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BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  Showcase/ Soundscapes of India Season 3 Genre : Multiple  Details : Dr Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi, August 29-31 Presenters : Indian Performing Right Society (IPRS) with curation by MusiConnect India in collaboration with Ministry of Culture  Pictures (top to bottom): Dobom Doji Collective, Harini Iyer of Tamil Jazz Collective, Ngartini Huang of Indonesia, the line-up  There were the known names, and there were the unfamiliar ones. There was rock from Ladakh, abhangs from Maharashtra, Carnatic encounters with jazz, tribal stories from Nagaland, heady folk-fusion sounds from different corners of India. Soundscapes of India Season 3, held in New Delhi's Dr Ambedkar International Centre from August 29 to 31, was largely used as a means to showcase talent from across India. While the live performances took place at night, the days were filled with interesting panel discussions, intense workshops and pitching sessions, where artistes inter...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  Music conference/ All About Music X Presented by : TM Management with help from thumpN Details : Grand Hyatt, Santa Cruz, August 25 to 27 The much-awaited All About Music conference had its 10th edition at the Grand Hyatt, Santa Cruz, from August 25 to 27. Over the years, it has been an important part of the industry calendar, providing insights on the state of affairs and a platform for networking. Months of planning and hard work obviously go behind its execution.  Yet, it's always had its limitations because too much is happening simultaneously. Like every year, there were panel discussions, conversations and artiste pitches in the three ballrooms, workshops and how-to-do-it sessions in another corner, performances somewhere else and the popular 'Connect Corner' in an another spot. Not to talk of a sizeable bunch who didn't attend any of them, preferring to make fresh contacts in the main lounge. Many of the sessions this year dropped the term ...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  Greg Banaszak Trio Genre : Jazz  Details : Experimental Theatre, August 22 Rating: **** 1/2 Joe Alvares with Gino Banks & Friends Genre : Vocal jazz Details : Prithvi Theatre, August 23 Rating : **** Two venues hosting jazz concerts in Mumbai had contrasting types of audiences over the weekend. Senior citizens were prominent at the Experimental Theatre, NCPA, where saxophonist Greg Banaszak played with his trio on Saturday evening. The following morning, a sizeable number of youngsters were seen at the Prithvi Theatre, where veteran singer Joe Alvares performed with musicians much younger than him. On the one hand, it was a good sign to indicate that jazz appeals to different generations, at least in Mumbai. Both the shows were dominated by standards and older jazz tunes, with a few originals thrown in. But what one observed is a marked difference in the way the audience responded. The older crowd at the Experimental applauded spontaneously after every ...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  Ronojit Bhuyan & Giacomo Tora/ Resonances Genre : Western classical piano Details : The Cube, NMACC, August 20 Rating : **** Pianists Ronojit Bhuyan and Giacomo Tora (on left in picture) met while studying at London's Trinity Labon Conservatory of Music & Dance. After becoming friends, they decided to form a musical partnership. One thing led to another, and on Thursday, they performed several pieces individually before coming together on a fresh arrangement involving four hands. The show was called Resonances and the venue was the Cube theatre of the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre, Mumbai. The repertoire comprised a good mix of baroque music, Romantic Era pieces, a waltz and French impressionist compositions. And the audience was in for a surprise when Giacomo played a piano version of Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy's Hindi film song 'Kal Ho Naa Ho'. And for the four-hand finale، the young Italian pianist had composed a piano arrangement of A.R. Ra...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR   Farak/ Taare Language & genre: Hindi, Sufi-pop Label: Mashooriya, Mass Appeal Rating: *** 1/2 Lucknow-based artiste Farak is out with his three-song EP Duniya Ke Uss Paar.  His sound uses many traditional elements including qawwali, but he also displays flavours of hip-hop and desi rap. 'Taare' is the video song from the EP. It begins, "Hamara thokro se kuch purana khaas naata, hai jisne ishq hi dekha na, woh rab ka dulara hai". There's a brief poetry interlude, and Saswat Balan provides backing vocals. 10A's production uses harmonium effectively, and there are sounds of clapping and applause to give a live effect. The video, by Sahil Akhtar, uses a simple narrative, with Rupali Mishra as the female lead. It's an average video but the tune's hook and lilt make up. Anvaya/ Churaya  Language & genre: Hindi, electronic dance Label: Indo Warehouse  Rating: *** 1/2 DJ-producer duo Anvaya comprises US-bred Kaushal and Sonia, who ...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR Morgan Freeman's Symphonic Blues Experience / Various artistes Genre ; Blues Label : Ground Zero Blues Club Media/ Universal Music  Rating : ***** Though he's primarily known as an actor, Morgan Freeman is also recognised for his passion for the blues. In 2001, he started the Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarksdale, Mississippi, and in his latest project, he brings together some stellar artistes from the genre to present blues anthems with a symphonic touch. As a performer, Freeman hardly appears in Morgan Freeman's Symphonic Blues Experience , a 12-track album running into a brisk 43 minutes. He recites a short introduction to the history and role of the blues in the opening track 'Dark Was The Night, Cold Was The Ground' before singer Keith Johnson takes over. Then on, we hear a wonderful line-up of artistes, with accompaniment by the Ground Zero Blues Club Band and the Chineke! Orchestra conducted by Martin Gellner. In the Indian context, wh...