narenmusic

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR Hariharan with Various Artistes/ Badhai Ho Label: Sufiscore  Rating: *** 1/2 This is one of those 'multi-artiste' songs themed around Diwali. Conceptualised and composed by singer Hariharan, it uses Vivek Sinha's lines, "Badhai ho, khushiyan manaane ka din hai, zameen pe sitare ke aane ka din hai" to convey a celebratory message. Hariharan is joined by singers Papon, Priyanka Barve, Madhubanti Bagchi, Hansika Pareek and Chandreyee, with Gaurav Vaswani producing the song. Sitar player Purbayan Chatterjee, violinist Deepak Pandit, flautist Paras Nath and percussionist Prashant Sonagra add to the teamwork. Though the main line sticks to you and the singing is consistently fabulous, the song is a bit long at nearly nine minutes, stretching towards the end. Arggha Banerjee's video, Rohit Sonagra's choreography and the classical dance troupe add value. Nihira Joshi-Deshpande/ Trishna Antarman Ki  Label: Self-released  Rating: **** Singer Nihir...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  Buddy Guy/ The Blues Don't Lie Genre: Blues Label: RCA Records/ Sony Music Rating: ***** Having played in Mumbai five times, American blues legend Buddy Guy has built up his own fan base in the country. Though his set lists haven't varied much, his sheer guitaring skills and showmanship have repeatedly proved why he's such a delight to watch. At 86, the maestro is not only active on the live circuit, but extremely skilful when it comes to creating fresh studio content. His latest album The Blues Don't Lie is as good as any from his illustrious six-decade-plus discography. Produced by Tom Hambridge, who's also written many of the songs with Gary Nicholson, it's a thrilling Chicago blues ride. The songs range from the autobiographical and nostalgic to message-oriented tunes or songs that just describe the beauty of the blues. There are many crisp polka-dotted Fender Stratocaster solos, as expected, but what's impressive is his singing, whi...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  Leslee Lewis/ Tere Bina Love Label: Self-released Rating: *** 1/2 Singer-composer Leslee Lewis has had an illustrious career in Indian pop, and is best known as one half of the Colonial Cousins, his partnership  with Hariharan. He's now out with his solo The White Album,  a title one would associate with the Beatlles. The video song 'Tere Bina Love' is blends English and Hindi lyrics, and has a jazz and pop flavour, with some scatting too. The lines, "Tere bina love, don't mean a thing, tere bina love, and I don't wanna sing, tujhko mera dil chaahe, main kya karoon" are trademark Leslee. The video, showing a live performances for visitors at an open-air restaurant, has been themed in white. Musicians and guests dresses in white, white guitar, white doors etc. It goes with the album title and the song's vibe. Shalmali Kholgade/ Chills Label: Self-released in association with Believe Rating: *** 1/2 Here's a trendy, uptempo track...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR Taufiq Qureshi with Surya/ Converging Streams Genre: Fusion/ world music Details: Tata Theatre NCPA, October 15 Rating: **** Over different line-ups over the years, percussionist Taufiq Qureshi's group Surya has blended diverse genres like Indan classical and folk with jazz and world music. Naturally, there has been a fresh surprise in every performance. Their show at the Tata Theatre, NCPA, on October 15 was titled Converging Streams. Joining Taufiq 'were his son Shikhar Naad Qureshi on drums and assorted percussion, Sarang Kulkarni on sarod and its electric adaptation Z Rod, and the young Kaushiki Joglekar on keyboards and harmonium. Over two hours, Surya played a very eclectic set filled with creative bursts and virtuosity. From a purely classical composition in raag Kirwani to an energetic duet between father and son on the African percussion instrument djembe, there was a wide array. Taufiq is known to have adapted the djembe to the rhythmic composition...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR Various Artistes/ Aakasha Genre: New age, meditative  Label: Soul Diviners, Resensitize Records Rating: **** The words 'diverse', 'structured' and 'serenity' come to mind after listening to the 11 tracks of Aakasha , the joint work of four producers - Monika Ryan, Siddhant Bhatia, Keerthy Narayanan and Mia Moravis. Take the basic sound, to begin with. It's a blend of new age, ambient, chant-based and meditative music, which just flow seamlessly between one and other. Then, there are the words. English lyrics, Sanskrit chants and motivational Hindi lines are all heard in the wider sonic palette. Even the style of instruments varies, relying on keyboards and strings on some tracks, and getting into Pravin Godkhindi's bansuri, U. Rajesh's mandolin and Adnan Khan's sitar on others. Much of the album talks of the search for inner peace and quest for truth, leading to joy and happiness. It is only natural that it begins with the Gaya...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  Alam Khan/ Akash (Ether) Pt. 1 Label: Snakes X Ladders Rating: **** The son of sarod legend Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, Alam Khan takes the instrument to a contemporary, new age space on his new album Mantram . The video of the opening track 'Akash (Ether) Pt. 1' features a boy with dreams, and has been captured beautifully in black n' white by Avani Rai. The tune begins with a melodic sarod phrase, after which broken beat drum loops join the background. There's a shade of late 1990s Talvin Singh and Nitin Sawhney, but the use of sarod lends its own identity. The album follows a concept, with tracks inspired by ether, wind, fire, water and earth. It's very new age, yet meditative. Isheeta Chakrvarty/ Ek Sutra - Celebration  Label: Self-released  Rating: *** 1/2 Keyboards, bass and acoustic guitar blend with mridangam, shakers and manjeera bells on 'Celebration', singer Isheeta Chakrvarty's adaptation of the popular Marathi abhang 'Bola...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  The Klaus Graf Special Quartet Genre; Jazz Details: Experimental Theatre, NCPA, October 6 Rating: **** Back after the break, the Klaus Graf Special Quartet played a tune that most people recognised but only the connoisseurs identified. "I had told the band members this one would work here," said Graf, bandleader and alto saxophonist. He was referring to 'Moanin', composed by Bobby Timmons and made famous by Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers  The piece was one of the many highlights of the German band's show at the Experimental Theatre, NCPA, on October 6. Over 90 minutes, they played a good mix of popular compositions and originals, ending with a three-part suite which Graf had written as a tribute to the city of Mysore, inspired by an earlier visit. The encore was an original called 'True Blues'. Graf and drummer Meinhard Obi Jenne were touring India the third time, whereas pianist Thilo Wagner and bassist Veit Hubner were on their...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR Tune Up Channel/ A Letter Label: Self-released Rating: **** Tune Up Channel is a synth pop-rock band from Nagaland. Though it's been around since 2015 and has a devoted following in the north-east, many in the rest of India haven't really been exposed to it. Fronted by Sunep A Jamir, their new song 'A Letter' is about looking for lost love. A mock TV news bulletin recalls the sinking of the Titanic, and the story of Jack and Rose. The video has a period look with old-fashioned suits and ancient telephone instruments, with a man plonking away on a typewriter. The lines "I'll send you a letter" has a catchy ring. A guitar solo by Temjen Lentur ĺs marvellously played. The best thing is that the tune sticks to you. Arrows feat. Tejas/ Wish You The Best Label: Self-released  Rating: *** The brainchild of indie composer and music journalist David Britto, Arrows involves collaborations with other artistes. The latest one 'Wish You The Best...