Sharik (second from left) with his bandKK Photography NYC

Sharik Hasan, who started playing the piano at age five, moved to New York (from Boston) in August 2012 to do his masters at the Manhattan School of Music. And now, at 28, he fronts the Sharik Hasan New York Quartet. t2 caught up with him during his Calcutta trip recently...

During your recent tour of India, where did you find the best audience?

The audience in Calcutta was engaged and visibly appreciative. There was an energy and vitality we performers drew from.

What about the New York jazz scene?

It is very diverse stylistically, so that no matter what you are interested in — be-bop, modern, free, fusion, Afro-Latin, 1920s, world — there is a highly evolved scene for it.

How does it feel to play jazz, which is a part of an American tradition?

Sure it originated in America but I don’t look at jazz, or any art for that matter, as something which belongs to any one group. Anyone who shows appreciation, dedication and skill as a jazz musician is respected in New York, regardless of where they’re from. And most of the top jazz musicians in New York are not originally from there.

Do young people frequent jazz clubs?

Jazz is not a mainstream thing even in New York, and so most young people don’t frequent jazz clubs. There is, however, most certainly an audience for jazz and those young people who do come to these shows are highly passionate about the music.

You shared the stage with the legendary jazz artiste Wayne Shorter in 2011. How was that?

He is an incredible personality to be around. He has this mystical aura around him. If he says anything, it’s to do with life, philosophy, movies, or science fiction, and in his cryptic way he’s able to get the message across.

Arindam Chatterjee