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Artist
Madhav Chari
5+ albums
jazzpiano
about
Madhav Chari’s life exemplified the belief that the two subjects — mathematics and music — complement each other. In the case of Madhav Chari, music prevailed over all other considerations and he even quit his Ph.D. in Mathematics at the University of Illinois to become a full-time pianist. Born on February 25, 1967, Chari was a Tamil Brahmin from Chennai. He spent his early days in Calcutta (now Kolkata). In his impressive career Chari performed and interacted with legends like drummer Max Roach, pianist Kenny Barron, saxophonist - composer Henry Threadgill, and more recently with multiple Grammy winner Wynton Marsalis. The title “From The Other Side” refers to the alienation that Chari faced as an Indian in the American jazz space. One doesn’t need to be a music geek to know that jazz as a genre has had its roots in America. Much like his peers, Chari’s inspirations also included American legends like Duke Ellington, Thelonius Monk, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, and John Coltrane. In fact, he has gone on record to say that these artists have been constant inspirations for his own music. But his foreign peers thought otherwise and began gatekeeping the genre for our Indian pianist. Chari was asked by fellow musicians to incorporate ragas and Indian instruments to make his music more “genuine”. But in this era of globalization, what even is authentic? And does the First World really hold the right to morally police the art of others? Chari’s work sought to answer these que
