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Concert : Weaving Voices at Mahindra Roots Festival  Directed by: Roysten Abel Details : Bal Gandharva Rang Mandir Bandra, February 24 Rating : *** 1/2 (Pre-joinder : Don't just skip past the images - mull over them in the context of the article) As one entered Bandra's Bal Gandharva Rang Mandir on Friday evening, one wasn't really sure what lay in store. All we knew was that it was a thematic concert called Weaving Voices, directed by Roysten Abel, known for blending music with theatre and storytelling. We also knew it would feature Carnatic vocalist Bombay Jayashri, dhrupad maestro Uday Bhawalkar and six other musicians. It was the opening night of the three-day Mahindra Roots Festival, spread over three diverse venues. From the title, we guessed the show might probably bring together different voices and instruments, but had no idea what the format or structure would be. In some ways, our feelings while entering the auditorium were like the image above - hazy and shaky,

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR Shally Rehal feat. Kultargotbounce/ Step Label: Snakes X Ladders Rating: *** Indo-Canadian singer Shally Rehal uses rhythm n' blues and hip-hop elements in his Punjabi songs. On his latest song 'Step', he collaborates with producer Kultargotbounce once again. The song is melodic and catchy, keeping in current trends in Punjabi music where musicians are going in for heartfelt stuff instead of sheer energy. The highlight is Naview's video which moves from a 1970s disco-funk look to early 2000s club vibe. With doses of humour and its retro feel, it draws attention. Prithviraj Singh/ Mahiyaan Label: Self-released  Rating: **** This is one of the best Hindi love songs released over the past few months. 'Mahiyaan', by Indore-based singer-songwriter Prithviraj Singh, charms with its pleasant tune, simple lyrics and marvellous arrangements. The song begins, "Mere bina tu nahin, tere bina main nahin, tere bina zindagi, kuch nahin, kuch nahin"

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  The Arinjoy Trio/ The Arinjoy Trio Format : Vinyl record Label : Free School Street Records/ rights reserved by the artiste Price : Rs 2,400 (import) Rating : **** A few days before the Mahindra Blues Festival (MBF) was held at Bandra's Mehboob Studio on February 11 and 12, Kolkata-based Arinjoy Sarkar had said, "It's an honour to be on the same flyer as legends Buddy Guy and Taj Mahal, who are my idols". Of course, things didn't end there as he stole hearts over various appearances on the two days. The band The Arinjoy Trio, with Arinjoy on vocals and guitar, Aakash Ganguly on bass and Sounak Roy on drums, opened the proceedings with a tight 45-minute set that one wished had lasted longer. The following day, the outstanding young star Christone 'Kingfish' Ingram invited Arinjoy to join him on his 'That's What You Do'. In some memorable moments, the American gave the Indian musician plenty of time and space on a solo, after

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  Hariharan & Bikram Ghosh/ Qawwali Label: Eternal Sounds Rating: ** 1/2 When two super-brilliant artistes like singer Hariharan and composer-tabla maestro Bickram Ghosh get together, expectations are high. After all, the duo had collaborated two years ago on the wonderful EP Ishq - Songs Of Love, which had the excellent tracks 'Naina' and 'Radha'. Sadly, 'Qawwali' from their new release Manmarzee is a pedestrian affair. The biggest put-off is the lyrical content by Rajiv Pandey and Sutapa Basu, as Hariharan begins, "Nasha teri baali, nasha tera jhumka, nasheeli hai nazarein, nasha tera thumka". Even the basic tune is just a rehash of filmi qawwalis one has heard in the 1970s. Just adding a chorus line, handclaps and energetic arrangements doesn't make a great qawwali. If it works, it will be because of the names.  Manali Chaturvedi / Haal Poochh Le Label: Viral Music Rating: *** Singer Manali Chaturvedi has earlier appeared

