Indian Jazz Journey featuring Mahesh Kale and George Brooks

No American-born jazz musician has forged deeper or more enduring ties to the world of Indian classical music than Berkeley tenor saxophonist George Brooks. Over the past two decades, those relationships have taken shape in a kaleidoscopic range of collaborations through his Stanford Jazz Festival–exclusive Indian Jazz Journey. In recent years, the program has centered on his evolving musical partnership with vocalist Mahesh Kale.

Born and raised in Pune, the cultural capital of Maharashtra, Kale trained under Pandit Jitendra Abhisheki, the legendary artist who revitalized the Marathi musical theater tradition in the 1950s. In 2015, Kale won India’s equivalent of an Academy Award for Best Playback Singer for a classical performance in the film Katyar Kaljat Ghusli, a breakthrough moment that propelled him to national prominence.

As in past editions, Brooks has assembled a sensational cast of musicians ideally equipped to join him and Kale in exploring musical landscapes shaped by the world’s two most sophisticated improvisational traditions.

Co-produced with the Indian Classical Music and Arts Foundation

Mahesh Kale Website

George Brooks Website

Personnel:

• Mahesh Kale, vocals
• George Brooks, saxophone
• Additional personnel TBA