Ronnie Malley and Zeshan Bagewadi

Jan. 29, 2016

A Cross-Cultural Musical Fusion at the Dennos

What do you think of when you see the word caravanserai?

If you picked up on its first three syllables, you might be picturing exotic travels on dusty roads, and you’d definitely be on the right track.

In the Middle East, a caravanserai — from a compound Persian word combining caravan with palace —is a roadside inn where travelers gather after a long day moving through the desert heat, where they enjoy the cool night and share news and entertainment.

When Arts Midwest was seeking a moniker for their musical programs that celebrate global diversity and the meeting of cultures through sharing live performance, that name was a perfect fit.

Two of the 2015–16 Caravanserai shows will be from the American Voices touring series, which showcases Muslim-American musicians. Both will take place at The Dennos Museum in Traverse City, one this month and one in the spring.

Caravanserai will feature Ronnie Malley and Zeshan Bagewadi. Malley is a genredefying Palestinian-American multi-instrumentalist and Bagewadi is an Indian-American virtuoso vocalist. Their cross-cultural styles reflect the diversity and richness of America’s immigrant experience.

RONNIE MALLEY

Born and raised in Chicago, Malley combines jazz and rock music with Arab, Turkish, Balkan and South Asian influences to create a festive, jubilant sound. His accomplishments include performances at Minnesota’s Guthrie Theater, Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., and Chicago’s Goodman Theatre.

He started guitar lessons when he was 9 years old, primarily playing rock music at first; infusing the sounds of his heritage would come later.

“My dad, who is also a musician, introduced my brother and me to Middle Eastern and North African music,” Malley said. “I was about 12 when I started playing traditional music in the family band.”

When he hit his late teens, Malley got what he jokingly called a “real job” in business, but still played music on the weekends.

Eight years of the corporate world was plenty; he left and decided to pursue music full time.

“Since then, I’ve been composing, producing, performing, teaching and, most importantly, learning music from different world cultures,” he said.

He got involved with the Caravanserai program through its artistic director, Asad Jafri, with whom he’d worked before; he’d met Bagewadi just prior to the Caravanserai opportunity.

“We took it as a good omen that the tour came about, giving us this opportunity to work together,” Malley said. “And I feel a strong kinship with Zeshan, not just because of our Muslim backgrounds, but our parallel upbringing as first-generation Americans.”

ZESHAN BAGEWADI

Bagewadi’s music focuses primarily on his unique and impressive vocal talents, which he’s able to mold to such diverse sounds as jazz standards, indie-rock music (usually with his band Zamin), operatic productions and qawwali, a form of Sufi music popular in India and South Asia.

Also based in Chicago, he’s performed across the U.S., as well as in Western Europe and India, singing in 11 different languages; his latest project is called “A Tale of Friendship” or “Dastaan-e-Yaari,” and is said to be the first ever Hindi-Urdu song cycle for voice and piano.

Bagewadi got his start in music early, too. “My mom and dad were always listening to music at home,” he said. “Whether it was ‘60s and ‘70s Indian/Pakistani film music, The Beatles, Stevie Wonder or Smokey Robinson, they loved to have it playing in the house and in the car.”

He got his start as a cantor in his mosque as a youth and was enrolled in band and choir throughout high school.

“It was in high school that my teachers discovered I had a voice well-suited to classical and opera singing,” he said.

Additionally, he plays piano and has a talent for collaborating, as Malley would soon discover.

“It really was a stroke of luck that Ronnie and I had been in talks about starting our own project when Asad approached us about this awesome opportunity [to tour with Caravanserai],” Bagewadi said.

MUSIC SPEAKS

Malley added he also feels fortunate that both musicians get this particular opportunity, as it lets them showcase all facets of their musical identities.

Caravanserai’s Program Director Adam Perry pointed out that both of these musicians are essentially “pioneers.”

“They’re creating their own sounds and challenging the traditional boundaries of American and global music traditions,” Perry said. “Their music makes us think about the world a bit differently and wonder about where those sounds came from.”

“We get to share music we created and learned in America from our respective traditions, as well as demonstrate how they are just as much a part of our American identity,” Malley continued. “I think things like music and love are universal elements that bind us all regardless of our backgrounds. And, whatever we believe, we should remember that it’s our diversity that has contributed to the whole of humanity.”

Bagewadi has a similar philosophy. “The thing about music is that it is such a hands-on medium of connecting with the rest of humanity,” he said. “That’s what gets me up every morning: because my music can talk to all people, in a visceral way that my words simply cannot.”

“I’ve performed a great deal in Michigan, from Grand Rapids and Rothbury to Ann Arbor and Detroit,” Malley added. “However, I’m really looking forward to going to Traverse City, where I’ve never been. I’ve heard nothing but amazing things about the people and town, and I look forward to making Traverse City a caravanserai!”

will be in concert with Caravanserai I — A Project of Arts Midwest — on Saturday, Feb. 6 at 8pm at the Dennos Museum Center. For tickets and more information, visit dennosmuseum.org.