narenmusic

By Narendra Kusnur Show 1: Jazz Goes To Broadway Artiste: Rajeev Raja and Band Genre: Jazz Details: Tata Theatre, Nariman Point, Mumbai. Old concert streaming Rating: **** Show 2: World Jazz Festival Artiste:  Koh Mr Saxman and Takeshi Band Genre: Jazz Details: St Andrew's Auditorium, Bandra, Mumbai. Old concert streaming Rating: *** 1/2 With live concert events nowhere in sight, one is spending the lockdown appreciating performances given from home or watching recordings of older auditorium shows. For jazz aficionados, the past weekend provided a treat as two concerts were shown. On Saturday evening, the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) streamed the show Jazz Goes To Broadway, led by flautist Rajeev Raja (in picture) at the Tata Theatre, Nariman Point, in May last year. The concert will be available on the NCPA YouTube page till this Friday. Then, on Sunday, Banyan Tree aired the concert of Thailand’s Koh Mr Saxman and The Takeshi Group, which per

By Narendra Kusnur Album: Homegrown Artiste: Neil Young Genre: Folk/ country-rock Label: Reprise Records Rating: *** 1/2 Canadian star Neil Young’s ‘latest’ album ‘Homegrown’ comes 45 years after its songs were recorded. Strangely, he chose to launch it on the same day that Bob Dylan's much-awaited ‘Rough And Rowdy Ways’ arrived. Whether that was a wise decision or not, time will tell. On its own, ‘Homegrown’ has a folk-country-rock sound that was very typical of Young in some of his earlier albums. There are shades of ‘Harvest’, ‘Old Ways’, ‘Comes A Time’ and ‘Harvest Moon’, though on a couple of track, he pumps up the sound like he did with his backing band Crazy Horse. What's, however, missing is that stand-out song that lingers in your head. The album was written at a time when he was having differences with his partner, actress Carrie Snodgress. “I won't apologise, the light shone in through your eyes,” he sings on the opening ‘Separate Ways’, continuin

By Narendra Kusnur Album: Rough And Rowdy Ways Artiste: Bob Dylan Genre: Singer-songwriter/ folk-rock Label: Columbia Records/ Sony Rating: ***** That ancient voice sounds just that shade rougher and gruffier, like the outcome of a thousand whisky-laced cigars. Bob Dylan’s fans had a heady taste of it with the surprise release of three songs, which helped fight the lockdown blues. Finally, the most awaited album in recent memory is out. With a title inspired by a Jimmie Rodgers country song, 'Rough And Rowdy Ways' fulfils expectations in every manner possible. Throughout, the lyrics are filled with surprises, mentioning historical events, paying tribute to greats, taking a jibe at the good, bad and not-so-ugly, or just enjoying themselves in reason and rhyme. The first album of original songs after Dylan won the controversial Nobel Prize For Literature in 2016, 'Rough And Rowdy Ways' sounds every minute like a philosopher's essay. “Mother of Muses