The concert consisted of three sets: the jazz quartet, the Indian duo and finally the two groups combined. The two groups performed in the typical jazz fashion where performers bounce from solo to solo. All of the solos were mouth-dropping and laudable; however, the call response of the two different drummers, the jazz drummer and the Indian tabla player, stick out in my mind the most. I have never seen a drumming technique like that of "magic fingers" Biplab Bhattacharya, who was able to manipulate his fingers and palm in an unbelievable number of different ways and tempos, creating an eclectic mix of sounds with only three small drums.
It is very difficult to describe music like this with only one word. Using my limited musical knowledge, I'd call it slightly Latino with an overlying Arabian sound. I can honestly say that I've never listened to jazz or Indian music by choice, but I thoroughly enjoyed the entire concert. There was never a dull moment, and the performance was undisputably spectacular; in fact, the final set received two full house standing ovations, one for each song played. Absolutely no musical background is necessary to recognize the talent of these men and to realize how amazing, brilliant and innovative their music is.
In a quick interview after the concert, Bryant, who graduated summa cum laude, said that "persistence and devotion are the most important qualities of an aspiring professional musician." Bryant believes that all musicians should be "open to being put in different positions. For example, a classical musician might have at some point adjust to playing for a Broadway show." Bryant also mentioned that his musical interests have broadened since college. During his Amherst years, his main sources of inspiration were Jazz musicians such as Wes Montgomery, Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock, whereas now he is more influenced by Brazilian and flamenco performers such as Paco de Lucia.
Bryant's group was chosen by the Kennedy Center and the U.S. State Department to represent the U.S. as jazz ambassadors and toured nine countries in North Africa, India and the Middle East. In fact, some of their best times on the tour were in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, where they enjoyed "meeting musicians, playing with them and learning from them." Another highlight of the tour was in Morocco, where the group taught and held workshops for an orphanage. "I believe it is very important to teach music in order to continue it," said Bryant.
Kaleidoscope-the String Project has an album out entitled "Kaleidoscope: Live at Smoke," and Bryant's newest album with the group Trio del Sol will be out in about a month under the label "Twinz." If you missed this local performance of Bryant's, you can catch him on Dec. 10 playing with trombone player Ed Byrne at the Red Cat in Holyoke.