Interview with Sarathy Korwar

Do you have any associations with Poland? It seems you travel quite a lot – have you ever been in Poland or played in this part of Europe?

I've never been to Poland before and am really looking forward to being there. I would love to spend more time in Poland.

How would you describe your music? You were born in US, raised in India, now you live in London – how all this influence your music?

My music is a mix of all my influences. Indian classical, indian folk, jazz and electronic music. Growing up in India and living in London has definitely shaped my musical taste and creativity. I love living in London as I feel part of a larger community of musicians making fresh new work.


Your album was released by Steve Reid Foundation, which is a sublabel of legendary Nina Tune. What his legacy means to you? And how important for you is jazz tradition?

Steve Reid was a drummer I listened to and admired long before any contact with the Foundation. To follow in his legacy is a huge honour for me and I wouldn't be doing what Im doing now without Steve Reid or the Steve Reid Foundation. The jazz tradition is very important to me and is a fluid tradition like any other. Constantly changing, redefining itself and I feel lucky that I can contribute to it's evolution.

Where did you recorded your album, how the whole process looked like?

I initially spent time recording the Sidi folk musicians in Ratanpur and Bharuch (Gujarat, India). I took all the field recordings that I made with them in to a recording studio in Pune and make the album along with 3 other musicians (Giuliano Modarelli, Al MacSween, Domenico Angarano, who will all be playing with me in Poland). We used the Sidi music as an inspiration to writing the whole songs and what you hear now is a combination of Sidi music and a more contemporary sound.