Omar Abdul-Karim and Kavyesh Kaviraj Have A Vision for Their Music

photo of two men in jackets

After years of sessions and casual collaborations, trumpet player Omar Abdul-Karim and pianist Kavyesh Kaviraj have forged a collaborative project. The quartet, which also features Ted Olsen on bass and Kevin Washington on drums, will perform on Tuesday, January 28 at the Dakota. Sean McPherson from the Afternoon Cruise caught up with the duo to get a sense of how this collaboration came about and how they’re enjoying it!

This interview originally aired on The Afternoon Cruise on 1/24/25

 

FULL TRANSCRIPT:

Sean McPherson (Jazz88) 

It’s the Afternoon Cruise, and I’m chatting with pianist Kavyesh Kaviraj and trumpet player Omar Abdul-Karim. They’re getting ready for a quartet show on Tuesday at the Dakota where they’ll be joined by Ted Olsen on bass and Kevin Washington on drums, Kavyesh and Omar. Thank you so much for being here today.

 

Kavyesh Kaviraj and Omar Abdul-Karim 

Thanks for having me. Glad to be here with you.

 

Sean McPherson (Jazz88) 

Now I’ve seen video documentation. You all been playing together in different settings for quite some time, but this co-billing thing and sharing a project is a new thing. So you know each other as players. You’ve been on stages for a long time. What are you learning about each other in this new chapter of your musical life together?

 

Kavyesh Kaviraj 

Well, if I could start, I think what I’m most excited about is to write new music with Omar and I find that even though we’ve known each other as players and as brothers for quite a quite a long time, I’m realizing that there’s so much more music to be made, especially as life progresses and I’m learning new things. Omar’s learning new things. We have more things to say. And so when we write music together, I’m always refreshed by Omar’s perspective and Omar’s take, and it’s so different from what I would do. And I’m just very excited by that, because you know, when you finish a piece of music that you didn’t know the answer to, but he did, you know? So it’s just the most exciting thing to me, you know, I wonder what, what do you think about that, Omar?

 

Omar Abdul-Karim 

oh, I, I agree 100% 110%! it’s, it’s a beautiful experience to know somebody for that long, but then he’s still finding out new things to say musically within it never ends, you know. And I hear things one way, he hears it another. So we kind of compliment each other in that way. And he has, you know, melodic player. But Kavy has all the harmony and rhythms, a lot of different rhythms in India and his background that he can bring to the table. So yes, it’s great thing. And also going by his house and him cooking me some amazing Indian food. You know, that’s always nice.  Is that one of the new requirements on Omar Abdul: “I’d like to do the gig. But how is your doll now, Omar, you recently traveled to Europe with vocalist, producer MMYYKK for a run of shows? What was it like to share your music in Europe and explore that part of the world? Oh, it was, it was amazing experience. You know, everybody showed love, you know, some sold out places, and just in embracing the different cultures, that was one of my favorite parts about it, meeting all the new people, learning some new language, trying some new food, hearing new music, and building with Mike. You know, every night is different, you know. And that’s the exciting and fun part about the music. It never gets old, you know, every night we try something new, because you hear the record, but that’s just an advertisement, right? You know, when you’re on, when you go see them live, it’s gonna be totally different, gotcha, you know? So we’re just building and, yeah, it was a great, great, great experience.  I’m chatting with Kavyesh Kaviraj, piano player from town, Omar Abdul-Karim, trumpet player from town, I say, from town. But these gentlemen are developing reputations the world over. And Kavyesh, you put out a record last year that Omar Abdul-Karim is featured prominently on called Fables, very well received in the Minnesota scene and beyond, and here on jazz88 it was one of our favorites of the year. But actually, I ran into you, and there’s that difficult question, what’s next? You’re both balancing a career as sort of Kavyesh Kaviraj LLC, Kavyesh Kaviraj, potential player with other folks, composer, leader, after you get a well received record, what’s the next step for you, as you sort of continue to pursue your art?

