Explore secret chords at this Royal Opera House concert in Girgaum

Divecha (centre) leads a previous iteration of the band in performance

Musicans have always been explorers. How else would one explain Jeff Beck's fascination with Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan or George Harrison's journeys in India with Pandit Ravi Shankar? This flow of rhythms from East to West, and vice versa, has defined the genesis of new musical creations. For composer Sanjay Divecha, it is the foundation of his life's work. This evening, he leads his ensemble, Secret, in a performance that explores a blend of musical techniques
through new compositions.

While he is known for his skill with the guitar, and as a veteran in the genre of jazz, the composer reveals that he began his musical journey with the sitar. "The idea of bridging musical forms stems from there, perhaps. I studied Hindustani music as a child, and later, when I returned to India in 2003, I explored those ideas once again," he says, adding that the composite ideas helped discover something unique within himself as an artiste.

Sanjay Divecha

The ensemble - Chandana Bala (vocals), Shruti Bhave (vocals and violin), Sanket Naik and Ketan Choudhary (percussion), Vivian D'Souza (bass), Rahul Wadhwani (keyboards) and Raman Madhavan (vocals) - captures the diversity of sounds that Divecha seeks to dive into. The new additions include Naik and Choudhary's percussion and Bhave's violin. Each expansion had a purpose. The composer says, "For instance, we do not have a traditional drum kit in the band. So, we decided to go with hand percussion this time. Naik and Choudhary have a traditional base in tabla. With him [Naik], I found someone who understands the swing of our compositions." Similarly, Bhave had stepped in for Madhavan when the latter was unavailable. "But she is also a violinist, and I found later that it lent an additional dimension to the compositions," he remarks.

This multi-dimensionality is key to the creative process. Divecha himself takes on the roles of composer and lead guitarist for the pack. The 61-year-old admits he is drawn to acoustic music, and says, "A lot of the ideas are guitar-based, but I also compose away from the instrument. This involves using rhythmic concepts, Carnatic or Hindustani, in a raga or mode and using them in combination with harmonic information from the Western forms."

The complex explanation does not matter to the listener, he adds. "The effort is to make them [the compositions] sound cohesive. It is not an academic conversation, but an emotional experience," he points out. It is here that his love for jazz and its influences reflect prominently. While he admits that he would not want to be pigeonholed as a jazz musician, his compositions always account for improvisation. "Even though the music is heavily arranged, there is a lot of room for improvisation, and to explore and expand. Each concert is going to be different. That is the thing with improvised music, which is a deep influence left upon me by jazz," he admits.

The prep time is short though. The composer just returned from a personal trip to Canada, and only met up with the group this week. "We have only had time for one rehearsal together. But the process of composing, refining the tracks with the core team has been a work of many years," he says. The new tracks, which were refined over the last few years, will also be a part of the ensemble's upcoming album. "We plan to record this one live. I think the band has reached a level, and it will be something different and challenging. After all, as musicians, we have to stretch ourselves and not play it safe,"
he concludes.

On Today; 7 pm
At The Royal Opera House, Matthew Road, Charni Road East, Girgaum.
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Entry Rs 300 onwards