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR Event : Mahindra Blues Festival 2023 Artistes ; Buddy Guy, Taj Mahal, Christone 'Kingfish' Ingram, Ivan Singh, The Arinjoy Trio Genre : Blues Details : Mehboob Studio, Bandra, Mumbai, February 11 and 12 Rating : *** 1/2 At the packed Mahindra Blues Festival, or MBF, one spots different kinds of people. There was this safed kapdon waali memsaab who kept swaying like Zeenat Aman in the Yaadon Ki Baraat song 'Aapke Kamre Mein', even while bluesman Christone 'Kingfish' Ingram sang hard-hitting, message-driven lines. There was this elderly gentleman in the barside lounge, who kept announcing "The old man is good", in reference to the legendary Buddy Guy. There were these hardcore fans of traditional blues, who found it awkward when Argentine musician Ivan Singh covered acts like the Rolling Stones, Santana and... hold your bluesy breath... Michael Jackson. The same folks happily clicked selfies with him, and plastered them on their social

  BY NARENDRA KUSNUR Show : Harmonies In Time Artistes : Trilok Gurtu with the Castle In Time Orchestra & Chandana Bala Kalyan Genre : World music Details : Tata Theatre, Mumbai, February 9 Rating : **** Whenever one attends a Trilok Gurtu concert, one is guaranteed of a surprise. We've seen the ace drummer often in the 1990s and early 2000s, at the Rang Bhavan, Oberoi or Shanmukhananda Hall, playing with tabla maestro Zakir Hussain, mandolin wizard U. Srinivas or German bassist Kai Eckhardt, or doing a solo set. Even his YouTube videos with guitarist John McLaughlin, keyboardist Joe Zawinul or violinist L. Shankar have been par excellence. On Thursday night, we were lucky again. Mumbai-bred, Hamburg-settled Trilok teamed up with the Israel-based Castle In Time Orchestra to perform compositions that covered time spans from the historic to the contemporary, and global regions from India to Africa and Europe. The two have collaborated earlier in Jerusalem in 2017, but there were

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR Burrah & Jasneet Royal/ Udja Label: Coke Studio Bharat/ Universal Rating: ** The much-hyped Coke Studio Bharat song 'Udja' is all about two singers and a few others trying to do different things and yet find a common path. The end result is as confusing as a biology question sheet in an accountancy exam. Burrah sings Punjabi in a firang accent, and Jasleen Royal suddenly comes up with a line, "Tuiyyan tuiyyan badaliyaan chatati jaati re". A keyboardist dances, dhol players show off colourful costumes and drums and three back-up singing ladies raise their hands like Abida Parveen. The only thing that sticks in this composition by OAFF and Savera is the main line "Udja re manwa udja". Maybe they should have just taken that line and played it on loop with a techno effect thrown in.  The makers claim this is one of 10 'memorable' songs due in the series. Good to know songs become memorable before release. They also talk of celebra

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  Gaurav Bangia/ Chal Pada... Label: Self-released  Rating: ***** This is one of the most moving tribute songs one could hear. In 'Chal Pada...' , Gaurav Bangia pays homage to playback singer KK, who passed away on May 31 last year. Gaurav's timbre and intonation do complete justice, and Rahul B. Seth's lines are apt. "Chal pada naya safar pe, saaz ki har lehar pe, ghul ke yoon fizaaon mein beh chala" and "Main milta hi rahoonga yaad banke aapse", he writes. Pawan Rasaili's guitar solo adds to the vibe. Ajinkya Deshmukh's video blends Gaurav's shots with images of KK. It's the kind of song that could make you shed a nostalgic tear - it did that to me. Gayatri Asokan & Amarabha Bannerjee/ Girte Hue Boondon Label: Self-released  Rating: **** Vocalist Gayatri Asokan gets together with singer-lyricist Amarabha Bannerjee and sitar exponent Purbayan Chatterjee on 'Girte Hue Boondon', a song which blends a pleas