The Köln Concert (Live)
Amazon | Apple Music | Bandcamp - Oscar Peterson “The Bach Suite: Allegro (Live)” from The Composer
Amazon | Apple Music
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