Alphonso Johnson Interview:

Alphonso Johnson: Sound of Sunshine Sound of Rain is a children's movie I composed music for. I am a "tourist of this music.": (Alphonso exhibits humility here, because he learned the feel of the South Indian /fusion music with lightning speed during the period of one and a half rehearsals and one sound check and one week listening to the tape. As one might expect being the world class bassist he is formerly with Santana, Weather Report, Phil Collins etc., he exhibits far more depth than this adjective "tourist would imply :-))

Prasanna Ramaswamy: Alphonso was so nice, he said "ok" I'll do the tour (even though he never had heard of Prasanna before.)

Kenwood Dennard: It all comes back to Prasanna's commitment to his art and his character. First, Prasanna exhibited the beautiful spirit behind his music in dialogue with me. I picked up on it right away. I was right away having "sonic visions" of what we could play together.

Then we played together and it was everything I had envisioned, only MORE! Then when the idea of touring India came up in November 1999, naturally I was inclined to participate.

When it came up that Prasanna needed a bassist, I was more that happy to open up my address book. Victor Wooten's name came up because of the beautiful compatible nature of the music and the bassist. I recommended Prasanna highly to Victor. When Victor couldn't make it, he recommended you highly to Alphonso, even though he had not heard Prasanna... So it all comes back to Prasanna's commitment to the beauty which is his art. That commitment is revealed in the sound of his music and even his personality and his words. Then, of course based on their trust of Kenwood Dennard, the people I recommended Prasanna to were inclined to trust you as well, and then your music also speaks for itself.

P.R.: At Berklee College of Music, I have formed relationships with many of the Percussion faculty members. The percussionists seem the most open minded.

IIT did not support the hotel fees and Prasanna's fee.

Physically shouting at me, the Dean of students said "Get out. Get out this is my audience" (angry). I was committed to really making this concert happen with Alphonso Johnson and Kenwood Dennard! I wanted to prove that this kind of music could happen without a percussionist. In order to be a fusion of Indian Classical music and Jazz, I depend on the music itself; not the instrumentation of the music.

I did not sleep for one and a half months. I did not touch my guitar for one month (in order to take care of the logistics of the performance. Editors note: Prasanna's technique and command of his instrument were somehow still impeccable in this performance).

The Dean of students did not allow my photographers to take close up shots of the band! I am insulted. Why should I have [ had to ] put up posters instead of the promoters doing it?

"'Why do you need musicians from the States?, asked the Dean: Why can't you use Indian musicians?" He does not understand the value of jazz musicians from the US. He is arrogant and Chauvinistic regarding Indian Classical music.

I am an established recording artist in the Classical music field here in India. In the beginning of my career, people criticized me saying you will only attract a few hundred people because guitar is not a legitimate instrument for playing classical music. I proved them wrong, and more than one thousand people attended my first concert. Now the dean of students has said only a few hundred people would attend this concert with Kenwood Dennard and Alphonso Johnson. Actually more that 6,000 people showed up!

I had a huge audience on 1-23-99! It was because of me this concert occurred. Not because of the Dean of students. The faculty members expected only a couple of hundred people. They didn't even have the courtesy to come backstage and say "thanks" to these world class artists Alphonso Johnson and Kenwood Dennard.

Even the writer (interviewer) says they should come and thank the artist. Kenwood and Alphonso didn't even see these people — ever. They came to the concert, but they did not come backstage to greet the audience.

Interviewer: "This was a huge phenomena". I have seen two thousand or three thousand, but never this 6000 people that attended last night.

PR: "This is my challenge and my mission. I achieve this in the face of even all the insults. Shiv stood by me all the way (Shiv was Prasanna's assistant for this project).

The music was clearly worked out and meant to involve these people (Kenwood and Alphonso). They gave input. We all worked as a team. There was complete mutual cooperation.

Each person was featured a lot. Alphonso had many solos (even though in his humility, he does not generally play excessive solos).

K.D.: I wholeheartedly support you, Prasanna, on standing up against injustice of the Dean of students.

On New Year's Eve 1999, I played for a predominantly South Indian audience in Needham Massachusetts. I felt like I was performing for eternal kings and queens... Coming to the homeland of these kings and queens yesterday, I felt a spiritual upliftment and eternal joy and exhilaration performing for these humble and spontaneous down to Earth people.

Spontaneity is hope. I have hope for peace and freedom based on my African American tradition. I play for peace and happiness. On the other hand I am not trying to insult the dean of students per se.. I support Prasanna, however, because I realize that there will be no peace and happiness without the courage to stand up against injustice.

PR: Just because people dance to a given music doesn't mean it is cheap music. Jazz is less than a century old. Karnatic achieved its finished form several hundred years ago.

South Indian music and food (culture) is suppressed while North Indian is promoted at home and abroad.

A.J.: Ali Akbar Khan? great musician? Youth in America are searching beyond what's available to them. They can only see what's available in commercial marketing. This applies not only to the music but to the other aspects of culture as well such as FOOD!

K.D.: There is magic in the air. What's important is doing my utmost to convey the eternal profound happiness and joy to my audience. That is how I can achieve 100% victory each time I perform! During this performance in an uncharacteristic circumstance, I did not even LOOK at the audience. I was too busy giving my 100% sincerity to them. YYYYYaaay I am so happy to realize that they felt it.

I cannot single out only the Indian professors who are arrogant. That same problem of arrogance exists in America as well. On the whole, I find that some people are arrogant and others are not. Arrogance is not restricted to one country or another country.

P.R.: Karnatic music is intellectual. Jazz is physical.

K.D.: Michael Jordan and Muhammad Ali are geniuses in the physical realm.

P.R.: Jazz has evolved into music which is studied intellectually. Alphonso Johnson is a man of few words, but the things he says are profound.

This concludes this paraphrased interview conducted on 1-24-00 in Chennai, India with Prasanna Ramaswamy, Kenwood Dennard, and Alphonso Johnson.

Let's Just Advance! :-)