With a career that has stretched from Grammy-nominated jazz productions to high-voltage rock shows, John Fishell has never been one to sit neatly in a single box. His latest project, Notorious Partners in Crime, sees him teaming up with world-renowned bansuri master Deepak Ram for a daring blend of British rock grit and Indian classical soul. It’s a collaboration born out of friendship, mutual respect, and a shared appetite for pushing musical boundaries.
Ahead of the album’s release, John sat down with us to talk about reimagining classics, finding the “electric” moments in the studio, the challenges of tackling Deepak’s complex compositions, and why the partnership between guitar and bansuri feels like something entirely new.
Your upcoming album Notorious Partners in Crime blends British rock with Indian classical music. How did you first approach merging such different sounds?
Honestly, it’s simply two friends doing their best to play together … one happens to be a Rock guy, the other an Indian Classical guy. The East/West concept in music is pretty well developed at this point, but I don’t think it has become tired and I haven’t found anything exactly like what we are doing. Also, our particular combination of Deepak’s bamboo flute with my guitar and voice works well together from a purely sonic standpoint. I’m not sure it would work as well if Deepak played Sarod or Sitar. Over the years, just as friends sitting around, we probably did some “exploratory jams” here and there that have led us down this road.
You’ve covered Zeppelin, Beatles, and Beach Boys alongside original material. How do you decide which classics to reinterpret and how to make them your own?
The “classics” of classic rock choices have been up to me since that is part of my world. I chose from bands that matured and transcended their own audiences and genres by introducing world music elements – I think the Beatles paved the way on Norwegian Wood and moreso on the “Revolver” album, The Beach Boys had a compositional “anything goes” approach on Pet Sounds, and then Zeppelin brought us “Friends” and “Kashmir” among others. The covers we perform are really just tributes to those who did it first, and a way for us to walk on a bridge that was already built.
“Space Time” moves through multiple time signatures, can you talk about the challenge of recording and performing it live?
That song. Hard. Deepak’s instrumental song Space Time is already quite successful – lots of streams, appearances on compilations, etc., and the main “lick” is simply Deepak’s cheerful and quirky melody. Instead of trying to fit vocals to his melody, I decided to add some sections then use Deepak’s existing parts as “instrumental choruses”. I also worked quite hard to add a very “western” chord progression underneath Deepak’s melody which drives the piece forward movement. Performing Space Time in a live setting always makes me a bit nervous. The time signature thing works out if you kind of forget about counting and just worry about playing or hearing the melody in your head. NO IDEA how Deepak solos over bars of 9 and 8.
How does your background in jazz and world music inform your rock-oriented songwriting?
I studied classical music and kind of dipped my toe into jazz at university, and then went on to record and produce a number of pretty well-known jazz artists. I didn’t study world music at all, but I was open to it after studying more “modern” composers.. Mostly, jazz and world music functions to give me a few more ideas to try when I get stuck, or even can give me different starting points for music. Over time, I’ve been able to pull off a few songwriting/composition “moves” inside of a simple rock song … maybe a modulation or a complex “pivot” chord or a rhythmic thing that comes directly from those avenues. Ultimately, I think I can create plausible imitations of jazz and eastern/African music. I’ll never fully be authentic in those areas … but Deepak’s influence brings the authenticity. Ultimately, I’m just a somewhat-clever rock guy.
Are there any particular moments from the studio that stood out as “magical” during the making of Notorious Partners in Crime?
We did half of the album live-in-the-studio with a producer, Jim Ebert, who is a producer “hero” of mine – having worked on a number of albums admire. Jim kept us focused and on task – those three songs were recorded in a single day (and there is video of that process). Also on that session was Karine Chapdelaine who came in there and just kicked butt, and Jamey Haddad, a percussion specialist. (And also Paul Simon’s percussionist for the last 20 years!). That feeling, with Jamey, Karine, and Deepak was “electric” … and though I was feeling a ton of pressure, I felt electrified that day. I can’t think of any other words for it. I agonized over the other songs on the album as I usually do. Track by tedious track. Recording and re-recording is fun … but NOT electric at all. Not even steam powered. Probably more like plowing a field by hand.
Which track do you think will surprise longtime fans the most, and why?
A Night in Lenasia is a standout, I think it will surprise people that might know me from my higher-octane stuff, and fans of Deepak will surprised by how well the originally instrumental song fits into a “pop songwriting” context. It’s got all of Deepak’s melodic cheerfulness with a huge dose of my trademark progressive pop/rock sneer and guitar playing. Brian McRae did a great job drumming on that one, too. The song has it all!
How do you approach blending lyrics with instrumental works like Deepak’s compositions?
Great question. Space Time and A Night in Lenasia both began as successful Deepak Ram instrumental pieces, and I agonized over re-arranging and making contributions to those songs. Honestly, there were MANY versions and sections that I couldn’t even bear to let Deepak hear because I thought they were so lame, but we eventually arrived. The lyrics for Lenasia came from many conversations with Deepak about him growing up in South Africa under their goofy Apartheid system. The important thing was to keep the lyrics and form concise so that there was time and room for Deepak’s melody and still stay within a reasonable “pop music” length.
Looking ahead, are there new directions or collaborations you’re excited to explore musically?
Deepak and I will continue collaborating on music and performing together, for sure – it’s too positive and good to let go. I have two albums-worth of original music that is very far along, as well as a number of cover songs, an interpretation of AC/DC’s “Back in Black”, and a “friends” project – where each track is a collaboration with a musical friend all on deck waiting for me to complete. I also need to perform more in order to expand the audience in that way, the old-fashioned pre-social media way. All I can say is – be patient with me and please stay tuned.