Dive deep into the life of Aretha Franklin with this Jazz kissa session

A gathering of music aficionados will explore the social context and humanism beyond the music of jazz legend, Aretha Franklin

One of this writer’s favourite go-to videos on YouTube is a snippet from the 2015 Kennedy Center honours for songwriter Carole King. In one of her last performances, singer Aretha Franklin took the stage to perform (You make me feel like) a natural woman — written by King. As the 70-year-old Franklin begins to sing, you can watch King being moved to ecstasy, while another guest, former US President Barack Obama, is moved to tears. This weekend, The Revolver Club brings together a jazz kissa session — a take on the jazz discussions that emerged in Japanese coffee houses — they will deep-dive into the journey of the singer who went on to become the ‘Queen of Soul’.

A previous jazz kissa session

For curator and host of the session, Ravi Rajagopalan, the social context to Franklin’s music is inescapable. Once an entrepreneur, Rajagopalan’s love for jazz stems from his own journey. Educated in Carnatic vocals, he was a fan of Johann Sebastian Bach and Philipp Telemann until he encountered jazz in the basement club of a Parisian hotel in the 1990s.

Ravi Rajagopalan

What sets Franklin apart from Billie Holiday or Ella Fitzgerald, Rajagopalan says, is her active voice in the Civil Rights Movement. Even as recently as 2015, she was among the musicians who refused to perform at former US President Donald Trump’s inauguration as a mark of protest. “These divas not only suffered indignities on account of race, but were also discriminated against on the basis of their gender. These issues are relevant even today,” Rajagopalan remarks, adding that if you want to learn about an artiste, you need to understand their journey. “Understanding this context often enhances the experience of listening to their music,” he points out.

This narrative will set the context for the two-hour long session of her musical oeuvre. Rajagopalan’s favourite Franklin song though is the lesser talked about Ain’t no way. “What makes it so wonderful is that the backing vocals are led by Cissy Houston, mother of Whitney Houston. Now, Whitney grew up in a house where Auntie Ree, as she would describe Aretha, would breeze in and out talking to women, cooking up a storm of food, singing devout church and gospel music. Yet, this particular track is so full of longing and love,” he concludes.

On November 18; 5 pm onwards
At At The Quarter, The Royal Opera House, Charni Road East.
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