Relighting the fire

For the six members of Zookjera, music is the instrument in their quest for freedom.

Shows are without playlists, jam sessions have only a beginning and an end. Each piece played by the year-old band is created for the first and last time.

"We believe in 'living in the present moment,' not in the past or in the future," drummer Ajay Kapur '02 said,. "We strive to create whenever we are with our instruments and we do not have the constriction of past composition."

This lack of constriction has ironically guided the band in its evolution. Formed in Feb. 2000, the band was named Zookjera, a word derived from an Sanskrit word meaning, "the moment when the audience becomes one with the performer."

The original lineup included Kapur on drums, Peter Lee '01 on guitar and David Hittson '03 on bass.

"The first couple of months were so pure," Kapur said. "We were playing music for music's sake. There were no complications."

Four months after forming, the band added a new member — Andy Cohen '00 on the keyboard. After graduation, the guys decided to stay together for the summer and play, and that is when things began to come together.

"We were homeless for a while, and we actually slept in the library of Colonial [Club] for sometime, but in June, we met Stu Rosse, manager of Tiger Inn," Kapur said.

"He is a sound technician himself and is married to a music major, so he knows what he is doing," he continued. "He set up a sound studio for us in TI, got us a place to sleep, and taught us a lot about organization.

"He really pointed us in the right direction, and we played everyday. That is when we made a ton of progress."

This fall, Zookjera played 12 times at various eating clubs. Cohen, Kapur and Lee also found a house near campus where they were able to set up a studio.

"Since then we have done a lot of recording," Lee said, "but we haven't released anything. It's just to gain experience."

Get the best of the ‘Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

Things were coming together, but this January, the band hit some hard times. Bass player Hittson broke his arm, and the band had to stop playing altogether.

"It was kind of a crisis," Kapur noted.

Tough situations often lead to new opportunities, and in this case, it was the possibility of expanding the band.

"We were just trying to play with different bass players, and we found Julian Rosse, Stu's son who was at a music conservatory, but transferred to Columbia," Kapur said. "Because Dave is an amazing singer, he switched to vocals, and the combination was better than anything we had done."

Another friend of the band who stepped in was Adam Nemett '03.

"Adam has been a friend for a while, and he has always had an interest in poetry, so it was just the process of making it work," said Lee.

Though it may not have seemed beneficial for a band to constantly change their lineup, Zookjera used it to their advantage.

"We are all students, we are all learning the artform," Lee said. "That is why it is important to add people, so we can see and experience different ranges."

Kapur added, "Each member of the band brings in a whole new realm of creation."

While not all members of Zookjera are at Princeton right now, the band stills plays regularly. Every Sunday they record about 70 minutes of music, totally improvised and new.

"Though all of our music is totally original, we still use our past experience to find out what works and what doesn't," Lee said. "Instead of inventing musical permutations, we discover permutations."

Zookjera has a lot to discover, too. The band's scope is unusually large because of the wide variety of musical backgrounds. Most members have classical or jazz training, but together they can create funk and reggae to Latin and Arabian chants.

"We practice on our own and perfect ourselves technically," Kapur said. "That way, when we are together, and we have something to say with our instruments, we can say it."

And that is just what they do.

"Nobody plays for the sake of playing," Lee said. "Everyone who plays has something to say. It is like a musical conversation."

Along with the success of the band, another organization has taken flight. MIMA — Modern Improvisational Music Appreciation — is a campus organization founded by Lee, Kapur, Nemett and several other Princeton students. It started at the same time as the band and currently has about 400 members.

"Without MIMA, the band could not have started, but at the same time, they are two separate entities," Lee said. "MIMA is basically about communicating to people who love music."

Both MIMA and Zookjera are advocates of creation.

"It is very hard at this school to step outside and express your own creativity," Lee explained, "but there are a lot of creative people here, and I respect those people who try to create because creating is hard."

"This school can be overwhelming, but you have to be true to yourself," Kapur said. "If your path is different than everyone else's, don't be scared of it. Do things for yourself and because you want to do it."

As for the path of Zookjera, the band plans to stick to its motto of living in the moment.

"We are constantly faced by these decisions with Andy graduating last year and me graduating this year," Lee said. "There are no direct plans, though, just to take it as it comes."