A fusion of modern Indian vocals with African desert beats will fill the University of Victoria’s Farquhar Auditorium Sunday.
Two time Juno award-winning Indo-Canadian singer Kiran Ahluwalia will perform Feb. 26, bringing with her a host of talented artists including Pakistan-born jazz guitarist Rez Abbasi, who also happens to be her husband.
Ahluwalia has established her own unique style fusing the hypnotic grooves of India and Pakistan with passionate Saharan desert blues and innovative western jazz.
“It’s incredibly invigorating when I feel a connection in expressions from different cultures and then figure out ways to connect them seamlessly in my music. Those moments of discovery are nothing short of sublime. It’s really the essence of everything for me,” said Ahluwalia.
Ahluwalia has been collaborating with her musical and marital partner, Abbasi, a New York jazz guitarist of Pakistani-American background, since her fourth album. His arrangements and ideas have allowed her to expand her influences in a modern world.
Abbasi’s organic, original approach in blending two complex musical genres together, namely jazz and Indian music, pairs perfectly with Ahluwalia’s sound and vision. Abbasi serves as musical director, arranger and producer in their evolving artistic collaboration.
The pair have combined for several Juno Award-winning albums such as 2008’s Wanderlust and 2011’s collaboration with Tuareg rockers Tinariwen, Aam Zameen/Common Ground.
Abbasi was voted No. 1 Rising Star in the Downbeat 2016 Critics Poll, and has developed a unique sound as both a composer and an instrumentalist, considered by many to be one of the world’s foremost modern jazz guitarists. With 12 albums of mostly original compositions under his belt, he continues to find new musicians to help his musical vision come to life.
Tickets are $35 general admission, $25 for students and alumni, and available at the UVic Ticket Centre at 250-721-8480 or ticket@uvic.ca.