Jazz pianist and math geek Madhav Chari

dropped out of Illinois just before his Ph.D. to become a jazzman in the Village. He caresses notes from ivory tongues

and sometimes lets satellite radio be his patron, in Bombay, Paris, New York.

At the NCPA at Nariman Point last night, Chari played original compositions, Cole Porter, Gershwin, Duke. He slowly ratcheted the mundane ‘Happy Birthday’ from preschool melody to variations on a theme to mindblowing Bird-style improv. He wrung wah-wahs from a piano on a blues track with a driving rockabilly rhythm like Johnny Cash’s ‘I Walk the Line.’ I’ve known one other guy with such fluency of his extremities. We called him Happy Feet and fully expected him to challenge Zizou.

Chari also used to play next door to my East Village place:

… he performs… at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe (226 E 3rd St, between Ave B and C in Manhattan)… His recent jazz piano trio CD, From the Other Side, features Madhav Chari on piano, Santi Debriano on bass, and Ben Perowsky on drums, released on the Indira Arts Label. The CD is distributed by Vista India Inc., and can be ordered by calling 1-800-VISTA-21. [Link]

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