ROCK, RAGA & JAZZTHE INDIAN INFLUENCE IN THE WEST
The sitar has long been an accessory of sorts, to artists of varying genres. However, Indian influence in western music runs deeper than the use of a single instrument. The indomitable forces of pop and classic rock took their cues from their visits to India, and eventually each other to create new, Indian inspired sounds.
The origin of this fusion has been long debated. Some credit the Yardbirds for experimenting with the cross fertilization of Indian and western genres, with their hit single “Heart full of soul”. Oddly enough, the band did not use an Indian instrument to create the alleged Indian sound that it became known for, but instead, an electric guitar was used to mimic the sound of a sitar; a popular criticism for those debating against this external accreditation.
The dissenting view holds that the first truly discernible roots of Indian notes, was the Kink’s “See My Friends”. In an interview with the Rolling Stone, Ray Davies famously said, “When I wrote the song, I had the sea near Bombay in mind.”
However, while these were popular with niches during the 60s, the single force that was able to push the idea beyond its existing boundaries, into mainstream media, was The Beatles. They started off with “Norwegian Wood”, where the sitar was used as more of a substitute for the guitar than in all its glory. However, over the years their sound grew more deeply intertwined with Indian music, perhaps due to Harrison’s growing interest in Indian classical and his lessons with Ravi Shankar.
Due to popular music’s reputation of easily digestible formats, the idea of fusing it with the complexities of Indian classical seemed absurd to a lot of people. To the credit of the critic, it took a while until these genres truly embraced the more profound aesthetic of the elements in Indian musical discourse.
Deviating from conventional chord structures to more scale focussed, repetitive notes, the use of tambura and drones, particularly in psychedelic rock, received mixed reactions. This seemingly bizarre blend was used to create a hallucinogenic atmosphere, which was seen as borderline parodical to a few classical connoisseurs.
“I found it difficult to bring them to an understanding and appreciation of our music from the correct viewpoint. I felt, that many of them were involved with various kinds of hallucinogenic drugs and were using our music as part of their drug experience.” - Ravi Shankar
Whatever criticism he may have had at that point, his experimentations with the fusion of jazz and classical had begun before any rock artist had taken to exploring this idea in any noteworthy form. His album “Improvisation” , based on his score for Satyijit Ray’s Pather Panchali, 1955 featured flutist Bud Shank and Gary Peacock on bass.
The combination of jazz and classical never quite received criticism to the extent that rock did. Perhaps it was due to jazz’s natural tendencies towards the eclectic subtleties that Indian classical enhanced. Any scepticism it may have received took a back seat with the rising success of the works of Yusuf Lateef, John Coltrane and several others.
While the Indian influence may have during that time been regarded as no more than a fad, the true test of it would undoubtedly be time. In that regard, the prevalence of Indian themes, philosophies, concepts and mythology as well as melodic elements and hypnotic backgrounds in metal, rock and psychedelic genres today, would disprove that hypothesis in all of its entirety. The influence continues to live on, across all art forms worldwide.