Playing by ear

About 30 years ago, when he first played in Chennai, keyboard artiste and composer Louiz Banks found the audience intimidating. “They would sit there in a row, counting on their fingers, waiting for you to miss a beat,” says the legendary jazz musician. “But now I am comfortable with it,” says Banks, who will perform with percussionist Sivamani and sitar player Niladri Kumar on August 20 at Elliot’s Beach for the Times Chennai Festival.
The three, who formed the band Asia Electrik over 10 years ago, perform Indian classical music with western harmony.“Each of us comes from a different school of music and has a distinct style,” says Kumar, whose background is classical. “Since the basis of our music is improvisation, we adapt to one another,” he says.
Sivamani, who is just back playing in Cleveland and New York City, says he’s looking to bring the energy of his shows in the US here. “There will be something new, for sure. We three always have fun on stage,” says Sivamani, whose percussion is based on Tamil folk music but uses African beats too.
Banks composes most of the music. “The melodies are written, the rest is improvised,” he says.
Though the music is seamless now, there was a lot of hard work in the early days. The three used to meet often but with their schedules filling up, the time spent practising in Banks’ garage has reduced. “We have a connection and a love for music that we tap into. If we get together, we can give a wonderful two-hour concert immediately,” says Kumar.
Busy schedules and touring is also the reason why they haven’t yet cut an album. “We’ve recorded four tunes but haven’t got back into the studio to do the rest,” he says.
The band is looking forward to the concert. “It’s inspiring to play in Chennai because people appreciates complex music,” says Banks.
Kumar is happy to be performing on the beach. “I’m familiar with Chennai since my family used to travel to Puducherry often. I love going to the beach at sundown. It’s going to be brilliant to perform there.”
The associate sponsor for the event is Reliance Digital, the co-sponsor is Navin Housing, and co-host is Sheraton Park Hotel and Towers. Complimentary invites are available at The Times of India office on Chamiers Road, Nandanam, on a first-come-first-served basis.