Jonathan Kay

A skilled jazz saxophonist hailing from Toronto, Canada, Jonathan Kay embarked on a unique musical journey in pursuit of non-western musical knowledge. He relocated to Kolkata and Santiniketan for a decade, immersing himself in the guru-shishya paramparic tradition under the guidance of vocalist Pandit Shantanu Bhattacharyya and esraj player Abir Singh Khangura. Kay became the pioneer in performing the full form of vocal raaga music (vilambit khayal) on the shrutiphone, a saxophone he customized to adhere to raaga temperament. Additionally, he stands out as one of the rare boro esraj players, following the tantra-kari style in the lineage of Ranadhir Roy. Fusing his experiences in jazz and raaga music,  Kay is shaping a transcultural approach to experimental improvisation with his bands Monsoon, Kayos Theory, and The Coltrane Sutras.