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BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  NCPA International Jazz Festival  Artistes : Thilo Wolf Big Band, Emmet Cohen Trio, Alfredo Rodriguez Trio, Jane Monheit Genre : Jazz Details : Nov 24 to 26, Tata Theatre, Mumbai Pictures : Emmet Cohen Trio with trumpeter Benny Benack III (top), and Thilo Wolf Big Band with guests Johanna Iser and Torsten Goods (bottom, Wolf not in frame). Pictures are screen grabs from video reel on NCPA website) Rating : **** The Grand Piano was the star of the NCPA International Jazz Festival held at the Tata Theatre from November 24 to 26. Each day featured a different style, a different experience on the magical ivories. The trombone, trumpet, saxophone, double bass, vibraphone, drums and human voices only added to the variety. If Day 1 had German pianist Thilo Wolf play with his Big Band, the following evening had a literal piano masterclass by American genius Emmet Cohen. On the rainy last day, Cuba-born Alfredo Rodriguez stunned the packed hall with his effortless p...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR Ravi Iyer/ Ceasefire Label: Self-released  Rating: **** Here's a powerful tune about the impact of war on a child. Written and performed by Ravi Iyer, it is a timely call for ceasefire in these strife-torn times. Ravi uses a gentle guitar in the backdrop as he structures the song as a conversation between child and mother. The song ends, "We are the children of tomorrow, let us live to bring a better day. We don't know. No war. This is a call to ceasefire". Though it's a short piece at two minutes and 18 seconds, it creates a powerful impact.  Raman Sharma/ Falling Again Label: Molfa Music Rating: *** On his new single 'Falling Again', 18-year-old Raman Sharma talks of the feeling of being in love, from the initial nervousness to boldly expressing one's feelings. The song is mostly in English, with a few Hindi words thrown in. Hinglish, you may call it. For his age, Raman has a good sense of songwriting, both in tune and words. Yet, ...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR King/ Tu Jaana Na Piya Label: Warner Music India Rating: *** After his super-hit song 'Maan Meri Jaan' last year, it was probably natural to expect King to use a similar formula in some of his next few tunes. So here were are, with 'Tu Jaana Na Piya', from his recent album New Life . On its own, it's a simple and catchy tune with predictable lines telling a lover not to leave. "Tu jaana na piya, mere tere bina koi na yahaan, yeh dil keh raha", he sings. Co-written by him and Natania Lalwani, the song features singers Priyanshi Srivastava and Prateeksha Srivastava, who accompanied him on 'Maan Meri Jaan' too. If anything, the video directed by Akhilesh Vats and co-starring Naina Bhan, has a fresh and romantic narrative. The main problem is that you start off by listening to 'Tu Jaana Na Piya' but end up humming 'Maan Meri Jaan' . Sadaat Shafqat Amanat, Utpal Udit & Aditya Suyash/ More Saiyyan Label: Self-releas...

  BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  Rohan Solomon/ Strung Out To Dry Genre : Symphonic rock Label : 44G Records Rating : ***** Against the backdrop of bitter and angst-filled words, a gentle acoustic guitar makes way for dynamic string arrangements and pounding drums. The song over, a brief interlude takes over to maintain continuity. Released to celebrate two decades of music-making, singer-songwriter Rohan Solomon's new release Strung Out To Dry  is a concept album in every sense. Over 52 minutes and 20 tracks, it has a smooth thematic flow, beginning with songs of desire, strained relationships and loss but ending with hope. Because of the lockdown, the album has taken over four years to complete, with Rohan shuttling between New Delhi, New York and other cities, having multiple recording sessions. As such, some tracks like 'Victoria's Secret', 'We Demand Change', 'Serenity' and 'Keep Holding On' were released earlier as singles with YouTube videos. What st...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  The Tramlines Project/ Lucid Dream Label: Self-released  Rating: **** Bengaluru-based post-rock group The Tramlines Project performed at AntiSocial, Mumbai, on November 9 to promote its debut album Perception . Fronted by composer-guitarist Rahul Seth, they impressed with their technical finesse and imaginatively created soundscapes.  'Lucid Dream', released as a video song, is part of the album. Here, Seth is accompanied by guitarist Prajwal Shekar, bassist Surya Kalyan and drummer Aritra Ray. The song flows like a river, meandering through ambient spaces and suddenly changing trajectory before reaching a defined destination. The album has some fabulous tracks like 'Empty Inside', 'Alive', 'Output' and 'Hope'. It may require a certain mental tuning for the listener, but it surely grows after a few listens. Saroj Kashyap/ Rabbithomes  Label: Self-released  Rating: *** Earlier this year, Bengaluru-based singer-songwriter Saroj ...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR   Parikrama / Demons Of Time Label: Self-released Rating: **** At the time of writing this blog, Delhi rock superstars Parikrama were yet to perform 'Demons Of Time' on a live platform. Their latest release was to be first played live at the ongoing Mahindra Independence Rock festival. So here it is, a six minute 38 seconds track that's as anthemic as it can get. It's got that repeat-loop riff that binds the song and Nitin Malik's soaring vocals, with keyboardist Subir Malik  and guitarists Abhishek Mittal and Saurabh Chaudhary dazzling in their parts. "A curse from the past, finally come to pass", begins Nitin, who follows it later in the song with "All I could see is the sound, all I could hear was burning ground". After their last release 'Transclucent Night', this is another gem. Rahul Advani / O My Label: Self-released  Rating: *** 1/2 A year ago, Rahul Advani had released the song 'Ready To Breathe', whi...