Susan Waten, founder of Dimapur-based Holiday Abode for Writers & Artists, waxes eloquent on Nagaland jazz-blues-folk band Blue Print
BLUE PRINT is Nagaland’s only band that experiments with jazz, blues and folk genres. They have been around since performing in Roots Festival, 2007, touching a high in October 2012 with their album ‘Beyond Boundaries’.
I listen to their music non-stop. Visitors to my home-office invariably love their music, and are thunderstruck after they come to know it’s a band from Nagaland. It is refreshing to listen a genre other than conventional rock and heavy metal that have taken Nagaland by storm, especially after Hornbill Rock Fest.
Jazz requires a cultivated ear and fine musical sensibilities, and is thus not a common listener’s cup of tea. Blue Print’s appeal is subtle yet instantaneous. It tiptoes on you effortlessly, and suddenly you realize you are hooked.
I had the special privilege of attending their rehearsal in Kohima’s Life-Pro studio. I understood that music is not just about art and artistry; it is also an ‘intellectual’ endeavour. It is about making ‘mental connections’ and perceiving it with the inner eye. I wondered how far the band can push their boundaries, or dissolve the boundaries that have been previously set. Guitarist Toshilong Jamir – he is associate professor of history and archaeology, Nagaland University – who initiated the band and composed the bulk of the melodies, provided some insights into their work.
He said pure Naga folk music was quite ‘monotonous’ and it was not easy for musicians to harmonize this traditional music with other genres. They needed to explore Naga rhythms beyond the established melodies and have a good look at the ‘dance’ movements too. The dance rhythms, comparable to Samba, are very lively and even aggressive unlike the melodies. Their 10-track album, ‘Beyond Boundaries,’ explores Naga ‘folk melodies’ and considers the study of dance rhythms as a future possibility.
Over the years Naga musicians like Abiogenesis (creator of Howey music and Bamhum instrument), Nise Meruno (‘Beloved’ album), Theja Meru (‘Believe’ album) and Purple Fusion (single release ‘Tringtring marks of war’) have attempted to fuse Naga ‘folk melodies’ with genres such as rock, funk and pop with a good amount of success. But the issue of seamlessness and flawless consistency in blending genres remained.
For Blue Print, their jazz and blues rhythms inevitably turn out to be their trump card. Toshilong explained: “Naga folk melodies gel quite well with blues and jazz whose origin is within folk music itself. It was African folk music that gave rise to all this, including reggae.” He added: “If reggae could emerge from African folk, I’m sure we can have our very own Naga rhythms one day. For that we may have to draw rhythm elements from dance steps and use it as a rhythm form in music.”
The two guitarists in the band provide different rhythms that balance and complement each other quite well. The listener is captivated by the sound of one guitar while the sound of the other creeps on the senses, making it impossible to decide which is more alluring. What’s more, they together merge into an ocean, blurring the duality. And the more you pay attention, the more entrenched the mind gets; the music casts a spell you don’t ever wish to break free from.
While Toshilong’s signature style appears more serious and artistic, the other guitarist, Talitemsu Jamir (an engineer by profession) appears more playful and accessible to general taste. Talitemsu’s composition, ‘Oyimpong,’ has an ethnic melody and rhythm, and also an oriental strain which is highly catchy. My other favourite, ‘Beyond Boundaries,’ by Toshilong has a jazz-rock feel about it. ‘Nu-tsu-chu,’ the lullaby sung in Changki and Mongsen dialect, written and arranged by Toshilong exhibits a high degree of commendable artistic skill. Here traditional Naga music is rearranged and reinterpreted, leaving the original lyrical content intact. The inspiration for this piece comes from the saxophonist and jazz-folk musician Stan Getz who rearranged traditional Latin music into jazz.
Talitemsu, who rocked in several bands during his student years, noted: “Our band members have more than 25 years of musical experience and we have to sound different now; so we go back to our roots, our tradition.” Thus traditional Naga tunes is now dressed up in different rhythms. Blue Print’s approach, essentially a ‘fusion’ of various genres, attempts to avoid fixation with any one genre, but rather goes beyond any particular boundary.
Drummer Wabang Pongener, also a dentist, was essentially a bluesman. He said: “People are taking our music very slowly. It’s hard to digest jazz because it needs education of the ears. It’s not simply listening, but also going into the realm of imagination.” Ever since the inception of Hornbill Rock Fest, Wabang has been one of the judges and he knows that rock reigns supreme among the youth.
Band Manager Lanutoshi noted that when Italian jazz band Em Trio came to Nagaland in 2004, the local audience could not relate to them due to ignorance of the genre. But the scene is changing and Blue Print is gradually being appreciated by both accomplished musicians and young rocking crowds. He said, “When people see Blue Print perform, they realize jazz can be fun and very enjoyable. They are well received by listeners in Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai and Shillong. We aim to generate more listeners in the Northeast and elsewhere around the world.”
Their brand of music being relatively fresh in Northeast, Blue Print is mindful of audience response and listeners’ reception. Toshilong said, “It takes a lot of effort when we play different genres. Also, a composer has to consider the listeners which comprise of a wide audience. We have to look at the psychological background of the listeners.” Each member musician is careful not to drown or overpower the other but achieve perfect coordination, hoping various kinds of ears will receive what they’re creating.
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