The term “fusion,” while accurate to a degree, only scratches the surface of the musical magic made by Shakti. This remarkable group united some five decades ago, and currently features two original members — master guitarist and guitar synthesist John McLaughlin and great tabla player Zakir Hussain — along with vocalist Shankar Mahadevan, violinist Ganesh Rajagopalan and percussionist Selvaganesh “V. Selvaganesh” Vinayakram, whose legendary percussionist father T.H. “Vikku” Vinayakram was in the original incarnation of the group.
At that time, McLaughlin stunned the music world by walking away from the enormously successful and groundbreaking Mahavishnu Orchestra to take quite an alternative direction. Shakti was texturally and sonically very different from the Mahavishnu Orchestra, yet despite the acoustic instruments and traditional Indian music backgrounds and settings, Shakti was every bit as adventurous in its compositions and presentation. They also echoed the Mahavishnu Orchestra in terms of the members’ abilities to make their divergent experiences converge into a fresh, inspired sound. The group’s work perfectly showcased McLaughlin’s instrumental flair and improvisatory fury within Indian music’s intricate, explosive and fluid rhythmic foundations.
Shakti recorded three acclaimed studio releases and one live record between 1975 and 1977, touring extensively around the world before disbanding. McLaughlin and Hussain put together another band with a similar concept, Remember Shakti, in 1997. That group included V. Selvaganesh and mandolin player U. Shrinivas; eventually Mahadevan joined in, and the ensemble served as a bridge to the reformation of Shakti in 2020. They released This Moment, their first LP in 46 years, in June, and recently embarked on a 50th anniversary tour that comes to the Ryman Thursday night.
“It’s really like we never stopped playing together,” Mahadevan tells the Scene by phone from Boston the morning after their opening night performance. “Everything just seemed to work so well. The audience was incredibly receptive, and the way that we work together as a group has always been that everyone contributes to the music — and then things come together as the compositions are evolving. It really did seem like we’ve been playing together every night all these years instead of being apart.”
That sense of musical unity and completeness resonates throughout This Moment. The record’s compositions reflect Shakti’s shared musical sense of camaraderie, as well as the necessity for dealing with issues caused by COVID and the pandemic.
“I’d always wanted the group to do an album in my studio,” Mahadevan says. “But due to COVID, everyone was spread out, and we all had to send our parts in from wherever we were. I was in Bombay, John was in Monaco, the other members were also scattered around. We also utilized a lot more technology. We’d send things in and listen, and then everyone would say whether they thought this worked or that worked. We’re really happy with the way things worked out.”
The eight-song, 57-minute release includes one of their most memorable and intense offerings, the nearly 11-minute “Giriraj Sudha.” The piece is dedicated to Shrinivas, who died in 2014, and he shares compositional credit; it features frenetic percussive segments augmented by splendid McLaughlin guitar lines that intertwine with Mahadevan’s vocals. Another gem is the mellow and melancholy “Karuna,” although both the opening cut “Shrini’s Dream” and finale “Sono Mama” are engaging and enjoyable as they twist and turn through passages of varying tempo and compositional density.
“I think that doing this album the way that we did it — while it wasn’t exactly the way that I would have preferred, which is everyone together — it still came out really well,” says Mahadevan. “The complementary sense that is the strength of our music really comes out, and everyone contributed in terms of making sure that the songs worked out the way that we wanted.”
Another key element in Shakti’s distinctive sound comes via the contributions of Hussain, who initially gave McLaughlin his baptism into Indian music. It was their early jam sessions that ultimately led to the creation of Shakti. Mahadevan credits Hussain, whose father played with Ravi Shankar, with remaining an enormous influence on Shakti’s direction.
“[Hussain] brings to us such a depth of knowledge, and the rhythmic base from which we all benefit and use to extend the music. I think for me the greatest thing about this group is the sense of collaboration and shared aspects. When we couldn’t tour due to the pandemic, the thing that we all talked about was how great it would be once we could get out in front of live audiences again. I think that this tour will be the greatest thing we’ve done yet, and the Nashville stop is one we’re all excited about, because everyone around the world knows about Nashville when it comes to music.”
