narenmusic

  BY NARENDRA KUSNUR Ilaiyaraaja/ Valiant: Symphony No 1 Genre: Western classical Performed by: Royal Scottish National Orchestra conducted by Mikel Toms  Label: Mercuri Foundation  Rating: ***** Let's face it. The majority of Ilaiyaraaja's fans have grown up on his south Indian film music. From Annakili to Ajantha , Geethanjali to Gunaa , the favourites have been in Tamil, Telugu and at times Malayalam and Kannada. In that field, he's been king, and his Hindi work, though lesser in quantity, has been appreciated too. He's often shown influences of western classical music in his film scores, like Salil Choudhury had done a generation earlier in Hindi and Bengali music. But to write a full-fledged symphony requires a completely different approach, mental sinew and skill-set. Even for a listener, it needs a completely different mindset, understanding and taste, and it wouldn't be surprising if a large number of his fans have never heard an actual symphony before. Wi...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR Divyam Sodhi feat. Anirudh Varma Collective/ Aas Language & genre: Hindi, semi-classical Label: Self-released  Rating: **** In this dream collaboration, the immensely talented vocalist Divyam Sodhi teams up with the brilliant Delhi-based Anirudh Varma Collective (AVC). On 'Aas', Divyam is accompanied by Anirudh Varma's keyboards, Rohan Prasanna's sarod and Ishan Sharma's tabla as he sings, "Kaise main jaane doon, piya tohe aaj, nainon ki tu hi hai aas". The song talks about longing and has a semi-classical feel. It has also been performed with the label first.wav by Divyam with Khwaab and Aaghaz. The video has an intimate drawing room setting. There's a picture of the late Kavya Singh, vocalist with AVC. This is an apt tribute - Divyam, Kavya and AVC had earlier performed together on the melodious 'Mausam'. Aanchal Srivastava & Swarupa Ananth/ Charkha Language & genre: Punjabi, Sufi-folk Label: Self-released  Rati...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR An Evening With Perfect Strangers Genre : Indie/ rock-fusion Details ; NMACC Cube, May 24 Rating : **** With Bengaluru band Perfect Strangers, one can never tell when jazz blends with rock, and funk mingles with pop. The music seamlessly moves from one style to another, as two vocalists are accompanied by electric guitar, keyboards, saxophone, bass and a hyperactive set of drums. In a departure from their regular practice of playing to a talkative standing crowd at alcohol-drenched nightclubs, they performed for a disciplined and focussed sit-down bunch at the NMACC Cube on Sunday. And they seemed to enjoy every bit of the 90-minute set.  Vocalists Ananya Raja and Pranav DM coordinated perfectly, with the former having more of the singing share. The group's founder, guitarist Debjeet Basu, played some smooth solos, and keyboardists Joshua Costa and saxophonist Pranay Gulvady chipped in with neat inputs. Bassist Vishal Varier and drummer Preran Gulvady firmed up t...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  Karsh Kale/ Dust Genre: Indie/ Asian massive  Label: Six Degrees Records/ Mighty Junn Rating: **** Tablas gallop around like horses, birds chirp in the distance, alaaps saunter in and out, synthesisers transport you to another space, sitars and bansuris dazzle with melody, and words mention mazes, battles and dust. With its blend of traditional and modern, acoustic and electric, Indian and western, Karsh Kale's music has always been adventurous and eclectic. His latest album Dust is no exception, as it takes you on a sonic journey that defies boundaries and challenges norms. Though the Indian-American tabla player, percussionist, composer, producer and singer released a few EPs in the interim, Dust is his first full-length album In a decade, after the 2016 collection Up . Significantly, he does most lead vocals himself, singing in English to provide a global appeal, besides playing piano, synths and bass, besides his regular tabla and drums. He's got a gr...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR Daraaz/ Insaan Language & genre: Hindi, rock Label: Self-released  Rating: *** 1/2 Hyderabad band Daraaz is out with its single 'Insaan', which talks of inner struggles and the hope for a better world. Soundwise, it has a concert-friendly Hindi-rock vibe, with some smooth guitar lines. The song's lyrics stand out. The chorus is, "Marti nahin hai soch, insaan marta hai, aag mein jalke woh sapne bunta hai". One of the verses has the words, "Zindagi hai karvaan, hum kirdaar hai yahaan, hausley ne di panaah, har koshish ko salaam". Aarindam D. Tripathy and the rest of the group maintain tightness, using a supple rhythm section. The chorus has the sing-along factor. Harsh Karmakar & Apurva Kedia/ Zindagi Language & genre: Hindi, pop Label: Self-released  Rating: *** Producer-pianist-singer Harsh Karmakar and Singer-lyricist Apurva Kedia showcased their new song 'Zindagi' at an event at Mumbai's 3 Art House last month...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  Aditya Modak/ Remembering DV Genre : Hindustani classical  Details : NMACC Cube, May 9 Rating : **** It was a busy Saturday in Mumbai, with Carnatic maestro T.M..Krishna performing at the J.W. Marriott, guitarist Neil Mukherjee at Two Extra Lives, Bandra, and blues-rock guitarist Warren Mendonsa's Blackstratblues scheduled at G5A. I opted for young Gwalior gharana vocalist Aditya Modak's show at the NMACC Cube theatre simply for nostalgic reasons. Aditya, who is also known for his lead role in Chaitanya Tamhane's Marathi film The Disciple , was launching the Remembering DV shows in memory of the legendary Dattatreya Vishnu Paluskar. As such, his repertoire would take listeners back in time, and also provide some rare gems. The son of icon Pt Vishnu Digambar Paluskar,  'DV' passed away in 1955 from an illness when he was only 34. He had numerous recordings in khayal and bhajans, besides being known for 'Aaj Gaawat Man Mero', his duet wit...