Indian Jazz Fusion Band Blending World Fusion Music Traditions
Melodic Intersect is an Indian jazz fusion band from Baltimore, Maryland, founded in 2013 by tabla player Enayet Hossain. The core trio is Enayet Hossain on tabla, Hidayat Khan on sitar and Greg Hatza on piano and Hammond organ, bringing the ragas and rhythm cycles of Indian classical music together with jazz harmony and improvisation. Across 12 albums the lineup has also included guitarist Hans Utter, santoor player Tarun Bhattacharya, sarangi player Zohaib Hasan and other guest musicians.
What Is Indian Jazz Fusion Music?
Indian jazz fusion combines the melodic frameworks of Indian classical music, above all raga and taal (rhythm cycles), with the harmony and improvisation of jazz. The meeting began in the 1960s, when Ravi Shankar recorded with jazz musicians and Joe Harriott and John Mayer gave the genre a name with Indo-Jazz Fusions. In the 1970s John McLaughlin’s Shakti took it to concert halls around the world.
New to the music? Start with our listener’s guide, What Is Indian Jazz Fusion?
The Melodic Intersect Sound: Where Raga Meets Jazz
Melodic Intersect sets raga melodies over jazz chord progressions, an approach the group traces back to sitar legend Ravi Shankar. The music is built on improvisation: tabla, sitar and keys answer one another in real time, so a piece grows differently each time it is played. The result is rooted in two classical traditions and still easy to listen to.
Instruments in Indian Jazz Fusion: Tabla, Sitar, Piano & Beyond
Each instrument in the band carries a long tradition. Enayet Hossain began studying tabla at six under his father, Ustad Hamid Hossain (how tabla rhythm cycles work in jazz). Hidayat Khan is a seventh-generation sitarist, the son of Ustad Vilayat Khan, and plays in the vocal gayaki style (the sitar in jazz). Greg Hatza started piano at four, made his name as a jazz organist, and spent more than two decades studying Indian classical music with Ustad Hamid Hossain. A Hammond organ is rare in a tabla-and-sitar band; we explain why it works in Hammond Organ Meets Tabla.
A World Fusion Ensemble with Global Recognition
Melodic Intersect has performed at Jazz at Lincoln Center and Joe’s Pub in New York, and at venues across Maryland, New York, New Jersey and Minnesota. Inner Vision was nominated for Best World Beat Album at the 14th Annual Independent Music Awards. The band’s albums were submitted for GRAMMY consideration in the 57th, 58th, 61st, 62nd and 66th GRAMMY Awards, and were on the ballot for the 67th (Timeless Reflections), 68th (Beyond Borders) and 69th (Woven Paths, Best Global Music Album). Earlier albums topped the Roots Music Report radio charts, holding #1 for over 20 weeks.
Based in the USA: Indian Jazz Fusion from Baltimore, Maryland
Melodic Intersect is part of the Baltimore music scene, with concerts at venues such as An die Musik alongside jazz, world and experimental artists, and performances across the United States.
Book a Live Indian Jazz Fusion Band for Events
Melodic Intersect plays concerts, music festivals, college and university programs, cultural celebrations such as Diwali and Eid, weddings, and corporate and private events. To check a date, use the Contact & Booking form, or message the band on Facebook or Instagram. Planning a cultural event? Read why Indian fusion works for Diwali, weddings and cultural events.