 

Kavyesh Kaviraj 

I remember you asking me this question, and I’m I’m just stumped for answers, Sean, but the happy thing that I find is, in this period, I am just throwing stuff at the wall and seeing if it sticks. I’m super excited to branch out into other paradigms of music, sort of closely related roles that I can kind of be part of too. But one of the goals is also opening doors for me to collaborate with many other musicians. You know? I mean, when I think about the last record that we made, Omar, that was all the people that I’ve known and played with for some years, and now I think the door can open, and I’d love to bring some of my other friends into the mix and and so with that comes a whole nother paradigm of music. You know, there can be some of the things I’ve been trying I’ve been writing for strings lately with a. Be Wolf, which is just brilliant. Some of the things, playing a lot with LA Buckner, you know, so many things. So I’ve got things on my roster. I’m just trying them out and seeing where to go next. And the happy part is, you know, at least I know I’m doing that.

 

Sean McPherson (Jazz88) 

Omar, I can’t believe how much better his answer was this time than when I asked him at the bar, like six days ago. I go, what’s next? He goes, I don’t know!

 

Omar Abdul-Karim 

He contemplated a little bit! beautiful answer.

 

Sean McPherson (Jazz88) 

Omar Abdul-Karim and Kavyesh Kaviraj. People find each other and start deepening their collaborations at different times in life, and you talk about as you grow older, as you learn different things, as you explore different things, as you try different parts of Kavyesh Kaviraj’s cooking, you find more of yourself. What’s special about finding each other at this point in your career, which I’d call maybe early mid career, maybe position for where you are at as players on your path?

 

Omar Abdul-Karim 

What’s special about connecting it this time, I think, more to a point to know exactly what you’re trying to say. You know what I mean. You have a more of a vision on your sound and knowing how to articulate that you know, to me, yeah, I think least for me. I mean, it’s still always growing, but it’s more clear for me. I don’t know about you, Kavy, what do you think?

 

Kavyesh Kaviraj 

was just gonna say in the last few years, I’ve heard some of the most inspired playing by Omar, you know? And I mean, I attribute to that, to what Omar said about like, as life goes on, you your visions a little clearer, you kind of know what to say. I’ve, I’ve sort of experienced that the last few years myself, and I’m sort of defining some aspects about myself, you know, unanswered questions. And I find that when I figure that on life, it sort of pours into the music as well. So it’s just been a journey of self discovery about, oh, you know, I play this when I hear this, or when I’m faced with this, I do this instead. You know, those kind of answers are more obvious to me now, yeah, yeah,

 

Omar Abdul-Karim 

no, definitely like knowing how to use all those different colors, like being an artist, even when you started out, you may had a couple colors you could, you know, pick from, yeah, but the longer you’ve been in now, you have a whole palette of different colors, and you know how to use them in Harmony.  And maybe the more willing you are to share the canvas. Yeah, think about that. When I was in high school, I was in the Walker West Jazz Ensemble drummer, I need a solo on every song. I need two choruses. You know, the saxophone player wants two choruses. And then while I was in high school, I did one, like pro gig fundraiser thing for McPhail, playing with Clea Galhano and Harry Chalmiers. We’re doing Black Orpheus, and I’ll take one A, Clea is like, I just need a B. Do you want two A’s? And realizing this thing is, people grow older, they have plenty to say, but they have more patience to listen too. yes, that’s the beautiful thing about it. I remember being in New York and and Roy Hargrove will come to these jam sessions, and he maybe, just do one course and just blow the house down right, you know, and these other guys taking 20, 30, c\horuses, you’re like, damn, can you stop? Like somebody just running their mouth, just running their mouth. Okay, I heard everything like it’s not a conversation anymore.  It’s wild.  One of my first radio folks who was really helping me was saying, if you say four cool things, they might remember none of them if you say one cool thing, yeah. And then it really stuck with me. Actually. I interviewed Julian Lage, and I mentioned this radio people always talk for like, exactly a minute and a half. How would that be? If that was a normal human being, you’d be like, ‘that’s the weirdest person on earth’. You know, like that drummer, every time he talks, he talks for 90 seconds, you have to have that give and take it. Yeah? I think it takes, it takes maturity, yep, and wisdom to be able to do that. You know, if you’re young, sometimes it just like they want to get everything out and say everything, and do all these different things and try to show out. I can do this. I can do that, but that’s not what the music’s about. And once you, once you do it for longer, you realize some people mature earlier than others, you know, but

