Celebrating Asian American Jazz: Roopa in Flux featuring Roopa Mahadevan
As part of The Jazzschool's celebration of Asian American/Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Bay Area vocalist Roopa Mahadevan brings her ensemble Roopa in Flux for an evening of cross-cultural musical exploration. Hailed as a "stirring voice" by The New York Times, Mahadevan seamlessly weaves South Indian Carnatic singing with jazz, soul/R&B, and adventurous improvisation.
Roopa in Flux showcases Mahadevan's rich Carnatic vocals in conversation with jazz virtuosos Frank Martin on piano, Isaac Schwartz on drums, and Sruti Sarathy on violin. The ensemble creates what audiences have described as an "electrifying listening experience" that navigates complex scales and rhythms with startling ease. Through energetic improvisation, emotional depth, humor, and storytelling, the group celebrates both individual expression and immigrant musical traditions.
Mahadevan, a Fulbright scholar and Grammy-featured soloist, brings her powerful voice and versatile collaborations from prestigious venues including Jazz at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and the MET Museum to Berkeley. Her stage presence has been described as "generous and magnetic," with audiences swaying along as she serves as "tour guide" through what one venue called a "Carnatic-global journey."
The performance promises the full spectrum of Roopa in Flux's sound—from brooding, plaintive moments to ecstatic peaks that get crowds "erupting from the moment she stepped on stage." Expect to hear Mahadevan's "pulsing, minutely inflected melismas" and "powerful low register with occasional dramatic flights upward" as she displays command of classical Carnatic styles while pushing into contemporary jazz and soul territory.
This concert is part of a month-long series programmed by pianist/composer Erika Oba, celebrating the contributions of Asian Americans to Bay Area jazz. The evening includes a pre-concert talk at 7:30 PM, offering context for the musical fusion you'll experience when the show begins at 8 PM.