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Like father like daughter

If the legendary sitarist Pt. Ravi Shankar was my father I would probably announce it from atop the Everest to the whole world and be very proud of inheriting his classy legacy…but Norah Jones is clearly made of different stuff.

If the legendary sitarist Pt. Ravi Shankar was my father I would probably announce it from atop the Everest to the whole world and be very proud of inheriting his classy legacy…but Norah Jones is clearly made of different stuff. When her first album, Come Away With Me’ conquered the 2003 Grammys with a surprise 8 wins, the petite singer didn’t even drop a hint about being the daughter of a music icon much less strum a string or two of ‘Dad thank you for washing my diapers..!’
But to be fair to the young & talented lady (she was only 22 years of age when Norah made a record of winning so many Grammys in one night), Ravi Shankar was not exactly a doting father. Infact he missed on her growing up by a good ten years. Jones was born Geetanjali Norah Jones Shankar in New York City but later changed her name officially to Norah Jones, at the age of 16. She is the daughter of sitarist Ravi Shankar who had a nine-year relationship with Jones’ mother Sue Jones, a New York based producer-dancer. The media have been interested in this connection of Jones, often forcing her to simply ignore questions regarding her paternity. The speculation is primarily due to a 10 year estrangement between Shankar and Jones. In an interview with The Guardian, Ravi Shankar spoke about the yet unknown part of his famous life, “ The truth is just that I lost Norah for nearly ten years. I couldn’t find her when her mother moved away, and Sue didn’t want me to be in touch with her. But we are the best of friends now. She is my daughter and I love her.” Years later critics might wonder how Jones would have turned out had she been with her father, but she likes to do her own thing. In her words, “I love my father..I just want to make my music, and I want it to stand on its own.” She did find her music, which is exceptionally good and belongs to another age. Jones moved to Texas when she was four. Her flowering began when she took to singing in church choirs, taking piano lessons and even briefly trying out alto saxophone. But she truly got devoted to jazz when she joined the Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing & Visual Arts in Dallas, Alma mater of soul diva Erykah Badu. During her major in jazz piano at University of North Texas, Jones took a summer away from college and moved to New York. There she was totally consumed by the dynamic music scene of the city and began hanging out with local musicians and songwriters. To make ends meet she waited tables at a restaurant and sometimes played at clubs with bands like Ferdinando and Wax Poetic. The Big Apple can make one’s destiny if you are ready for it. Norah Jones was surely on the path. She not only met her love and associate of 7 years Lee Alexander, but also got the label that gave her the required push. As word spread around of a smooth, sunkissed voice with a breath of fresh air and a knack for jazz piano, the president of Blue Note records signed Jones to contract. Two years later her first album, ‘Come Away With Me’ won big at the Grammys for Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year and Best New Artist. The album was hailed for its blending of mellow, acoustic pop with soul and country. It hit number one on the US Billboard and sold a million copies. Her fame intrigued many as she had suddenly burst onto the scene from nowhere. So much so that Dev Anand was believed to be planning a film inspired by Jones’ troubled relationship with her father, Ravi Shankar titled ‘Song of Life’. An enraged Jones had commented, “ Anand has no idea of our story and he is not going to represent it in a truthful way..Its sad because its personal stuff and nobody’s business.” Jones was introduced to her half sister Anoushka Shankar, the daughter from Ravi Shankar’s second marriage, when she was 18. The sisters often catch up and have even got a matching tattoo on their backs. Jones’ second album ‘Feels Like Home’ (2004) sold another million copies. That year Time magazine included Jones on the Time 100, a list of the most influential people of 2004. She was certainly influencing the listeners with her smoky vocals in a blend of jazz, soul, country and folk-pop. Her latest and third album, ‘Not Too Late’ (2007) has become the 800th one to reach the top spot on UK charts. The album is Jones’ first for which she co-wrote every song. She takes a political platform in this album when she sings, In a boat that's built of sticks and hay, We drifted from the shore, With a captain who's too proud to say, That he dropped the oar… Norah Jones’ music is to be chilled out with. Her’s is not the head-banging genre. Majority of the songs have slow jazz with lullaby tempo. She has toured relentlessly and defied those who dismissed her glory as a spark in the pan. She has even landed a leading role in a film called ‘My Blueberry Night’ starring Jude Law and Natalie Portman. About her new venture she told the Times, “ I thought it was for music..but it was too late to pull out. If it doesn’t work though I hope I can always go back to my day job!” Her day job of course is writing songs that have a genteel ease and are given a rush of life by her sweet voice and sultry style which often gets her compared with the likes of Billie Holiday, whom she adores. Millions of records, 8 Grammys, duets with Ray Charles, Andre 3000 and landing a film later, Norah Jones’ journey has just begun even though she has achieved in a short span that which many are not able to in a lifetime. All of that without the active support of the living legend who happens to be her father. As Anoushka Shankar put it, “Its got to do something with the genes...”