Hari Maharjan | Feature | wavemag.com.np

ALL IMAGES: UMES SHRESTHA

You will have heard Hari Maharjan, even if not of him. He is the mastermind behind Bedha ko Oon Jasto, the album that changed the course of direction for Nepathya in the Nepali music scene. He was the composer of Hukka Mero for the band Karma. He has worked on almost all of Jems Pradhan's albums. And if it wasn't for him, Lochan Rijal's Maanis would probably not have sounded the same.
If it had not been for Hari's impulsive creations in the studio, numerous artists and bands would have never belted out those timeless classics. But in the process of propelling others to stardom, he seems to have sacrificed his own dreams and visions. "When it comes to recording," he once said, "I don't know why I can't find time for my own project."

That has finally changed, with the result being the release of a new album called Kalakarmi with the group that is called the Hari Maharjan Project. Released by Music Nepal in April, the album is a culmination of nearly ten years of work with his closest friends in music.

Hari says he fell in love with rock and roll when he was just six years old. He started playing whenever he could get his hands on a guitar. By the time he was fourteen he was playing in the rare concerts that took place in Kathmandu, doing covers of bands like The Beatles, Iron Maiden and Metallica. In the ten years that followed, he became a regular fixture within the capital's music scene, playing at the bars in Thamel and later as part of the house band at Hotel Yak and Yeti.

"Watching Hari play live at impromptu jam sessions is a stunning reminder of his mastery over his instrument," says Deep S. Rana, who has played with Hari in several jam sessions. In fact, Hari enjoys a rare admiration and devotion from his fellow musicians who are openly appreciative of his technical superiority, despite being self taught.

"Music is all I know and am good at" says Hari. "I choose my instrument to express my feelings and it speaks for me." And, during his time at Hotel Yak and Yeti, he found that gypsy jazz spoke for him. "I had borrowed some cassettes from a friend, and found the music very different to what I had heard until then," he shares, "I didn't even know it was called gypsy jazz." It was later, during an encounter with French musician Daniel Givone at a jazz festival in Kathmandu, that he learnt that the slick rhythms that had enthralled him and inspired many hippy princesses on to the dance floor was called gypsy jazz.

The meeting marked the beginning of a long friendship between Daniel and Hari. With Daniel as his mentor, Hari learnt everything he could about jazz and gypsy jazz, practicing and collaborating as often as distance allowed. Over time, Hari introduced classical Eastern and Newari tunes into his compositions, creating a unique jazz fusion.

Hari began working on composition for his own album 10 years ago. But as producing an experimental record was somewhat of a risk, he never actually let anyone in on his project. It was only two years ago during a late night session at the studio with his fellow musicians from Nepal Music Center (NMC), where he is a teacher, that the Hari Maharjan Project was born.

Joining him were Rizu Tuladhar, a long-time musical associate and a colleague at NMC, Daniel Rasaili, a former student, and Navin Gurung, who acts as a contributor. "We did a number of trial gigs and performances before we launched the album," says Rizu. "So we completely trust his instincts and his vision."

Together, Hari Maharjan Project has incorporated Newari and Indian classical tunes to their gypsy jazz composition, the result of which is an album called Kalakarmi , which is made up of seven instrumental tracks. On the album, Hari has worked to replicate the sounds of other musical instruments on his guitar instead of using drone devices. Fusion also means preserving the originality of the source, and they have gone to great lengths to ensure that the album and its tracks maintain that quality. The music on the album arguably belongs to a whole new genre.

Following from his belief that instrumental tunes speak to the soul in a way that a song with lyrics cannot, Hari has made an unusual choice of releasing a commercial album that is entirely instrumental. The result is that the album has an almost meditative quality to it. As Hari puts it, "This album is meant for soft listening, especially early in the morning or before you go to sleep." In a scene where rock music dominates and music is often fighting for our attention, what better than music to kick back to? And who better than Hari Maharjan.