Saxophonist Ryan Sadri On Adding A Melodious Zing To A Wedding

When you’ve been brought up a Parsi, nothing holds your imagination quite like cars, bikes, dhansak and English music do.

Ryan Sadri, a 33-year-old saxophonist, attributes his love for music to his Bawa upbringing. “My parents have always been a big influence on me. They pushed me to learn piano as a kid. Later, I picked up the guitar in college. That’s when my mum tried her hand at the sax, but found it too hard. So, suddenly, I had a new instrument at home with which I found a real connection!” says the Mumbai-based musician. Probed about what he loves most about the sax, Ryan outlines, “The fact that breathing into the instrument creates the sound is quite amazing. By itself, the sax can’t make any sound. So that connection between you and the sound of the horn is quite special…and spiritual, too.”

Ryan, who crossed over to the wedding sphere about five years ago, highlights the role his indie band, Something Relevant, had to play in the move. “The band was around for about 10 years and, initially, we’d write our own songs. We never played too many covers…so when we started getting wedding gigs, it was our chance to play not just our songs but also all the songs we loved and grew up with such as those by The Beatles, Stevie Wonder, MJ and Prince,” he explains. But even though he’s a much-sought-after musician, the 33-year-old’s upbringing has resulted in him being rather selective about the gigs he takes up. “I don’t perform at too many weddings in a season because I don’t enjoy playing Bollywood stuff — can’t relate! I do about two weddings a month, on average,” he states. But you’ll definitely want him to play Marvin Gaye’s Sexual Healing on your big day because it’s his favourite, “especially the Hot 8 Brass Band version that was used in the movie Chef (2014)”.

With big wedding performances lined up November onwards, Ryan sure has his hands full. But that doesn’t stop him from getting out and enjoying himself. “I love the outdoors and am a complete sports freak. Scuba diving, trekking, kayaking, running, tennis…you name it!” he signs off.