 

Sean McPherson (Jazz88) 

I’m hanging with Kavyesh Kaviraj, piano player, and Omar Abdul-Karim trumpet player. They’re getting ready for a show at the Dakota on Tuesday, Ted Olsen on bass, Kevin Washington on drums. I have a very hard question and a very easy question, and you can choose the order, do you want? Hard, then easy or easy than hard. To wrap up this interview,

 

Kavyesh Kaviraj and Omar Abdul-Karim 

my vote is hard then easy. Yeah?

 

Sean McPherson (Jazz88) 

Kavyesh, we’re in a very trying time period of tremendous change in America. You have a song called they cannot expel hope. Can they?

 

Omar Abdul-Karim 

They cannot expel hope?  There are some truths that we hold to be evident, you know. And the idea is that however trying the time is, however weighed down our spirit is that truth is always true, that they really cannot expel hope for the children, for our country, for our people, for us to be better human beings that never extinguishes. So as long as the as long as you know, I’ll be alive, I will always believe it. I have to remind myself every now and then there are low points, but I’m glad I have friends around to keep telling me, keep the keep the hope alive.  You know, you handled the hard one comfortably. Now maybe the easy one is going to be super hard. All right, I’ll pass this one to Omar. This is described as the easy one. Omar, Abdul-Karim, what song are you most excited to play on Tuesday night when you’re just thinking ahead to this show coming up at the Dakota what one are you like. .I can’t wait till we call that one. That’s kind of a tough one. yeah, man, I look forward to playing all of them. To be honest. They’re all, I mean, well, Sisyphus is, is one that Kavy and I wrote together. So I’m, I’m excited about that one. We’re still building on it, but it’s, it’s a good vibe, and I like, like, what we did with it.

 

Kavyesh Kaviraj 

Could I say one thing? Yeah, there’s a tune that Omar wrote called Sophia, which is very, very difficult, and I’ve been playing for five, six years now. And I really love playing that tune. And every time I come back and ask him, let’s play Sophia, he’s like, okay,

 

Omar Abdul-Karim 

yeah, because I have trouble playing it myself and I wrote it. So I’m like,

 

Sean McPherson (Jazz88) 

can we quickly look under the hood? Y’all are very, really capable, proficient musicians, and beyond proficient, what makes it hard. Is it the changes? Is it the form? What all of it?

 

Omar Abdul-Karim 

Yeah, that’s the core. Melody. Is not hard, but the chord changes. Being able to improvise over the changes, you know, effortlessly, is for me. That’s the problem for me.

 

Kavyesh Kaviraj 

It is. It’s one problem for me too. But I love that song so much, so I just always want to play it.

 

Sean McPherson (Jazz88) 

Thank you for putting proms in front of yourself. It’s an important thing that a lot of players don’t do is going, Hey, let’s let’s play the one that’s difficult.

 

Omar Abdul-Karim 

Oh, and I forgot one other one, Arrival. Okay, I just wrote this song, and I’ve never played it before. I wrote it when I landed back here in Minnesota from Egypt. I went and saw the pyramids and spent time out there. And when I got back, the melody just came to my head, and Kavy helped me to get it out. And yeah, I’m excited for it to be the my first time to play this tune.  So a lot to be excited about for Kavyesh Kaviraj and Omar Abdul Karim, they’re at the Dakota on Tuesday night with Ted Olsen and Kevin Washington. Thank you for visiting jazz88 gentlemen.

 

Kavyesh Kaviraj and Omar Abdul-Karim 

Thank you. Thank you for having us.

 


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