Riley Mulherkar sings praises of Abu Dhabi Festival and International Jazz Day
30 Apr 2025 00:05
SARA ALZAABI (ABU DHABI)
Aletihad interviewed acclaimed trumpeter Riley Mulherkar, whose brass quartet performed a tribute to late music legend Quincy Jones on April 29 at NYU Abu Dhabi, as part of the Abu Dhabi Festival.A founding member of the New York–based brass band The Westerlies, Mulherkar, a recipient of Lincoln Centre's Emerging Artist Award in 2020, has been praised as "über hip, modern yet timeless", and is renowned for fusing jazz, modern classical and folk music in fresh, boundary-pushing ways.On the sidelines of the tribute performance, Mulherkar spoke about how Abu Dhabi's energy and cultural vibrancy has influenced his music."This performance was the international debut of this project, and I was honoured to bring the music to such an international hub of arts and culture. The energy and vibrancy of Abu Dhabi infused our performance with new dynamism."Mulherkar said he felt drawn to the festival and the art scene in the city, which has been named Global Host City of International Jazz Day by UNESCO.He explained how he adapted his unique mix of jazz, modern classical and folk for the Abu Dhabi audience."I think my influences come from my mentors and my heroes, who instilled in me a love for lineages of American music beyond any one genre. However, in any performance, I try to think less about genre as much as how to be present in the moment to listen and respond to what is happening around me, and given the improvisational nature of the music, what we discover and share with Abu Dhabi will be unique and will never have happened before."He also spoke about the role of the Abu Dhabi Festival in promoting innovation and transcending genres."We were honoured to be included in the Abu Dhabi Festival among such an inspiring lineup of innovative and groundbreaking artists. It is inspiring to see the festival elevating artists and championing their work on an international level."Mulherkar praised the cultural diversity of Abu Dhabi and how audiences received his music, remarking: "I think Abu Dhabi's cultural diversity will allow for many entry points into the music, whether through a familiarity with jazz, improvised music, folk music or contemporary music in general."
He added: "My hope was that the audience in Abu Dhabi was emotionally transported to a new place by our performance."
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