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Gig review/ 49 Strings

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  BY NARENDRA KUSNUR 49 Strings - An Indian String Quartet Artistes : Ambi Subramaniam, Mehtab Ali Niazi, Eklash Khan Langa, Dare Khan Manganiyar, Akshay Ananthapadmanabhan, Latif Khan Presented by ; Reliance Foundation  Details : NMACC Studio, March 8 Rating ; **** We've seen plenty of Hindustani and Carnatic jugalbandis, and also many folk-fusion concerts. Here was a unique blend of north and south Indian elements with Rajasthani folk. 49 Strings , held at the NMACC Studio on Sunday, was spearheaded by composer and violinist Ambi Subramaniam. who represented the Carnatic segments. There were four stringed instruments - the number of strings, we guess, added up to 49. Mehtab Ali Niazi played sitar in the Hindustani style, and there were desert-folk contributions by Eklash Khan Langa on sarangi and Dare Khan Manganiyar on kamaicha. The combination of three bowed pieces and one plucked instrument provided a charming mix. For the percussion, two double-headed drums were used -...
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Naren's indie round-up/ March 2026, Ep 1

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BY NARENDRA KUSNUR Antariksh/ Naaqis Language & genre: Hindi, rock Label: Self-released  Rating: **** Delhi band Antariksh teams up with Polish guitarist Jakub Zyteki and sarangi exponent Momin Khan on its new song 'Naaqis', part of its forthcoming album Rehguzar . The song blends progressive rock styles with Indian classical elements, provided through the sarangi. Lead vocalist and songwriter Varun Rajput sings, "Chaaron aur bas dhuan hi dhuan, reh na jaaye adhuri dastaan, oonchi lehren aur gehra dariya, kashti hamaari doobi jaaye re". While Shrikant Biswakarma and Varun do most of the guitar parts, Jakub comes up with a sizzling solo. The song talks of betrayal and disillusionment, along with the determination needed to move forward. Using AI, Ishita Singh's black n' white video depicts a boat in troubled waters. It's a classy production, both aurally and visually. Singing Saints / Jhini Re Jhini   Language & genre: Hindi (old), bhajan Produced...
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Gig review/ Rehnuma@Prithvi

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BY NARENDRA KUSNUR Various artistes/ Rehnuma  Genre : Indo-fusion Presented by : Prithvi Theatre  Details : Prithvi Theatre, February 28 Rating : **** ( Pics of Prithvi (top) and Lollapalooza shows taken by blogger) Exactly two years ago, Ustad Zakir Hussain performed at the annual Memorial Concert at the Prithvi Theatre, in remembrance of Jennifer Kapoor on her birthday. After homage was paid to the tabla maestro by his brothers Fazal and Taufiq Qureshi last year, another group of musicians came together on Saturday came together to carry forward his dream of promoting young Indian artistes. Led by Indus Creed's Zubin Balaporia on piano, Rehnuma featured the same musicians who had performed at the Lollapalooza multi-genre festival at Mahalaxmi Race Course on January 24 under the name Prithvi Theatre Presents. Though guitarist Rhythm Shaw couldn't join this time, the others contributed to the magic of the evening. The crowd comprised a mix of theatre personalities, musicians ...
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Hariharan/ Jaan Meri

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BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  Hariharan/ Jaan Meri Lyrics : Farhat Shahzad Genre : Ghazal Label : Sufiscore Rating : **** Having completed 50 years in the music industry, singer Hariharan is in the news for the launch of the book Ustad-e-Ghazal Hariharan , written by Anand Kakkar. He's also released his new album Jaan Meri , which features words by the brilliant Farhat Shahzad, known for writing Mehdi Hassan's record Kehna Usey. Hariharan's oice texture has naturally been suited to the ghazal, and there have been numerous articles on how he mastered Urdu diction, though he comes from a south Indian family with Carnatic music following. He maintains that supreme command over the medium, and the five songs of Jaan Meri are testament to the riyaaz he does. The album begins with some lighter songs before getting heavier in lyrical content. The title track uses saxophone, flute and sitar, and some vibrant arrangements as Hariharan sings, "Jaan meri ek nahin sau baar karke dekh lo, k...
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U2/ Days Of Ash (EP)

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BY NARENDRA KUSNUR U2/ Days Of Ash (EP) Genre : Rock Label : Island Records  Rating ; **** 1/2 It's been a while since Bono and his buddies created something new, the last set of original U2 songs coming in 2017's Songs Of Experience . It's been years since they wrote hard-hitting political songs - classics like 'Sunday Bloody Sunday, 'Bullet The Blue Sky' and 'Pride (In The Name Of Love)' hark back to the 1980s, and the Bosnian war-themed 'Miss Sarajevo' was out in 1995. So it came as a surprise that the Irish biggies chose Ash Wednesday, February 18, to pop out their new six-song EP Days Of Ash without any advance notification. Even more significant, the songs mean serious protest, whether they talk of the Trump administration, the invasion of Ukraine or tragedies in Iran. Of course, it's important to know the context of the songs for better appreciation. The EP comes three weeks after born-in-the-USA hero Bruce Springsteen released ...
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Naren's indie round-up/ Feb 2026, Ep.2

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BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  Isheeta Chakrvarty / Naina Taras Gaye Language & genre: Hindi/ UP dialect, love song Label: Self-released  Rating: **** In 2020, vocalist Isheeta Chakrvarty had collaborated with Anhad + Tanner on the song 'Naina', from their album In Other Words . The singer now recreates the song as 'Naina Taras Gaye', with a fresh arrangement and extra verse, shooting the video as a live recording. The song uses the thumri format with contemporary instrumentation comprising Ria Modak's guitar, Harmeet Manseta's keyboards and Ishan Jadwani's drums. The subject is longing and desire, with Isheeta and Ginny Dewan writing the fresh words. The main lines are, "Naina taras gaye morey, piya ki suratiya dikhe na". Isheeta's voice complements the melody beautifully, and the subtle arrangements are just right to bring out the song's emotion. Tanuj Manchanda/ Ishq Soch Ke Language & genre: Punjabi, sad romantic song Label: Self-releas...
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Gig 'review'/ John Mayer

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  BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  John Mayer/ Solo, Live in Mumbai Genre : Pop-rock/ singer-songwriter  Presented by : BookMyShow Live  Details : Mahalaxmi Race Course, February 11 Rating : Jenny *****/ Jiggy *** On February 12, still nursing their feet after the endless walk at the Mahalaxmi Race Course the previous evening, Jenny and Jiggy got into their next argument. Both had contrasting views on the John Mayer concert, and their interaction could make for some interesting battle studies. Let's hear them. Jenny : Wooow, what a show!! John Mayer is so good-looking. Have never seen anyone hold a guitar like that. And his voice !!! Ooohh!! Mwahhh!!! Jiggy : Are you crazy? I've seen all those rave reviews you and your friends have splashed all over Facebook. What rubbish. I'm not saying he was bad or anything. Actually, he was fabulous as a musician. No doubt about that. But I've seen far better shows. Roger Waters. Scorpions. Sting. Michael Jackson. Jenny : You're just showin...
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