Gig review/ Mahindra Blues Festival 2023

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 media pages. And there were people who listened seriously on both days, patiently appreciating the sit-down act of Taj Mahal, or going wow when Kolkata lad Arinjoy Sarkar played a singing guitar riff.

Now in its 11th year, and coming back after three years owing to the Pandemic, the festival at Bandra's Mehboob Studio has it own charm, its own vibe. While an act played at one of the two stages - the Polka Dot Parlour and the Soulstrat Saloon - there were activities going on simultaneously in the Garden Stage area, the food court, the bar enclosure and at vinyl and merchandise stalls. And even for those not physically present, photographs and video clips were immediately available on WhatsApp.

So much happens over such a festival spread over four hours on both days that it's difficult for anyone to capture every single moment. From whatever this blogger experienced, these are some of the bullet points. We begin with Day 2 and then go back to the opening evening.

Slippin Out: Buddy Guy has been a regular in Mumbai since 2005, when he performed at the Jamshed Bhabha Auditorium. He then came for the One Tree Festival at the MMRDA Grounds in BKC, and then became a regular at MBF, this being his fifth appearance at this festival. It is also his last performance in Mumbai, as it kicked off his Damn Right Farewell Tour. After an illustrious career, the 86-year-old has decided to retire from touring.

At his Mumbai shows, Buddy's set hasn't changed much. We've always had 'Hoochie Coochie Man', 'Fever' and 'I Just Wanna Make Love To You', with the crowd joining the chorus for the last one each time. His stage act is pretty much the same too, the way he speaks in the middle of songs or plays his solos, not to forget his polka-dot shirt. But there's something magnetic about his performance, unique about his showmanship that always endears him to fans. It's like watching Sholay for the nth time - you know what's coming but you enjoy it.

On Sunday, playing just before he led into the final all-star jam, Buddy tweaked his sequence a bit. Willie Dixon's classic 'Hoochie Coochie Man' didn't come as the second song, but was No 5 or 6 in the batting order. And he didn't end the evening with 'Sweet Home Chicago', keeping his own take on Denise LaSalle's 'Slippin Out, Slippin In' for that section. Buddy started with a disastrous sound system, but stayed cool till it was rectified. Then it flowed as smoothly as Single Malt. It was an apt farewell for the legend, and an emotional one too.

Mannish Boy: A lot of blues aficionados eagerly waited for Christone 'Kingfish' Ingram's performance. At 24, the youngster has already made waves with his live shows, besides releasing two popular albums. Kingfish and 662, the latter winning the 2022 Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Album.

Opening Sunday's session, Ingram had a magnificent set with original songs like 'She Calls Me Kingfish', 'Your Time Is Gonna Come', 'Empty Promises' and 'Not Gonna Lie', besides the powerful 'Another Life Goes By'. When he invited Arinjoy to play on 'That's What You Do', he gave him space and time, before having a wonderful interactive guitar conversation. For his age, Ingram showed majority and skill that were admirable. Our Zeenat Aman clone had the same four dance steps through his gig.

Homegrown Blues: Exactly a day before Ingram charmed the audience, the Arinjoy Trio from Kolkata were on the same stage. Besides Arinjoy on guitar and vocals, the band comprised Aakash Ganguly on bass and Sounak Roy on drums.

Most tunes were from the 2019 self-titled album, later released on vinyl by Free School Street Records. Songs like 'Baby You're So Fine', 'Nothing Good's Ever Gonna Last' and the blues-rock piece 'Who You Are' showcased Arinjoy's songwriting and guitaring skills. He even dedicated a special instrumental 'Blues For Kirk' to the American guitarist Kirk Fletcher.

With his performance and the two brief appearances he made on Sunday, Arinjoy showed his huge potential to carry the Indian blues flag forward, just like Soulmate and Blackstratblues have done earlier. Also showing potential on the local circuit are the Karan Mahajan Band, winner of this year's Band Hunt contest. They teamed up with Chennai teenager Amithav Gautam on the Allman Brothers track 'In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed'.

The Karan Mahajan Band played at the Garden Stage area on Saturday. The following day, the Nanhi Kali Choir joined the Beatz Crew on a choral adaptation of 'Sweet Home Chicago'. Though these youngsters got a good platform, the fact is that many attendees miss out on them. They are slotted after the first act, when people are in a rush to grab a drink or a bite, or head to the restroom before getting in for the second performance.

The Blues Had A Baby, And They Called It Rock n' Roll: Though Ivan Singh has Indian roots, his great-grandfather settled in Argentina in the late 1800s. As the second act on the first evening, he started very well, with an improvised version of 'Hoochie Coochie Man' and energetic presentation of the popular 'Let The Good Times Roll', before playing his original 'Somos Musica'. His band included a saxophone, which gave a distinct, raw flavour.

Then came a twist, as Ivan switched to Santana's 'Maria Maria' and the Tito Puente-penned 'Oye Como Va', getting back to seminal blues fare with 'Got My Mojo Working'. He next did his own take on Michael Jackson's 'The Way You Make Me Feel', played some snippets from Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan and even Beethoven's 'Fur Elise', and finally exchanged one shoe with Mick Jagger and the other with Keith Richards to play 'Satisfaction'.

Complete with his crowd-surfing sequence, it was showmanship aimed at the whistle-happy gallery. Of course, some snobbish nostrils flared up. "This is not the blues, we need some booze," they said, heading to the Glenlivet counter.

Get On Board: It may not have been the greatest idea to have Taj Mahal immediately after Ivan Singh. In contrast to the latter's rabble-rousing gig, Taj Mahal was pure, traditional blues infused with folk and world music. A game-changer in the blues circuit, the maestro himself sat down with the members of his band, and his music required focus and concentration. 

The 80-year-old musician played beauties like 'Corrina', 'Queen Bee' and 'Everybody Is Somebody'. He even called on Mumbai singer Scherezaad to join in on 'Mustang Sally'. Sadly, the pizzas took time to be served and the whisky chatter grew louder in the open-air space.

Along with Ry Cooder, Taj Mahal won this year's Grammy for Best Traditional Blues Album for Get On Board. For those curious to hear more of his music, it is advisable to start off with this beauty to get on board of his genius. The key word is focus.

Crossroads Blues: While one witnessed great performances and fabulous audience response in the two enclosures, a lot of action took place outside, at the crossroads, so to speak. People took selfies first, and then started talking to those who were in the frame. Group photos were taken in a special area with a polka dot backdrop. Some people plonked themselves from start to finish on the round tables outside, only casually listening to the music. 

And there were the 'hats'. To show the world they are blues fans, many men wore Fedoras, Panama or cowboy hats. The only difference between the rugged Hollywood heroes and them were the looks and physique. The one exception was Ivan Singh, who looked dapper in his maroon hat. 

Stormy Monday Blues: This happens every time after MBF. After two days of celebrating the blues, it's a nightmare to get back to work.