JAZZ : Music of the World Is Percussionist Gurtu’s Beat

Trilok Gurtu, in action, is a sight to behold. Seated amid a panoply of drums, shakers, cymbals, rattles and other indefinable sound-producing objects, he moves fluidly from one to the other. Tapping the tabla drums with his fingers, stroking cymbals and bells, occasionally bashing a snare or a bass drum, he is unrestricted by style, a true world music artist.

Which is exactly the way Gurtu wants to be regarded.

“I happen to love jazz--basically [Thelonious] Monk, that style of improvisation,” he says. “And, of course, Indian music is basically improvisational as well. But I love other kinds of music too--funk, rock as well as jazz--and I’ve played in many other settings--with classical cellist Yo-Yo Ma, with contemporary percussion ensembles, with Bill Laswell, Pat Metheny.”

He might easily have added dozens of other names. The Bombay-born Gurtu, 47, a three-time winner of Down Beat magazine’s best percussionist award, is one of the world’s most versatile musicians, with a resume that includes gigs with Don Cherry, John McLaughlin, Jan Garbarek, Joe Zawinul, the Labeque sisters and dancer Carolyn Carlson.

His appearance tonight with his quartet at LunaPark coincides with the release of his own signature drum sticks by the Zildjian Co., and the issuance of a complete set of Gurtu-designed drums by the Remo Co.

As if that isn’t enough, Gurtu has also recently become the darling of London’s drum ‘n’ bass scene, as young DJs eagerly in search of new ideas have discovered his utterly idiosyncratic approach to rhythmic sounds.

“They seem to be turning to me, these young people from drum ‘n’ bass, from jungle mix, and I’m glad of that--glad that some of the players are viewing me as a mentor. Because this makes me accessible to the younger audience, and that’s important to me.”

Despite his long association with jazz artists--most notably his remarkable collaborations with eclectic guitarist John McLaughlin--Gurtu does not specifically view himself as a jazz performer.

“Look at it this way,” he says. “Jazz has always taken from other forms, from India, from Africa--mostly from Africa--and then used those influences to make their own form. But they don’t say they’re African musicians or Indian musicians. Like Coltrane, for example; he took a lot from Indian music, but he never said he was an Indian musician. So as much as I love jazz, and love to play with jazz musicians, I would never say I’m a jazz musician myself.”

In fact, Gurtu’s quartet owes as much to Indian music, African music, drum ‘n’ bass and myriad other forms as it does to jazz. The program will primarily consist of pieces from his newly released album, “Kathak” (Mintaka Records), a collection of mostly original compositions that drifts easily and convincingly across cultural boundaries.

“The element that brings it together,” Gurtu says, “is explained in the title, ‘Kathak,’ which is a very ancient South Indian dance form.” Kathak traditionally involves improvisational interaction between dancers and drummers, and although Gurtu will not have dancers on stage to accompany his performance, one suspects that the irresistibly compelling qualities of the music will trigger plenty of body movement in the audience.

Gurtu’s familiarity with Indian culture comes naturally. His grandfather was a famous sitarist, and his mother, Shobha Gurtu, is one of India’s most famous singers in the ghazal, or light classical, style. A student of the tabla since the age of 6, Gurtu always was receptive to other musical forms. In the mid-’70s, he performed with Charlie Mariano and others at jazz festivals in Bombay.

But his decades-long passage through many of the globe’s musical cultures--he moved to Germany in 1978--has left him with a clear view of his creative goals.

“You know,” Gurtu says, “my first name--Trilok--means ‘King of the Three Worlds,’ basically, that is, your body, your consciousness and the beyond. And I try to find that kind of integration in my music. Because, even with the most difficult things, if you can make them simple, they will reach a big audience.

“Everybody should like what you do. That’s my view. I don’t try to play too high flown, I don’t try to be complicated just to be complicated. I just try to touch my listeners with my music.”

BE THERE

Trilok Gurtu at LunaPark, 665 N. Robertson Blvd., West Hollywood. Tonight at 8 and 10:30. $16. (310) 652-0611.