Light the Fuse!

Fusion, the name implies the bringing together of two components to bring forth something entirely new. In music too, for the most part, the word has a similar formulaic meaning, no matter how "innovative" and "improvised" fusion music gets, in its core the formula remains the same. Take a contemporary and popular form of music and mix it with a rather classical and less mainstream form of music. The unfortunate thing is that the reaction to Fusion also has a rather typical formula associated with it, the contemporary fans tend to like it, but not enough to buy an actual album, and the classical folk more often than not tend to dislike it, but keep it in wraps as, at the end of the day, it’s an opportunity for them to reach out to a new audience.

The problem in my book is the lack of identity to the final piece of music that comes out of fusion. The goal for most fusion artists seems to be the actual mixing of the two or more art forms involved rather than the music itself, in doing so, unfortunately the music tends to lose any semblance of form and personality. The thing is, great points exist in both forms of music, but they exist because of they have an identity associated with it. An identity that is defined by the set of rules and quirks that define the form of music and fusion usually tends to break these rules. And while that might be the "cool" thing do the final outcome also suffers from the same short comings, it'll be "cool" to some people for a while,  but nothing that will truly last in the memory.

I have heard two truly great fusion albums though, one of which is "Symphony & Metallica" (better known as S&M) by Michael Kaman and Metallica and the other is Electric Ganesha Land by Prasanna (better knows as Guitar Prasanna) and the thing that sets both of these albums apart from nearly everything else out there is their sense of purpose. Both those albums have a clear picture in mind on what they are trying to achieve. And by having this sense of direction both the forms of music are involved, intermingling rather than clashing with each other and the one that dominates is the one that the song demands, rather than the artist associated.

Michael Kaman was one of the all time greatest composers in my book, and not just because he was a part of what I consider as one of the greatest live shows ever conducted. He introduced the element of classical western music to a wide variety of musical genres, working with great artists from the likes of Pink Floyd to Queen. But the live album with Metallica and the San Francisco Orchestra, for me, takes the cake; and it’s also one of my favorite albums of all time. You see Metallica's songs are a lot of things they are loud, they are brash, the are angry, they are full of power and Kaman didn't try to change any of that, he in fact accepted that and sought to seek what he could provide to enhance that. All he was focused on was enhancing the experience, increasing the grandeur of the songs, providing a gorgeous canvas as a base for Metallica's music. And the effect is nothing less than profound, the songs are beyond great, they are truly epic. It's the difference between reading an action packed book to watching an accurate reproduction made by Quentin Tarentino. And it is this sense of vision and purpose that makes this such a great album, Kaman wasn't concerned about combining classical music and metal, all he was concerned with was using the tools he had at his disposal to bring a new element to Metal and Metallica.

The same applies to Guitar Prasanna, I had the pleasure of seeing him perform live with Victor Wooten where he performed many of his songs and it was after that, that I went back and heard some of his works. And I must say that his homage to classical Carnatic music is phenomenal. His form of fusion is different, he isn't trying to blindly combine jazz or blues with Carnatic, but its a case of paying reverence to an art form he loves with the instrument that he knows best. And that in itself brings such a new element to the music, while still keeping it true to the rules of the original art form. He does sometimes combine Carnatic with funky jazz but only when the music beckons it, in the middle of solo's etc. His mastery is at such a level that he actually gives full Carnatic classical concerts armed with his trusty electric. By bringing such a new sound to traditional classical music he introduces the beauty of the six stringed instrument to the classical folk and introduces the wide range and smoothness of Carnatic to the western. Its this kind of music that feels like an exquisite creation from a master chef rather than like a Indian version of Chinese dish.

I really hope that some day Fusion gets its well deserved place in main stream music, because it's a genre that has such supreme potential. It can provide such a new perspective to existing music and provide for such novel experiences. I mean where else can an electric guitar fan hear its tone being used in such an achingly beautiful way (Bowling for peace by Prasanna, highly recommended in this context) and where else can a metal fan be exposed to the sheer power of full scale orchestra on full tilt? Now riddle me that.