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| Sanjay says he has a lot to learn in India |
A native of Mumbai, Sanjay Divecha graduated from Guitar Institute of Technology, Los Angeles, in 1989 and soon became an active member of Los Angeles' music scene, which he stuck with for 15 years. While in LA, he recorded with a variety of artists including Carlos Santana and Louis Johnson. During this time, he had the opportunity to play and absorb styles ranging from jazz, Brazilian and African to R&B and gospel.
Returning to India in 2003, Sanjay has been doing a bit of work in Bollywood – he has worked on Ru Ba Ru and Aashayein soundtracks – and just last month, released his album Full Cirle. In an interview, he tells us why he returned to Mumbai, what he thinks of the so-called Westernisation of Bollywood music, and why he won’t categorise his music.
Why have you called the album Full Cirle?
It’s called Full Cirle because I’ve returned to my roots, my heritage. I was born and brought up in Mumbai, but then I went to LA and now I’m back again.
Why did you return to Mumbai?
I actually came to Bangalore first in 2003. It had nothing to do with my work, I’d come to visit my family. A little later, I came to Mumbai to meet some friends and began working here. The answer to why I stayed back in Mumbai is that there’s a lot for me to learn from India. I lived abroad and picked up a lot of things over there. But I need to know more about Indian music and Indian culture. So I’m back and I’m trying to pick up as much as I can.
The Blue Frog (record label) website states: ‘Sanjay has crossed many borders, physical and cultural, in pursuit of his vision - of a world community expressed through music.’ Could you tell us more about this world community?
I lived in LA, which is a very cosmopolitan city. You meet people from different places, get acquainted with different people. And learn a lot about them. It builds your personality and you gain a lot from it. This is what I mean by “physical and cultural”. I’ve experienced many cultures, All this improves you as a human being. So you take what you learn as a human being and express it through music.
What do you think of the Bollywood music scene?
I don’t find it to be very indulging. Very often, the producer comes to you with a brief, he tells you how it’s to be done. So I find it very limiting. A musician must be given time to express himself. One has to have studied and lived to create music. Sure, there is plenty of work going around, and they are busy and making a lot of money, but there isn’t any originality in any of it; most of it is copied.
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