Gig review/ The Klaus Graf Special Quartet




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 first visit. Mumbai was the last leg of their itinerary, and it was Graf's second time at the NCPA.

The 90-minute show began with 'Azule Serape', written by Victor Feldman and performed in 1960 by the Cannonball Adderley-Nat Adderley Quintet. Another Adderley piece 'I'll Remember April' was played later in the first half. The other known number was Duke Ellington's 'It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)'.

The familiar fare was interspersed with Graf's own compositions like 'Moving On' and the waltzy 'Changes In Life' - the latter appearing along with 'Mysore Suite' on his Live In India album recorded in early 2020. 

All through, the musicians displayed perfect understanding. Graf's playing had the right blend of technical finesse and touch artistry improvisation, and pianist Wagner played the ivories majestically, aided by the tight rhythm section.

The show was a precursor to the NCPA International Jazz Festival 2022, to be held from November 25 to 27. The line-up includes the Mingus Big Band, pianist Monty Alexander and the Thilo Wolf Jazz Quartet. That should be a fantastic experience.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Gig review/ Deep Purple in Bengaluru

Image
BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  Deep Purple at Bandland  Genre : Rock Details : Bandland rock festival, Embassy International Riding School, Bengaluru, December 17 Organisers : BookMyShow Live  Rating : **** 1/2 We all came out to Bandland, on a Bengaluru riding ground, to shoot videos on a mobile, yeah, capture the classic rock sound. Ian Gillan and the Purples, were at the best place around, space-truckin' on a black night, we danced on dusty ground.. singing, Smoke On The Water, drones in the sky, Smoke On The Water... taan taan taan, taan taan tadaan, taan taan tadaan, taan taan... Three days after British rockers Deep Purple enchanted the crowd at the Bandland rock festival in Bengaluru, the gooseflesh lingers like the whiff of cologne. For many, they have been college heroes, cocktail companions, the kings of melodic power, the epitome of hard rock. Older-generation fans or youngsters, they knew many of these songs by heart. Every word, every instrumental passage, every back-up vocal lin
Read more

Gig review/ Sting @ Lollapalooza

Image
BY NARENDRA KUSNUR   Sting @   Lollapalooza   Genre : Rock/ pop-rock Details : Mahalakshmi Race Course, Mumbai, January 28 Rating : **** You'll forget the sun in its jealous sky, as we walk on fields of gold... The sun had set a long ago, and the walk had been tiring and endless. But everything changed around 8.20 pm when Gordon Sumner aka Sting marched on to the Budweiser stage with a message in a bottle. For the next 85 minutes, every little thing the Englishman in Mumbai did was magic. The green carpet in front of the stage had been converted into fields of gold. The hardcore Sting fans should get those puns, and there were plenty of them who watched his concluding act at the two-day Lollapalooza music festival at the Mahalakshmi Race Course, Mumbai, on Sunday. Some had attended his shows abroad, some were seeing him for the first time, and others had been present at Mumbai's Rang Bhavan in 1980, when he played with his band The Police, or at the Amnesty International festiv
Read more

Gig review/ The Arinjoy Trio, Rudy & The Kool Kats

Image
Pics: Rudy & The Kool Kats (above), Arinjoy Sarkar and (below article) poster for John Blue Ensemble  BY NARENDRA KUSNUR The Arinjoy Trio (June 7)/ Rudy & The Kool Kats (June 8) Venue: The Studio, Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre, BKC Genre: Blues Rating: **** (both shows) With names like Rudy Wallang and Arinjoy Sarkar on the roster, audiences were certain they would get to hear the best blues from India. While Kolkata-based The Arinjoy Trio performed at the NMACC Studio on June 7, Rudy played with his new Shillong band Rudy & The Kool Kats the following day. Needless to say, both days provided a treat. Unlike the extra-popular Mahindra Blues Festival, sprawled across different sections of Bandra's Mehboob Studio, or the chatter-laced blues gigs one visits at clubs, these were purely sit-down affairs. There was no alcohol - unless one tanked up in advance or smuggled in a hip-flask. Moreover, the shows were bang in the middle of the week, on Wednesday and Thursday. T
Read more