‘I’m his fan first, then his drummer’

Indian musician Ranjit Barot to tour Europe this July as part of John McLaughlin’s The 4th Dimension, wants to compose more music for alternative cinema.

Composer Ranjit Barot, known for his work in films such as

HT Image

Fiza

(2000) and the upcoming movie

Shaitan

, is set to tour Europe this July with virtuoso jazz guitarist John McLaughlin.

Barot, the son of Kathak dancer Sitara Devi, will play the drums in McLaughlin’s four-member band The 4th Dimension, which also includes bass guitarist Etienne Mbappé from Cameroon and keyboardist/drummer Gary Husband from the UK.

“John McLaughlin comes from a line of great jazz musicians like Miles Davis and Jimmy Coltrane. He’s not only a master but also a human being who walks the talk. I’m his fan first, then his drummer,” says Barot. The tour, which begins on July 8, will go to places such as France, Holland, Spain, Germany, Italy, Norway and England.

How did the collaboration take place?

“We met through

Ustad

Zakir Hussain, and then I played for McLaughlin’s album ‘Floating Point’ in 2008. We reconnected at a jazz festival in North Carolina last November, following which he asked me to join his band,” Barot says.

In addition to jazz music, Barot is also a fan of UK’s trip-hop band Massive Attack and electro-rock outfit Radiohead. It’s then hardly surprising to hear the electronic soundtrack of the Anurag Kashyap- produced film

Shaitan

, which will release early next month.

“I want to stay in the genre of Indian films made by young producers and directors. They are the ones who will define cinema in the coming years. It’s very commendable that directors like Anurag Kashyap and Sudhir Mishra are allowing musicians to do what they like.”

Regarding

Shaitan’s

off-the-beaten-track soundtrack, Barot mentions, “That’s because the film itself is edgy. There’s no formula to music or any art form. You have to challenge yourself as an artist and have a lot of fun while doing it. The audience doesn’t care about the technicalities. If you can infect them with the fun you had while making it, they will pick it up.”