Ranjit Barot to perform at WEF gala in Davos

NEW DELHI - Leading Indian percussionists Ranjit Barot and Sridar Parthasarathy will set the musical stage at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos with a special score, India Inclusive, at a weekend gala in the Swiss ski resort.

The eight-minute symphony Saturday followed by a five-minute interlude later is rooted in Indian classical music, percussionist and vocalist Ranjit Barot said Friday.

‘India Inclusive’ will draw from three ragas Desh, Charukeshi, and Yog to present a composition that will showcase the millennia-old musical legacy of India and its relationship with the west. The mood at the gala will be definitely Indian, Barot told IANS over telephone from Davos.

The theme of India Inclusive is India meets the world, Barot said.

Barot is known for his natural flair for the western jazz percussion that he fuses with Indian beats. Parthasarathy will accompany him on the mridangam.

I will play the conventional Western drum kit and middle eastern drums, Barot said.

Sridar Parthasarathy and I will be performing on stage while the rest of the musical backup will be provided by a recorded orchestra featuring pipe (flutes) and string instruments. The score is essentially Indian, but the orchestra gives it a larger than life Western feel, Barot said.

The percussionist will double as a notes vocalist lending vocal rhythm with Indian notations or sargams.

In November 2010, Barot, one of the pioneers of fusion music in India, cut a fusion jazz album, Bada Boom featuring Zakir Hussain, John McLaughlin, Wayne Krantz, Matthias Eklundh and Marc Guillermont.

I am currently composing music for Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s production, ‘Teen They Bhai’. It is a comedy starring Om Puri, Barot said.

The WEF had honoured Indian music composer-director A.R. Rahman Thursday with the Crystal Award for his contribution to the world of art and culture and for his outreach to improve the state of the world.