If I'm honest, nobody is going to punish me. Music is all one. It cannot be separated. Southern Indian music is funky and close to Cuban music. Jazz is close to both of them.
Brazilian music is close to African music.
The geography in each place may vary and the sun may shine more here than there. And everybody has different dances. But they all have a groove. You might imagine that there are plenty of eager young students and musicologists who want to learn how to sift through Gurtu's rich experience. He has performed with Jack DeJohnette, who calls him ''Pasha,'' as well as the world fusion group Oregon, John McLaughlin and Gil Evans.