Guitar guru Amyt Datta has lunch around 4pm on days he is teaching. But for the last couple of days he has had to make a few adjustments. Datta has been holding marathon rehearsal sessions from 4pm to 10.30pm every day! Why? For the first time he will doing three back-to-back gigs in the city, presenting new tunes as well as compositions from his solo album Ambiance De Danse, on March 26, 27 and 28 at Plush, Princeton Club and Swirl respectively. Joining him will be percussionist Jivraj Singh (chief collaborator), guitarist Nishad Pandey (for the Plush gig), guitarist Bodhisattwa Ghosh and bassist Mainak ‘Bumpy’ Nag Chowdhury (for the Princeton Club gig). A t2 chat...

Why these back-to-back gigs?

I want to do a little tour of the Calcutta venues. The idea is to play the same material in three different ways. If someone comes for all three gigs, he/she will get to see how the same tunes can be interpreted in various ways with different arrangements, guitars, spirit, energy and vibe. I’ll be playing nylon string acoustic guitar on March 26 and electric on March 27 and 28. 

Do you remember the last time you played the nylon string acoustic guitar at a gig?

(Laughs) No, must have been four years back. For me playing the nylon string guitar is very soulful. It’s just you and your instrument. The instrument itself has got its own language. Some of the compositions have Spanish scales and they kind of lend themselves to the nylon string approach. I love playing the nylon string acoustic guitar, and when Jiver plays the electronics on top, it’s like two different worlds meeting, or two energies coming together to register a third positive energy. 

What’s the downside of going acoustic at a Cal gig? 

The only problem is that if you go soft you’ll get to hear people talking in the audience. The etiquette is not there. But still, I’m going to force myself to play some soft stuff. It’ll demand a lot of focused listening. 

You’ll be performing with Nishad Pandey for the first time...

Nishad is absolutely brilliant. He sounds like a senior guy playing. His tone, touch, focus, his headspace, understanding… he is a complete musician. And he has a great temperament. He is not the conventional flashy kind of a player. So people might have to come back to him. You have to make an effort to understand his music. He is a deep player. His right hand touch on strings is immaculately balanced.  

What’s your fave album featuring the nylon string acoustic guitar? 

Belo Horizonte by John McLaughlin. He is playing nylon string guitar but he has got this amazingly aggressive approach. He doesn’t want to be soft and soothing. Gypsy music has nylon string but it’s all about bruised-up lives. It’s not happy music. You know, the nylon string acoustic guitar sounds so good that one often ends up sounding sugary. And I don’t like easy listening. My approach will be edgy, and I’ll be a little bit aggressive on the guitar. I’ll be expressing feelings through the language of the instrument. This guitar has its own vibe, so I’ll deal with that with my language.  

You’ll also be playing compositions that will appear on your next solo album. Give us a teaser...

Pulse is a beat-oriented tune. I don’t want to use the word raga, but one might sniff a little bit of Indian-ism in it. In Cisum I’m doing everything that’s opposite to what I’ve learnt. For example, if I play a chord, I’m supposed to play a certain scale. But I’m choosing a scale that apparently doesn’t go but somehow we’ve found a place where it works. So the title Cisum (‘music’ spelt backwards).

Are you exploring Indian classical music through Pulse?

No, and I don’t want to. But I know these scales exist and being an Indian and a little bit attentive to what’s going on around you, just the flavour of Indian-ness is enough for me.  

Is there a thread that connects the tunes on your next album?

It’s pretty much the same headspace as my debut solo album... it’s music that catches my fancy. 

Arindam Chatterjee