Gig review/ The Arinjoy Trio, Rudy & The Kool Kats
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.
The opening night thus saw many vacant seats, whereas Day 2 had a full house. Arinjoy of course attracted his fans, who have grown in number after he released his self-titled debut album in 2019, put it out on vinyl later and made a fantastic splash at this year's MBF, even guesting on wonder boy Christone 'Kingfish' Ingram's set. While his following is more recent, Rudy is an established star, best known for his work with vocalist Tipriti Kharbangar in Soulmate. Naturally, blues buffs were curious to hear his new band, which had two other guitarists.
Both gigs lasted roughly 90 minutes, and while Arinjoy's set was skewed towards originals, Rudy & The Kool Kats did a balanced mix of originals and covers. Arinjoy was on target from the opening bars of 'Baby You're So Fine', with bassist Aakash Ganguly and drummer Sounak Roy joining him. His guitar has a wonderful tone, and on his solos, he has this quintessential manner of silently 'uttering' the notes.
His vocals on the moody ballad ''Nothing Good's Ever Gonna Last' and the blues-rock stomp 'Who You Are' showed his variety. Many songs, including the concert favourite 'Cold Cold Cold' and the chug-along 'Don't You Leave Me Behind' (played solo by Arinjoy) were from the debut album, though the trio played some tracks from the band's forthcoming EP, including 'Now I Think We're Done'. Tributes to bluesman Robert Cray ('Just Your Lullaby') and Kirk Fletcher ('Blues For Kirk'), and a cover of the BB King-popularised 'Help The Poor' were the other highlights.
The following day, visitors were immediately impressed by the sight of six electric guitars and a bass placed on stage before the gig began. Of course, Rudy walked in with two other guitarists - Greg Nongrum and Shepherd Najiar, besides keyboardist Brian Suting, bassist Leon Wallang and drummer Vincent Tariang. Later, Arinjoy and guitarist Tajdar Junaid joined them as guests on two tracks.
The mood was quickly set with the originals 'Chaos City Blues' and 'Funkin Alive'. Greg's 'If You Really Wanted, You Would' and Rudy's 'Moon Magic' were soulfully played. The covers included Taj Mahal's 'She Caught The Katy' and the Vaughan Brothers' 'Tick Tock'.
The three guitarists coordinated brilliantly when playing together, and shone in their solos. Arinjoy and Tajdar joined them on BB King's 'Sweet Little Angel', before taking the energy to the next level on the standard 'Messing With The Kid'. The Kool Kats then did a marvellous version of the Allman Brothers beauty 'Whipping Post', complete with three exquisite solos, before rounding off with Rudy's 'Koolkatstrut', originally featured on the 2009 Soulmate album Moving On.
Both shows had their highs, with a lot of virtuoso playing and fabulous guitarwork, not to forget the marvellous acoustics. One wonders if Arinjoy's show would have attracted more visitors if both the events were scheduled with a gap, considering that it's difficult for many Mumbaikars to plan things on consecutive weekdays. Luckily, the blues fever doesn't end here. On Friday June 17, the Experimental Theatre at NCPA is hosting the John Blue Ensemble, featuring Salim John Sadiq on vocals and guitar, Kunal Kalikotay on bass, Asish Chanda on drums and Spandan Baishnab on keyboards. Besides their originals, the north Bengal band will play the repertoire of BB King, Muddy Waters, Albert King, Buddy Guy and Eric Clapton, among others. Clearly, the blues are in full swing in Mumbai, that too in the concert hall.
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