Indian-American jazz vocalist and composer Sachal Vasandani wears his Eastern heritage like a polished badge. Yet, where his music is concerned, he is all American. Audiences will quickly savor his uncanny ability to season that music with well-blended elements of jazz, folk and pop when he and his quartet appear at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center on Sunday night. Whether it is Rodgers and Hart, Billy Strayhorn or his own numerous compositions, Vasandani has built up a worthy body of musical work that has his critics and fans raving. A prolific songwriter, he says he has been at it since high school.
| Onstage |
| Sachal Vasandani Quartet |
| Where: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, University of Maryland, College Park |
| When: 6 p.m. Sunday |
| Info: $35; $9 for full-time students; 301-405-ARTS; claricesmithcenter.umd.edu; music.umd.edu |
“I write a lot, but I edit a lot,” Vasandani said. “At any given time, whatever songs do not fit in with a show [are] not going to be presented. Later, [I] can discover them again and refine when the time is right.”
With 30 to 40 songs in his vast repertoire — all written in a variety of styles — there has been a potpourri of material filling two releases, “Eyes Wide Open” in 2007 and “We Move” in 2009. The latter is filled with songs written at a low point in his life when he felt himself and the music growing further apart.
“I wanted to continue telling my own story, to write about my own, visceral experiences without force feeding,” he said. “I tried to share the surface of an emotion but hint at the iceberg below, and then let the listener[s] find their own depth.” The resulting songs reflect a diverse range of sounds and influences.
Paul Brohan, director of artistic initiatives at Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, the presenter of the performance, noted, “Sachal Vasandani is an exciting, young artist who is truly beginning to realize the fullest impact of his personal, creative expression. Not only is he committed to exploring the traditions of the American Songbook but he is an active and engaged composer who writes in a deeply personal and emotional realm.”
