Join us April 6th & 7th for a performance unlike anything you’ve ever seen before: Oliver Rajamani’s Flamenco India with Jerónimo Maya! For tickets and more information, click here.
“Life is magical and mysterious. I try to stay in the pure joy of life. There’s an innocence in creating and being in joy … music is part of that, music is joyful. It’s beautiful what people create.”
– Oliver Rajamani
Oliver Rajamani’s unique upbringing contributed to the distinct stylistic and visual palette of his music. Had he not attended an American International school in India, Rajamani believes he would not be who he is today: an internationally renowned artist and the creator of “Flamenco India.”
“Going to that school changed my life. I had this upbringing that was so different from the normal Indian child and way of thinking. I couldn’t connect with my family, or people from my own country, or anyone in American Western culture either. No one could really understand my life; there were times when I just felt alone.”
“Because I don’t belong in any one group, I’m able to connect better with everyone.”
Rajamani feels strongly that people should experience cultures outside their own. He moved to New York in 1989, studying in an unconventional college that viewed education as an exploratory time for students to immerse themselves fully in an area of interest, and not to be sequestered into ‘learning from the books,’ so to speak.
“I traveled and got to experience culture and people for their essence, rather than just sitting in a classroom and learning.”
Ethnomusicology was not yet a broad field of study, so Oliver Rajamani pieced together his own version with a dual degree in sociology and music. His study of music actually began much earlier, during his school days in India, when he played onstage with his uncle’s band and encountered the folk music of villages. He was also exposed to Western classical music as a percussionist in his school’s band.
After coming to the US, his appetite for music grew stronger.
Rajamani was aimless during his college years; he enjoyed music and meeting new people, but didn’t know what he wanted to do beyond that. An anthropology professor gave him a book about the Romani people, thinking the open field of study relating to his home country might interest him.
“I didn’t go looking out for this Gypsy thing, it just came into my life.”
He first encountered the Romani people during his college years. Rajamani says the Roma are not as secluded as mainstream culture believes: “There are a lot of Roma in the US, but you won’t know because they won’t tell you; they hide it for fear of persecution.”
The Roma migrated from India in waves beginning in the 11th century. They adopted elements from each culture in which they lived as a survival method, but kept very secretive out of fear of discrimination.
The Romani people have been misunderstood for centuries, their persistent seclusion allowing for each group they encounter to create myths and prejudices about their beliefs and behaviors.
Rajamani began playing with a wide range of Roma musicians, along with Non-Roma (Gadje) musicians, in New York. Through those musical connections, he met someone who would have a major influence on his future: Dr. Ian Hancock, the UN Ambassador for the Romani Congress and the world’s head scholar in Romani studies. Hancock connected him with the Romani Congress, where he ended up working for four years.
Dr. Hancock was a linguist and professor at the University of Texas – Austin, the location of the world’s largest historical archives of Roma, and he encouraged Rajamani to move there. He thought Rajamani would benefit from its diverse music scene. The coalescence of Rajamani’s deep connection with Romani cultures, his unique musical flavor, and his move to Austin all provided fertile ground for the birth of Flamenco India.
Through his time spent with Romani people, and his acquaintance with flamenco guitarist Arturo Martinez, Rajamani learned about the Indian roots of flamenco. He was collaborating with flamenco artists and emphasizing its Indian components, such as Indian folk songs, to demonstrate its rich history to his audiences. This innovative approach evolved into Flamenco India.
“The majority of my musical life has been from my family, my own talent, and learning things here and there as I went along, working with different artists and talking with different people.”
Flamenco evolved from the cultural and spiritual identity of the Roma in Spain. Historically called ‘Gypsies’ by various groups, the Roma were known as ‘flamencos‘ by the Spaniards.
“Most people don’t know the roots of flamenco. The Roma came to Spain at the end of the 15th century during the Inquisition, when the Spanish were trying to get rid of foreigners: Jews, Gypsies, Moors. These people ran and hid in the caves of Granada, which is where flamenco evolved from. Flamenco was a fusion of the time: it has unique similarities to Indian singing and musical styles, Indian dance movements – the hands and footsteps – and the music is also heavily influenced by Arabic Andalusian music. All I’m doing with Flamenco India is highlighting the Indian-ness of flamenco.”
In Flamenco India, Rajamani has brought together Indian musicians, a small string orchestra, Jerónimo Maya – a Romani guitarist – and Indian and flamenco dancers. The flamenco music incorporates Indian and Middle Eastern melodies and harmonies, and the orchestra performs in a style displaying his roots in Western classical music. He acknowledges the influence of place in Flamenco India as well.
“There’s definitely an Austin element to my music: even though it has roots in Spain, India, the Middle East, it’s really an Austin project. Flamenco India was born in Austin, but it has deep roots in all these other cultures.”
Rajamani believes his synthesis of flamenco and Romani cultures merging through shared Indian roots shines “a new light and a new perspective on a beautiful, historic, educational, and passionate show full of fire. It’s a unique experience; there’s not really anyone else in the world doing this. It’s a magical and very colorful show.”