India Jazz Suite Smith, Jason Samuels performer Das, Pandit Chitresh performer Concert 2005-11-10 Fort Mason Center Soloist master and virtuosic performer of classical Indian Kathak, Pandit Chritresh Das; and jazz tap dancer Jason Samuels Smith; north Indian classical musicians Pandit Ramesh Mishra (Sarangi), Swapnamoy Banerjee (Sarod), Salar Nadar (Tabla); jazz musicians Channing Cook-Holmes (kit drum), Theo Hill (piano), Nick Szatmari (upright bass). "Fusion means confusion" claims Smith in a beguiling rap monologue that accompanies a duet with master katak dancer Chitresh Das; and true enough these two forms (jazz tap and kathak) remain distinct in this performance which is more a conversation than a blending of two classical percussive dance forms. In the first act, which opens with a the jazz trio and Smith; the North Indian classical musicians, and Das; in the second act, the musicians and dancers "jam": Das plays drums and Smith picks up the rhythm. Das utters those syllables ("tika-tika-tak") called bols and Smith transfers their pulse to his feet. Das looks for the beat from the jazz trio and finds something that energizes him. "You watch the two dancers processing the sounds and allowing them to spread through their limbs, capitalizing in their strengths. The performers do not really dance together; but their parallel monologues are marvelously revealing: a sense of discovery for the performers as for the audience. "They came from different worlds, but their feet had clearly known each other in another life." (Tresca Weinstein, Albany Times Union 11/18/2006) "The payoff comes in the second half, when both dancers and all six musicians take the stage together to riff on each other's rhythms. Bare feet side-by-side with shiny tap shoes, tabla conversing with steel drums, centuries-old Indian dance meeting original American art form--these are beautiful things to behold, and they go surprisingly and satisfyingly well together. If life would imitate art with this kind of harmony, we'd live in a very different world." (Tresca Weinstein, Albany Times Union 11/18/2006) Performing Arts Encyclopedia http://www.loc.gov/performingarts Tap Dance America http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/html/tda/tda-home.html Jason Samuels Smith (biography) loc.music.tdabio.170 tda IHAS 151216 loc.music.tda.156