Grammy-nominated pianist Charu Suri brings distinctive 'raga jazz' to Detroit residency

Oh man, I'm just swaying from side to side. If that doesn't make you feel good on a Friday, I don't know what does. Detroit has one of the richest jazz traditions in the entire world. And this weekend, a global sound is taking center stage downtown. 2026 Grammy-nominated pianist and composer Charu Suri is returning to Cliff Bells for a four-night residency, joining us this morning. Welcome, welcome, welcome. Oh, thank you. I have become a big fan so quickly. Oh, I'm so glad. Learning about the raga, jazz. Talk to us a little bit about that. So ragas are Indian modal scales. There are over 500 ragas. You know, and when a kid goes to music, they learn about Western scales. You know, C major, G major. We have a tradition in India with ragas that are supposed to be played at a certain time of day. Yeah. And I grew up in India learning both Western classical and Indian classical. And I thought... It would be kind of cool to combine both of them. So you marry the two together, and it's just such a unique and creative sound. I know we're going to hear some of that. And in Detroit, as you know, with our Jazz Festival and beyond, this is a city that knows music. So what is it like to come here and play? I have loved my time here. This is my second residency at Cliff Bells. What an incredible club. We had such an amazing turnout and feedback yesterday. And today, through Sunday, we're going to be there playing two sets. It's 7.30 and 9.30. And every time I come to Detroit, I am blown away at the melting pot that the city is. Yes. The cultures that are here in this vibrant city, it's astounding. I wonder what it's like to be a musical genius. Are you thinking? Or do the tunes just take you away? Do you create on the spot? How does it go when you're really in your flow state? It's a great question. I don't think about it too much. A lot of the times the tunes just come, and I write the tunes in its entirety. I don't really edit them too much. So I've written pieces on my walks, and I come home, and the piece just comes out. Will you play a little for us? Absolutely. I'm just going to play a classic today, Autumn Leaves. Thank you. Hope to see you at Cliff Bells. Karu Suri, everyone.