Shridevi Keshavan

Quincy Jones is her godparent and she has been on the wish-list of some of the top musicians including Michael Jackson and Billy Joel. Patti Austin who will be in town to perform with jazz legends Earl Klugh and Bob James for Vh1 Jazz Masters, is excited to be in the city and pledges to not leave the country without seeing the Taj Mahal.

“I wouldn’t miss it for anything,” she smiles. Her other Indian fascination includes Pt Ravi Shankar. “In the 60s he was really big and I have heard him play a couple of times.” This 57-year-old Grammy-nominated singer is now trying to restore the old style of singing and teaching young musicians to mould it into their style. “It’s the 20s and 40s style which was very powerful,” she says. What are her comments on the influence of drugs on young musicians?

“Youth is about exploration. However the young musicians today are like bacteria under a magnifying glass. Most of these kids, such as Britney Spears, come from weak families where the parents want their kids to be stars and think about nothing else,” she explains, adding that for her there was always Quincy and her biological parents to keep her grounded.

Patti readily admits having seen the best and worst of showbiz — and having learnt from it. “When you have hit record, there are people in stores asking you to pick up whatever you like and not be bothered about anything else. But when you don’t have a hit record, no one ever tells you anything,” she reflects. After losing oodles of weight, Patti is ready to take on the world.

“The doctor said my obesity could cause a stroke. Now I feel like a 30-year-old and also wise,” she laughs. She can probably write a whole book of anecdotes of working with the greatest musicians of all time. She briefly recounts her experiences with her two best friends in the music industry. “Michael Jackson is very professional and he always comes more prepared than you’d think to the studio for recordings. Paul Simon, on the other hand, tortures you.

Literally. But when you listen to the final track you feel everything was worth it,” she smiles.