'Rahman is genuinely exciting'

Taiko. Tabla. Mridangam. Kanjira. Ghatam. Dholak. Naal. Bhangra dhol. Congas. Bongos. Timbales. Berimbau. Irish Bodhran. Nigerian Udu. West African djembe. Waterphones. Spring drums...this never ending list of instruments has something in common. Guess what?

Okay, let me give you a clue. There exists a person who can play them all. People call him "the world's most versatile multi-percussionist".

He's worked on five James Bond soundtracks, (The Quantum of Solacecoming soon) and has also released a book titled Indian Rhythms For Drum set. From Bjork, Peter Gabriel, Ronan Keating to Vanessa Mae, A. R. Rahman and Mel C, he's jammed with some of the greatest musicians of the world.

And he is none other than the one and only Pete Lockett - a musician venerated by many as an authority in the world of percussions - ethnic, western, Arabic, Indian, you name it, and he plays it.

Besides all the musical feats, what makes him even more interesting is his equally humble belief: "I am not the master of percussion. I've learnt and studied enormously, I'm always learning."

Pete Lockett began his musical journey at the age of nineteen, in his hometown, Portsmouth. One day, while walking past a drum shop, he happened to see something in the window. He went in. And that was it. The journey began.

The drum shop opened up the whole world of music to him. And from then on there was no looking back. He probed deeper and deeper. And there he is today - "a learner comprehending the universal sound of music".

For a westerner, Indian music is usually supposed to be a foreign thing. But with Pete, the cultural gap was never much of an issue.

"I don't find this tough. I've spent so much time studying Indian music. It's so rich..there's such a lot to it. And besides, there is a common language to music. I may be playing all these instruments, but I wouldn't like to call myself an Arabic drummer or Indian drummer, or a western drummer really, I'll prefer calling myself a hybrid multi-percussionist," says Pete.

Music can have different languages, genres and styles. It can belong to different countries, composed of diverse instruments, but there exists, as Pete Lockett calls it, "the spirit of music".

"In one-way music is similar to language. Someone might be speaking in Bengali, another in English, but the feelings and emotions are common. Just as the way these feelings are universal, so is music. The desire to make music is common, and it is this desire that bridges the gap between different kinds of music," believes Pete.

"You're searching for common meaning and a common understanding, knowingly or unknowingly. It is in such moments of magic where things come together. And that is the universal language of music. "

Temporarily based in Kolkata, Pete has worked with a quite a range full of Indian musicians like Amit Chatterjee, A. R. Rahman and Bikram Ghosh.

Talking about working with Rahman, he adds, "I've always liked working with A. R. Rehman- it's great working with him- he's got such a clear idea of want he wants. It's so genuinely exciting."


Courtesy: ndtv.com