Jazz Articles

Our daily articles are carefully curated by the All About Jazz staff. You can find more articles by searching our website, see what's trending on our popular articles page or read articles ahead of their published dates on our Coming Soon page. Read our daily album reviews.

Album Review

Avataar: Petal

Read "Petal" reviewed by Chris M. Slawecki

by Chris M. Slawecki
May 6, 2016

While growing up in the Northern Ontario mining town of Sunbury, he was known as “Sam." But in his early twenties, Sundar Viswanathan reconnected with his Indian name and heritage, and, through several conservatory courses spanning North Indian classical to Turkish maquam music, dove deeply into his Indian musical roots as a saxophonist and composer. “I had to transcribe flute and sitar improvisations as part of class assignments. The vocabulary got into the language of my own writing," ...

Album Review

Avataar: Petal

by James Nadal
February 12, 2016

A simplified definition of classical Indian music can be characterized as Hindustani from the north, and Carnatic from the south. Though both are based on the raga system of melodic scales, Hindustani's structure is open to improvisation, whereas Carnatic is more scientific and devotional in its approach. Saxophonist Sundar Viswanathan, although a longtime resident of Canada, was born in India, and has juxtaposed his native music with a pliable jazz awareness into Petal, his latest project with Avataar.

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Album Review

Sundar's Induswest Project: Hope and Infinity

Read "Hope and Infinity" reviewed by Jerry D'Souza

by Jerry D'Souza
January 25, 2008

The fusion of Indian music and jazz is not new. It has been done before and will be attempted in the future. Enter Sundar Viswanathan. He lives in Canada, but was born of South Indian parents. As a musician Viswanathan plays the saxophone and sings. As a composer he brings in various thematic concepts. He gives them voice through different groups and collaborations. Sundar's Induswest Project is the herald for his work that intertwines ragas with jazz harmonies. The band ...