Dave Brubeck and Palani Subramania Pillai
Jazz meets Carnatic, 1958
A jam session by the American pianist and the mridangam maestro, in the AIR studios in Madras.
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
Calcutta Blues, 1959
A track from the Dave Brubeck Quaret’s musical travelogue, Jazz Impressions of Eurasia. Brubeck described the tune as “an Oriental rag” that used limited number of notes, just like an Indian raga. The drummer, Joe Morello, used his fingers instead of sticks, in an allusion to the tabla.
The Real Ambassadors
Cultural Exchange, 1962
Disgusted by the politics of the US State Department’s jazz tours, pianist Dave Brubeck and his wife Iola wrote a searing critique of the programme. The jazz opera The Real Ambassadors featured Louis Armstrong and Carmen McRae, among others, and was preformed at the Monterey Jazz Festival in 1962.
Dizzy Sal with the Bill Evans-Jim Hall Ensemble
Monk’s Sphere, 1959
Bangalore pianist Dizzy Sal’s performance at a concert organised by the Lenox School. Other musicians include Gary McFarland on vibraphone, Attila Zoller on guitar and Ted Casher on tenor sax.
Dizzy Sal with the Bill Evans-Jim Hall Ensemble
Jingles, 1959
Dizzy Sal on Jazz in the Classroom, Volume V
Haasan’s Dream, 1961
Made by the students of Berklee, this volume was a tribute to the composer Benny Golson. Sal is on piano and his roommate Ted Casher on sax.
Duke Ellington Orchestra in Bombay
A US State Department video of Ellington’s band in 1963.
Duke Ellington
Bluebird of Delhi from the Far East Suite, 1966
Duke Ellington
Agra from the Far East Suite, 1966
Hecke Kingdom Quartet with Usha Iyer
Jambalaya, 1968