Gig review/ Namo Fusion - Indo-fusion

By Narendra Kusnur

Event: Namo Fusion promotional tour
Artistes: Dr Narayan Raman, Sarosh Izedyar and group
Genre: Indo-fusion
Details: The Stables, Andheri East, September 10
Rating: ****

The melodic Carnatic violin theme made way for an improvised keyboard stretch, before the snazzy guitar solo. Based on raag Saramati, the tune ‘Namo’ instantly had visitors at The Stables, Andheri East, tapping their feet.

‘Namo’ is the title track of the first studio album by the group Namo Fusion, the brainchild of violinist Dr Narayan Raman and guitarist Sarosh Izedyar. Though it has been available on digital streaming platforms from August 27, it was formally launched on September 10 by singer Shaan, who described the album as a “beautiful effort in bringing back musicality.” The event also flagged off the group’s promotional tour.

The presentation was compered by Dishti Thakker. The other musicians comprised keyboardist George Joseph, bassist Vaibhav Jadhav, saxophonist-clarinettist I.D. Rao and drummer Ramesh Krishnamurthy. Blending Indian melodies with western scales and ethnic world music arrangements, the sound was reminiscent of early Shakti and the works of violinist Dr L. Subramaniam and L. Shankar.

The title track was followed by ‘Freedom’, a piece in raag Karnaranjini dedicated to the armed forces, and the peppy ‘Happy Kalimba’, based on raag Mohanam. Though it appears later in the album, Namo Fusion next played ‘Departed Souls’, written as a homage to those who have left us. They concluded with the warmly-received ‘Relay Express’, which used the concept of a relay race as the musicians took turns rapidly before reaching a finale.

‘Namo (Reprise)’, a club version of the title track remixed by George Joseph, was then played on the venue’s system. The live performance had some impeccable coordination between the musicians, and there was enough space for the solos. The group was able to emit the froth required by ‘Happy Kalimba’ and showed a perfect sense of individual timing on ‘Relay Express’. One would have loved an encore of ‘Happy Kalimba’.

The album has been structured beautifully and has variety. While each piece has its own charm, a personal favourite is ‘Freedom’, which somewhat reminds me of the Shakti number ‘Face To Face’, though it has its own distinct charm. On Namo, Dr Raman plays a five-string Cantini Earphonic electric midi violin, and Izedyar uses a Gibson Les Paul Classic 1960 make.

During the presentations, one saw video messages by popular singer Shankar Mahadevan, who described Namo as an incredible album with depth and sensitivity, and Grammy-winning sound engineer Phil Nicolo, who has mastered it. “The performances are really inspired and the music sounds great,” he said.

Those present in the audience included tabla exponent Anuradha Pal, Carnatic singers P.H. Ramani and Sivaprasad, singers K.C. Loy and Aisha Sayed, and rock vocalist Tirthankar Poddar aka 2Blue.

The album has been recorded by Smitesh Joshi at Ear Drums Studio in Worli, and mixed by Tanay Gajjar at Wow & Flutter Studio, Andheri. Nicolo mastered it at Studio 4 Recording, Philadelphia.

A word about the venue. A stone’s throw away from the Airport Metro Station in Andheri East, The Stables at Hotel Peninsula Red Pine regularly hosts live rock performances. On September 27, be prepared for 2Blue’s tribute to AC/ DC and Guns N’ Roses.
The British group UB40 had its press conference there two years ago. The same complex houses Rodeo Drive, where a DJ plays hip-hop, dance music and the latest chartbusters. The Namo Fusion gig proved it can be an ideal place for jazz and fusion events too.