Max Clouth Clan Back in India For Gigs, Recording New Material

At a recording session in Mumbai, German jazz composer and guitarist Max Clouth sounds (understandably) a tad disappointed that his band, Max Clouth Clan, had to call off their Shillong and Guwahati shows due to widespread protests and the police’s brutal crackdown.

Nonetheless, even with their India tour a few dates short, Clouth (trained in Hindustani classical music by tabla and sitar artist Nayan Ghosh) has been making the most of his fourth India tour by recording material for his new album. “We recorded guitar, bass and drums in Delhi and we’re in Kolkata next to record with classical artists,” Clouth says. He’s also working on a separate set of compositions with Ghosh’s son, tabla player Ishaan Ghosh.

Clouth says the similarities between India’s classical music and jazz were plenty for him to take to it, right from his days of growing up listening to jazz fusion act Mahavishnu Orchestra. The German adds, “For me, since I’m from a jazz background, Indian classical and jazz have improvisation in common, plus they’re both about playing something spontaneous.”

Releasing their latest album Kamaloka last year, the band will perform at Kolkata’s Brass Room on December 20th and 21st. The Clan is completed by keyboardist Georg Boessner, bassist Peter Crighton and drummer Martin Standke. Clouth says about performing to Indian audiences, “Unlike Europe, everybody knows Indian music here. I’m always thinking of how there’s people in the audience who probably knows and understands a raaga better than I do. It’s challenging and exciting to play to them since our music takes elements from Indian music.”

Max Clouth Clan performs at Brass Room, Kolkata on December 20th and 21st. Event details here.