Utsav Lal brings Indian and Irish music together in Delhi

Delhi: Pianist Utsav Lal opened his September 8 concert in Delhi with raga Malkauns. Saxophonist and flautist Sam Comerford and fiddler Cleek Schrey picked up its five notes, giving the melody a distinctly Irish inflection. Delhi-based percussionist Zuheb Ahmed Khan joined on the tabla, introducing a brisk 12-beat cycle.

Throughout the performance, the four musicians responded to one another rather than simply taking turns. A traditional Irish polka followed, with Lal’s accompaniment reflecting his familiarity with Irish music. The result was an exhilarating, melodious blend of the two traditions.

The 34-year-old pianist grew up studying Indian classical music in Delhi. He has also spent 20 years learning Irish music, having lived in Ireland for several years.

“It’s home to me, and I definitely want to spend as much time as I can in Delhi,” he said.

A collaboration built on familiarity

The links between Indian and Irish music are not new. Rabindranath Tagore drew on Irish folk songs for some of his compositions.

For Lal, the collaboration grew from personal friendships. Comerford, who plays saxophone, flute and tin whistle, was his neighbour in Dublin. They have studied each other’s musical traditions, improvised together and previously toured India.

“He’s at the point where I just recite a ‘tihai’ (a musical phrase repeated three times) and he has it instantly,” Lal said.

He described Comerford as spearheading Ireland’s experimental music scene. Schrey, whom Lal has known for years, joined at the last minute. He plays the Hardanger d’amore fiddle, whose sympathetic strings Lal considers particularly suited to Indian music.

“He is a terrific improviser,” Lal said.

Lal and Khan also practised together regularly when the pianist lived in Delhi.

Delhi’s influence

Lal returned to Delhi for two years, from 2014–2016, before moving to the United States. He recalled an exciting period for the city’s jazz scene, with The Piano Man having just opened.

The club’s owner encouraged musicians to spend time together and provided food as they played late into the night, sometimes until 4 am.

“I feel it was a renaissance time for the arts in Delhi,” he said.

Lal subsequently studied at the New England Conservatory in Boston, which he described as “basically for musical misfits”. Its teaching, he said, emphasised critical thinking about music.

He said two conservatory teachers had helped design curricula for Delhi’s Music Basti and Noida’s Global Music Institute. Their work inspired him to join the conservatory.

Another influence was pianist Ran Blake. Lal valued the opportunity to hear Blake’s views on playing Indian music on the piano.

“For him it was not about awards or recognition at all,” Lal said.

Seeking a shared musical language

Lal said he and Schrey shared an interest in archival music, which deepened their collaboration. He cited the band Shakti as an inspiration for its cohesive sound.

“It doesn’t sound like Indian music, it doesn’t sound like jazz, it’s a unique fusion. That’s what we are trying to do,” he said.

“Our music explores the historical and imaginative threads connecting Indian classical music and Irish traditional music.”

The tour also includes Bengaluru on September 9 and Chennai on September 10.The quartet’s next Delhi concert was at The Piano Man on September 13.