From early December 2001 to mid-April 2002, I was privileged to be a part of a rare adventure throughout India, thanks to an invitation to go to Mumbai (Bombay) to study at the Jazz-India Vocal Institute (JIVI). I was the sixteenth international vocalist chosen for this experimental program that fuses classical Hindustani vocal techniques with jazz application. I also performed throughout the 2001 holiday season at the celebrated Oberoi Hotel, singing jazz and playing congas five nights a week, also arranged by Jazz-India.

My training included three weekly private vocal classes with Dhanashree Pandit-Rai and two weekly private classes in south Indian (Carnatic) percussion with Vidwan Shri T.S. Nandakumar. Working closely with both teachers served to expand my repertoire of global musical influences, studying raga vocal techniques and the exotic drums, ganjira and ghatam . In the Indian music system, there is a strong connection between rhythm and melodic flow which have been the core of my work.

Both of my teachers displayed the right combination of brilliance, toughness, enthusiasm, and heart. Having observed many a master teacher at Ailey, I feel I have a keen frame of reference for these judgments!

The winter is a busy concert season in India and I attended an average of three musical performances a week, reinforcing my studies of a new system.

My musical partner Richard Bennett joined me for a month in January and we did a series of concerts throughout India that was covered in the Indian press. Richard is also an Ailey staff musician and composer of music used in Troy Powell's Fragments , currently being performed by Ailey H. Venues included everything from jazz clubs to music stores to a special performance among the camels at the Bikaner Camel Festival in the fabled north Indian state of Rajasthan.

At the end of my stay, I recorded songs with jazz pianist Louis Banks, which I adapted from the Indian classical repertoire, writing new lyrics and giving the songs a jazz flavor. I also performed in three locations in the state of Goa, including a coconut grove and a magical garden high on a hill, overlooking the river. On the night of that concert, the garden was lit with thousands of tiny purple lights and a crescent moon was high in the night sky. This was a venue I will never forget. I was also in Goa for Maha Shivaratri, the festival of the Hindu god Shiva. I attended a midnight concert in a temple filled with monks and devotees and a young man singing hindustani devotional music in a pure and clear voice that filled the huge space.

The experience of living in India while studying its incredible musical tradition was profound. I experienced a strong renewal of my art form and a daily sense of wonder while there. Other Ailey staff musicians such as Taylor McLean and Victor See Yuen have traveled and brought new musical energy back to the Ailey home. I am looking forward to doing the same at Ailey now that I am back.