Indian/jazz band anchored by Bay Area percussionist Zakir Hussain and guitarist John McLaughlin is marking its 50th year.
| CorrespondentIf the cheers for vocalist Shankar Mahadevan sound particularly enthusiastic when SFJAZZ presents the pioneering Indo-jazz ensemble Shakti Saturday at Davies Symphony Hall, it’s probably because his life’s path could have easily led him to a seat in the audience.
Instead of hewing to the safe route, he decided to quit his job as a programmer take a shot at music, thriving at first as a jingle singer who could nail an ad in 10 different languages, from Hindi and Marathi to Gujarati, Tamil, and Bengali. His first album, 1998’s “Breathless,” was a huge hit, launching his career as one of Bollywood’s most successful playback singers.
“I used to live in the Mumbai suburbs and there was a small cassette shop where I’d buy these Shakti tapes and listen to them like I was studying for an examination,” Mahadevan recalled. “My aim in life was to meet these people, and maybe take a lesson.” Much as the contours of the Shakti discography are hazy, the band’s timeline can be tricky to pin down. Billed as marking the group’s 50th anniversary, though it’s widely cited as starting in 1975, the tour coincides with McLaughlin’s decision to pursue an untrod musical path with Hussain after disbanding his incendiary Mahavishnu Orchestra .
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