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Krishna jazz from faraway Congo

The tall dark African servitor from Congo spreads the gospel of Krishna.

New Delhi: The tall dark African servitor from Congo spreads the gospel of Hindu god Krishna on the east coast of Africa with a saxophone, guitar and jazz. "Hare Rama, Hare Krishna, Rama Rama, Hare Hare...", his gentle baritone fills the air as he plucks a plaintive riff -- in the American bluegrass tradition -- on his guitar.
The bhajan takes on a blues type note. And the crowd cheers. Meet Dialopatey, the 54-year-old jazz saxophonist and guitarist from the Democratic Republic of Congo who is in Vrindavan recording an album with his multi-ethnic devotional band "Vrajabadhu". "It is a religious fusion soul-jazz and funk rock band featuring the violin, guitar, drums, saxophone, harmonium and the mridangam. We combine Afro-American music with the Indian kirtan in braj bhasa and Sanskrit. The band was born in Hungary before coming to India and roping in local musicians," Atey said during a visit to New Delhi. "Our music is inspired by karma, Krishna consciousness and the yuga dharma of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu," the musician said. The six-member band performed here Dec 2, 2009 to a packed hall of 45,000 people, Atey said. Atay shot to fame in Europe in the late 1970s after the king of reggae Bob Marley spotted him at a concert. Marley deputed his manager to take Atey, also known as Swami Nruhari, to audiences across Europe. He later joined the Congolese jazz pianist Ray Lema`s band and toured the jazz festival circuit for 15 years before a chance encounter with the "lord`s words at an Indian eatery in Paris" changed his life. "There was this picture of Lord Krishna and a leaflet that bore his words from the Bhagwad Gita. I couldn`t stop thinking about it. Earlier, I believed in Jesus Christ but Krishna`s words captured my heart. One of the reasons why I was attracted to Krishna consciousness was because I was making Afro-American music, which preached non-violence. And his words were profound. I was also in love with everything Indian - food, culture and music," Atey said. His journey from a Catholic Christian family in Kinshasa, the capital of Congo, has been a long one. "My family was associated with the church. I grew up in a boarding school near Kinshasa and started playing the saxophone in the school brass band at the age of 10. After school, I studied art, music and drama and decided to become a musician," Atey said. He migrated to Europe in the late 1970s. The Hindi movies that Atey saw in Africa as a child fanned his fascination with Indian music. "It was easy to identify with Indian religious sensibilities," he said. In the 1990s, Atey put together a mixed jazz ensemble, 12-member Jagannath Band, in London which played kirtans from the Braj Bhumi in Afro-American and rock`n`roll style. "We played at Hindu temples in Paris, Britain and East Africa. The band survived for five years and I learnt to sing Krishna hymns in five different languages," Atey said. IANS