BENGALURU: When Hubert Laws first learned how to play the flute, his attraction to the instrument was almost “instantaneous”. Playing the flute daily then became as essential as consuming food and today, the American flautist and saxophonist has a musical career spanning over 50 years. Now, Bengalureans will get a chance to witness Laws’s flair with the flute in a live performance on Friday at Windmills Craftworks, Whitefield, where the flautist will play with his band. “Kamal Sagar, the owner of Windmills Craftworks, invited me to play here. He was particularly interested in my track titled Malagueña, so I will play that as well on Friday,” says Laws.
His journey with the flute began in high school, after he volunteered to substitute for the school orchestra’s regular flautist. Today, three of his recordings have been nominated for the Grammy awards and he effortlessly moves from multiple music repertoires, including jazz, pop and rhythm and blues. The flute, says Laws, has a unique biblical history and is a diverse instrument as well. “It can be played to produce a peaceful sound but it is just as potent in power in producing a shrill and penetrating sound. It all depends on the music you play,” he says.
Laws’ upcoming event would mark his second trip to India, the first being in 2014, when he performed with musician Dr L Subramaniam and Bollywood singer Kavita Krishnamurti in seven cities in India, including Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Kolkata. “I began listening to Indian music when I was performing with Dr L Subramaniam. It was a different experience for me because we play in diatonic scale but by playing Indian music, I learnt that it has a whole different character than we are accustomed to,” he recalls.
Apart from playing the flute, Laws also enjoys playing tennis and studying the Bible. “I eat food two ways. Besides physically feeding myself, I also feed my soul through things I experience with my eyes and ears. It nourishes my spirit,” said the musician.