When hip hop meets Baul

MUMBAI: Soweto Kinch is used for mixing things up. His unique blend of hip hop and jazz has won the British saxophonist and rapper MOBO awards and a Mercury nomination. His albums switch seamlessly between slow ballads on alto sax and energetic MCing. For his gig at Blue Frog on Wednesday, he's throwing some new ingredients into the mix.
"The gigs are going to be quite different from my usual ensemble.I'll be playing some of my own material from my latest album, mixing in some freestyle hip hop and then adding some Baul singing,'' he says.
The musician will be joined on stage by percussionist Ratul Shankar Ghosh, Baul singer Dibyendu Mukerji and sarangi player and Hindustani vocalist Suhail Yusuf Khan.
Indian classical music and Western jazz may not at first seem likely bedfellows, but Kinch says they have a lot in common.
"I've found many similarities between them. For example, they both put a lot of emphasis on improvisation, on the scales used and they both use odd time signatures in five, in nine, rather than in four-four time,'' he says.
The genres connect together so seamlessly, Kinch thinks their differences are irrelevant. "When you connect with the audience, they forget which genres, categories and styles you're playing,'' he says. "It's only the marketeers in the industry who feel the need to split music up into categories.''
Before the gig, Kinch is holding a workshop with children from the slums and thinks maybe hip hop will take root in these areas. These kids won't have access to sax and piano of course.
"I'll be showing them techniques in rhythm and using voice,'' says Kinch. "I'm looking forward to seeing what lyrics they come up with. Hip hop is actually a very democratic art form-you don't need lots of diamond chains to be a hip hop artist. When hip hop found its foothold in New York, in the South Bronx, kids there didn't have much.''
Kinch soon returns to England to promote his latest album, 'The New Emancipation', which doesn't have Indian influences. However, he says the lessons he has learnt from Indian music will stay with him. "I think it'll influence my music through osmosis. The scales based on ragas are bound to colour my playing. I've just scratched the surface with Indian music and I've got a lot more study to do.''
Soweto Kinch plays on Wednesday at Blue Frog, Lower Parel, 10 pm. Entry free.