Sharik Hasan was a freshman in college when he watched Dave Brubeck perform.
“I simply had to go; by hook or crook. Tickets were sold out and the entrance to the hall was heavily guarded so my friend and I took a chance, jumped down a vent and found ourselves in Mr. Brubeck’s empty green room. Not knowing what to do, we combed our hair back, straightened our shirts and pretended to be sound engineers and walked into the hall like we were supposed to be there. We got the best seats in the house and the concert was obviously great!” says the young jazz pianist. Sharik was in the city, not to sneak into a concert but to play one at the opening of the “Jazz Bar” at Taj Faluknuma.
“I’m very excited about the location, “says Sharik. “I’m happy to be performing against such an amazing backdrop.” he says. His concert at the palace marked the opening of the ‘Jazz Bar’ at Taj Faluknuma and, as promised, recreated an evening from a richer and more beautiful bygone era.
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Sharik has been playing the piano since he was five, and it shows. Although, it was not without doubt that he decided to become a professional musician. “I almost gave up music altogether when I was about fifteen,” says the pianist who had completed the curricula of the Royal School of Music, London and Trinity School of Music, Cambridge by the time he was sixteen. “The curriculum is restrictive and the learning; very examination centric and once I finished those eight grades I’d had enough.”
He got back in the game with a band called ‘Sound okay horn,’ in Bangalore where he grew up but it wasn’t until he went to Oberlin College that he was introduced to the world of Jazz. “I heard someone play the piano in my dorm at Oberlin and was completely taken by how alive and dynamic it soudned. So I asked him what the piece was and he replied that he was simply improvising. I was blown away by that. A freshman jazz piano major, he became my first jazz teacher for $7 an hour.”In 2007 Sharik moved to Paris to study at the Bill Evans Piano Academy and then to the Berklee College of Music. The young pianist integrated quickly into the jazz scene, playing concerts at venues and festivals with his trio and quartet. He now spends his time between France and India.
“Living in Paris is great simply because I get to meet so many great musicians, and there is a lot of space for avante-garde stuff.” says Sharik. Will he join the likes of Laurent De Wilde and try his hand in fusion? “ Right now, I’m moving backwards and learning more about the tradition so it’s probably too early for that,” says the musician who has shared the stage with many jazz greats including Adrian D’Souza and Karl Peters with whom he toured India in 2008.
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Indian classical music too is an inspiration for Sharik. “I learnt the Sitar for a few years when I was younger. More recently, rather than complaining about the lack of people who are interested in Jazz back home; I have been playing with Indian classical musicians and learning as much as I can from them. Here Jazz music is restricted to elevators and restaurants”
He is right when he says Jazz music might never become too popular in Indian cities without having to compromise the form itself. However, venues like the Jazz Bar do play an important role in spreading the music, albeit to a very exclusive crowd of people.